“The mass and majesty of this world, all 
That carries weight and always weighs the same
Lay in the hands of others; they were small   
And could not hope for help and no help came:   
What their foes like to do was done, their shame
Was all the worst could wish; they lost their pride
And died as men before their bodies died.

She looked over his shoulder“
(H Auden, Shields of Achilles)

Would I be the one of help – or propel the ruin to come faster? My work in tech has always made me have this sinking feeling: am I doing good or making things worse?

A gem that linter in my mind these few days is this:

فليقل خيرا أو ليصمت (Say good things or be silent)

However, as a matter of fact: our own minds cannot stop talking. As al-Ghazali said, we have three selves: ourselves, the lower self and the higher self. Our higher self would have its own ‘agenda’ while our lower self would have many manufactured agendas too – so these voices (not a hallucination) informed us, at least, at the very least, help us to always audit ourselves.

Am I being too fast (like the hare) or taking it slower (like the tortoise)?

But this story, a famous one, is not necessarily about winning – where most people often focus on: “To win, we need to take it slow”. May not be necessary, because, in life, there are times when we need to go fast. There are times where we need to decide fast, and we need that courage to let go the other possibilities, after, of course, much discernment, consultation, seeking advice, and much more.

This story hooked me for few weeks because it’s as if it’s the analogy of the two worlds: the more fast-paced modern world versus (if I may say ‘versus’) the more established