Generosity

I'd not exactly forgotten the extraordinary sense of giving amongst the group we did our Umrah with at the end of 2014, but the palpable, unrelenting generosity of spirit (and practical stuff like sharing goodies of all varieties) of our little group here has acted as a powerful reminder of the lived reality of that time. The idea that something akin to straightforward, uncomplicated goodness can manifest itself in this fallen world is the most revolutionary I can think of.

It's ironic that the idea is so radical it seems to have entirely escaped such revolutionary leaders of thought as Nietzsche and Sartre. The notion that hell is other people seems to me predicated on the most debilitating self-awareness and arrogance, and an astonishing blindness to the often quite extraordinary qualities of seemingly very ordinary people.

The other night as we walked from al Masjid al Haram to get on the bus, there were at least ten guys standing along the street offering free dates to all the passers-by. The one I ate tasted good. Particularly sweet.