My Mom, An Independent Thinker

Sunday,September 9,2012
written by: Sheila Quinn
Source:Seeker of Truth,Independent Thinker and Muslim

My mother died more than a decade ago. It was Ramadan and I was on Umrah Mabur. A few days after I arrived home from my trip to Saudi Arabia I got a phone call from my brother telling me that my mother had died.

In some ways I am the daughter of my mother. We had many things in common. She loved: books, knowledge, people and ideas. She was a thinker who at times acted contrary to advise that experts gave her. She didn’t allow anyone to tell her what she should or shouldn’t think or believe. She thought what she wanted to think and she believed what she wanted to believe.

An example of her acting according to her convictions was when she decided to breastfeed her babies against doctor’s advise. My siblings and I were born in the 1950’s. I think it was common at that time for doctors to discourage breastfeeding. But, my mother being the independent thinker that she was decided that she should breastfeed her babies for a few weeks- even though it was against doctors advise.

The last time I talked with my mother was in a phone call. Although it was obvious that she was very tired, it was clear to me that it was my mother who was speaking to me. She said: ” Sheila, the doctors say that I have cancer.” This is how she told me that she was dying. She didn’t tell me that she had cancer but that “the doctors say”. That is my mom for you. Always the skeptic, always the independent thinker who thought for herself.

In An Alien World

written by Sheila Quinn

This post is one of a personal nature. Usually, on this blog I post news articles that I find to be either interesting or informative. A few times I have written, myself, articles on a few issues. So this post is a very unusual one where I expose myself,as a human being,to the public.
It is my nature as an individual human being to be very shy, but at the same time I am outspoken on issues that I feel I must speak out on. My conscience does not allow me to remain silent about things that I have deep feelings. If I feel that something is really wrong, I must speak out about it- irregardless of what others think or how they might react. I can not live with myself if I remain silent about things that are wrong.
I am interested in many things; I am very, very mentally active. I love the truth-and I have loved it all of my life. I started searching for the truth that is independent of human thought during my childhood. When I was a young adult of twenty-nine, I found what I was looking for in The Islamic Faith. The more I experience life, the more my religious convictions are confirmed. By nature I am deeply religious. I am so religious that it seems that the lack of religion from anyone seems so very, very alien to me. I don't understand why anyone would not be religious... anyway... to go on.
My mother taught her children the importance of being able to agree to disagree. Through this we can appreciate each others inner beauty.
There were times during my childhood when I saw this world and everyone in it as aliens. It was through my abilities to observe and analyze that I was able to understand this world. It was through such abilities that I was enabled to function in this world.
One of my interests is politics. Through understanding politics I am able to understand why things happen as they do. One of my hobbies is political analysis. I have been an amateur political analyst for forty years. It might be said that differences in politics can -and sometimes does- damage relationships. For me, politics, and political analysis is important. Through it I can understand the world. As I said before, being outspoken about things that are important to me is necessary. Without it I am not able to live with myself.