I see more and more often that people who have recently been fully convinced of one thing, today fight completely for the other side. Not so long ago, these people were willing to give their lives to the thing they were holding on to, and today you look at those people and they turned 180 degrees.
How does it come?
It’s not a matter of the moment if someone changes his character, it’s a lengthy process.
I am convinced that these people long ago had reservations about their beliefs but could not accept them. Either because doubting that belief was inappropriate or because they were afraid to disappoint themselves.
There comes a time when this person hears or finds an argument that contradicts his beliefs, but appeals to his thoughts more. This argument then thrives on his thoughts over time, as does a virus in the bloodstream.
Eventually it comes to the point that this person no longer feels comfortable with his beliefs and he carefully transmits his thoughts to the outside world. As long as he does not encounter any reactions, the proportion of what he carries out is getting more and more, and over a long time, it makes that person.
Watch your thoughts, they become words.
Watch your words, they become actions.
Watch your actions, they become habits.
Watch your habits, they become your character.
Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.
Is this bad?
This question is actually not that easy to answer, because many factors are related to it. I always ask myself the following questions when it comes to a change in my life:
- How much does the change contribute to world peace and how do you know that?
- Who benefits from it?
- If you stand before God, can you be proud of this change?
If all these questions are answered in the affirmative, I accept the change. Otherwise, I prefer to do without it.
However, most people change only because of the resulting profit. Profit does not necessarily mean money, but can also mean look or make. In this case, that’s bad.
My experience
I have also experienced that i answered all the above questions positively, but you can be enormously deceived because of your ignorance.
However, when I started reading books, the rate of wrong decisions dropped dramatically. That’s why I ask anyone who asks me for advice that he starts reading books.
I used to try to help anyone who got in my way. Today, however, I urge people to read a book and I recommend a book to the person. As long as the person is reading, I help. Otherwise not. Because it makes no sense to run after someone, if he does not contribute.
You can also be wrong
I know many guys who have slipped into the Salafist scene or are still in it. If you ask the questions above, they’ll answer like this:
- How much does the change contribute to world peace and how do you know that?
There can be nothing else that contributes to world peace more because we work for Islam. - Who benefits from it?
Islam and no / nothing else / other. - If you stand before God, can you be proud of this change?
I’ll stand in front of him as a martyr inshallah.
However, if these guys were reading books and training, they would quickly realize that these statements are not really true. For example, I would answer the questions like this:
- How much does the change contribute to world peace and how do you know that?
Not at all, because a lot of mischief is made because of the ignorance. That’s what history has taught us. - Who benefits from it?
The arms industry and the media - If you stand before God, can you be proud of this change?
Can a mischief-maker be proud of God?
The problem here, however, is that these guys are trimmed to accept nothing else and fight anything that is against their belief.
This is a very dangerous attitude, because then you are absolutely controlled by the people who decide how you think.
Conclusion
As you can see, a change of man comes very slowly and ends up as destiny. The key to peaceful life here is the constant movement. You must never stop and you must never assume that you have finished learning.
I myself read many books of different thinkers, entertain myself with different thinkers and look at many lectures of them. Why not?