MERDEKA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Assalamualaikum wbt and peace be upon you,

I was reminded to write about Merdeka or our National Independence Day since not writing about it is considered a major sin!.

If asked what Merdeka means to me, I'd certainly say that Merdeka means the freedom for me to make my own choice in doing what I like to do, in wearing what I like to wear, in studying what I'm interested in instead of as dictated by the government, in pursuing my ambition which might not seem lucrative financially but would give me the utmost satisfaction in my life. For example, I never dream of becoming a doctor, lawyer, architect, engineer, politician etc. My dream job is something that I myself am not clear about yet. The motivational speaker who came to my school said that I lack direction and ambition, but how can he say that since this world is so vast, that I might just do whatever I want with my life, as long as it gives me freedom or merdeka.
.
However, basically for me to be merdeka as a person, I have to be :

1) Materially merdeka. In my household, my mother makes it a point to live a simple life, free from material wants. We have very little things and my mother constantly downsizes our belongings to things that we really really need. However, my mother is less strict on us compared to herself.
.
2) Debt free. This I learn from my mom. My parents used to have platinum credit cards but once they learnt that Allah and Prophet Muhammad would wage war against those who are involved in riba (or compounded interest), they cut off their cards in half and started to live frugally. At 40, my mother is already debt free and she does not need to worry about bills or whatnot.Whatever spending is done in cash and if we don't have any cash, we don't spend. It's a very simple system and we all have got used to it.Thus we don't shop as much as other Malaysians.
.
3) Do not be influenced by advertisements. Mind you, I love looking at commercials and advertisements but my mom who worked in a TV station warned me not to be fooled by advertisements which would play on people's emotions to create a mental desire to buy the things that the ads are selling. Like yesterday, when we went out, my dad got us some sneakers for our jogging routine. Of course I wanted the branded shoes, but my mom said, "I'm not going to spend a few hundred ringgit just to be put at your feet. I'd rather feed 10 hungry mouths with that amount of money. Just buy the one which cost RM89.90 and comes with a 40% discount. You can still run in those, and they look good too." You see, my mom is very quick at making her decision I'd have nothing to argue with her. Well, it's her money (technically my dad's) anyway. She's like, "Adik, please get this boy a size 10 shoes of this kind, okey, okey,..done..pay the bill..blah. Just like that. Very quick and efficient, we did not even have time to breathe. To tell you the truth, I went jogging with my big sis in our new shoes, and they were just fine..and they look good too. Thank you mom for lesson #3.(However, there is an exception to this rule i.e. quality vs quantity- that you have to figure out yourself).
.
4) Less is more (unclutter your life). Who taught me this (I think you know the answer already...). Yes, make sure you have less things in your house to save you time, money and energy. It'll save you the time to arrange and tidy up your place, less money to spend buying stuff to keep the things and you'll definitely use less energy to keep your place neat. I learnt this the hard way. My sisters and I were very lazy in tidying up our beds. So one day, my mom said, "Please take all your mattresses and throw them in the big waste bin opposite the road. She said, it seemed that the mattress has been taking a lot of hers and our energy and time. So, because we opted not to tidy up our beds, now we have to sleep on thin sponge mattresses. Our beds were also taken once because it came in the way of our laziness, but my mother has given it back to us after we've learnt our lesson. According to my mom, the beds are not essential items, so if it comes in the way, just get rid of it.(This applies to things only guys).
.
5) I'm really not a big fan of Merdeka gathering where people wait until the stroke of midnight to shout Merdeka!Merdeka!. For me, Merdeka means respecting the dead who had fought with their sweat and blood to clinch the independence for this country. I'd rather spend the Merdeka day paying respect to the graves of those unsung heroes, sending them al-Fatihah, and making a big tahlil for them. If they are still alive, we should all go and pay respect to them and bring them gifts and flowers. The descendents of the departed should also be rewarded and respected every year, and their lineage should be recorded in a special book, and their names learned as part of History lesson in school.
I'd also spend my Merdeka night looking at the shooting stars rather than the fireworks which must have cost a lot.
If the government still want Merdeka gathering, they should do it in an orchard. Everyone is given a sapling. At the stroke of midnight, they must plant the seeds, and who knows, maybe next year, they can enjoy the fruit of their labour.
.
6) I don't know if lesson #6 is really relevant or not, but for me to be merdeka is to travel light. I only carry one small back pack when I travel and that's all. I really hate travelling with a lot of stuff coz it weighs me down, it's  too time consuming to pack, repack, to wait at the baggage aisle and whatnot. I just bring some old clothes, and if I need a new one, I'll buy it, and the old clothes will be given away to the hotel housekeeper or any one whom I feel need it. I don't bring back coins too. I'll just leave it on the desk next to the hotel bed. If I travel on Emirates, the coins will go into the Charity envelope.This I learn from my dad coz he's a pro at travelling.
.
Well, I guess the list can go on and on but enough for now...oh, one more thing..when I get married, I don't want a wife who wants me to buy her diamond rings, branded handbags, huge house, expensive cars....Coz, I'd surely not be merdeka at all.

HAPPY MERDEKA DAY!

Peace
Daniel Zaydi
.

.

.