THE five elements of a good book are the characters, the setting, the plot, the conflict, and the resolution. It keeps the story running smoothly and allows the action to develop in a logical way that the reader can follow.

Reader’s Digest listed Anna Karenina as the best book of all time. Often quoted but rarely understood, the first sentence is: “All happy families resemble each other; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” It offers a paradoxical insight into what is truly important in human lives. 

In War and Peace – a variant of Anna Karenina, Tolstoy quotes a French proverb: “Happy people have no history.” Where there are dramatic events, where there is material for an interesting story, there is unhappiness. The old curse “May you live in interesting times!” suggests that the more narratable a life is, the worse it is.

Life consists primarily of the countless ordinary events that are always occurring.

One high-profile court case down, so are we ready to move on to the next chapter? Based on what has happened in the last couple of days, we may still be stuck at chapter one.

Could it be love or obsession for a personality?

When someone falls in love, they allow the relationship to bloom and flourish at its own pace. But someone who is obsessed will be afraid of losing the other party. It doesn’t constitute love and only shows their need to latch onto that someone.

Don’t we want more out of life? There are more important things. 

“By the passage of time, surely humanity is in ‘grave’ loss, except those who have faith, do good, and urge each other to the truth and urge each other to persevere” (Quran: Surah Al-Asr). If God had only revealed this surah it would have been sufficient for the guidance of all humankind.

Make every minute of our life count.

Wake our conscious mind and embrace change. Nobody is going to do your life for you. Life isn’t predictable and the solutions don’t always come nicely wrapped. We have choices and decisions to make.

Life is a tough journey but rewarding when you find your passion and no one way is better than the other. Embrace the unknown for a while.

Are we a happy Keluarga Malaysia or an unhappy one?

Many of us complain the government is not doing enough for us for various reasons, but what are doing about it? 

Think of ways to make uncertainty a certainty. Let us pool our resources to assist and make a difference. God expects you to make decisions and to think first since many factors are associated with decisions.

Since we are humans, with the passing of time, there will be many more characters, settings, plots and conflicts to come. Are we ready with solutions or are we part of the conflict?

We are living in interesting times.

Remember Surah Al-Asr. Our life is not infinite and with a plethora of options, let us not let ourselves be pigeon-holed.

Let us move to the next chapter so we can read another book. – August 25, 2022.

* Saleh Mohammed reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.