Staying focused

Life is a journey of lessons. Right from the cradle till the grave, it’s a never-ending process. Lessons learned and implemented are true wisdom and intelligence, and lessons only observed, neither learned nor implemented is ignorance.
In our advanced educational systems, we have different pedagogies for teaching. And more fascinating breakthrough methods of teachings are anticipated in the future. But the question is, are these tools capable of converting lessons into life-changing materials? Or, are these methods capable of teaching affection, brotherhood, and good etiquette? The answer doesn’t require any further explanation. Few people forecast that in the future, the need to attend a school or university campuses physically-will decrease subsequently. The most alarming damage associated with the online exposure is distraction. However, the above subject (online-classes) is still debatable. Many thoughts revolve around this debate but none can satisfy either way. Let’s discuss the most salient features of learning. FOCUS.

Focus-and its importance.  

The hustle and bustle of life never allows us to pay heed to the purpose which really matters to us. The over-dissemination of knowledge, according to me, sometimes becomes the cause of deviation from the purpose. The connotation of over-dissemination in this context is the availability of online videos and other educational stuff without any authenticity. This availability often tends to grab our attention and get hold of our consciousness.
A student thinks that if I miss the subject matter or any curriculum in the class, I will watch the video later, which seldom happens. And, if it happens, it’s sometimes more devastating.

Owing to the unfocused and obscure vision, more time and energy is exhausted. Focus is the elixir that can convert any potential time into gold. Focus is a lifesaver for those who lost hope in life. Each and every religious practice is based on focus. It’s easy for the religious person to remain focused. So we can possibly conclude that religious practices during the course of the learning stage should be of utmost priority to students. It will definitely influence students and bring change in learning.

 
Knowing and realising the distractions is the key to staying focused.

Distractions are silent killers that are toxic to our mental health. They are hindrances in the journey of learning. The thought to isolate students for better learning brought hostels into existence, where students can remain undistracted from the outer world. The parents and guardians are sometimes helpless to avoid the distractions of their child and hence they choose a hostel for them. Parents can’t persuade them to limit so-called social media distractions. On the contrary, at times parents seek their status quo and please their kids by lending them expensive electronic gadgets.

To support the discussion, I want to cite the live example of a couple. In their willingness to get rid of the social media distractions for their child, they not only restricted their child from using gadgets, they barred their own selves from touching them. I take inspiration from their stringent decision to forsake the mobile. The decision to give up mobile phones is a courageous task in itself. Like, the attempt to quit or limit the intake of sugar in meals is next to impossible for everyone, especially for those who are having a sweet tooth.

From the above-discussed couple, the wife had the privilege to obtain admission to the revered university- al Jamea tus Saifyah. Though, she was not a perfect academic student. But her aspirations were too strong and it was quite evident from her over-active nature.  This nature eventually helped her in completing the memorization of the entire al Quran al Kareem. She chose a compatible better half in life who plays an integral part in her journey of hifz for herself and for her kids as well. Her courtship with him taught her to surrender personal inclinations when there is a burning desire to achieve something in life. I take this opportunity to express my reverence to all those women who pursued their dream of memorization of al Quran al Kareem even after having kids which is a paramount achievement in itself. They are worth lots of tribute and respect. After attaining the dream of achieving the shahadat of hifz, she decided to pass the legacy to her kids, and at the age of six years and three months, her eldest daughter completed the memorization of the entire al Quran al Kareem.

Then came the turn of her second child. We sometimes presume that few things happen rarely only, but she never lost hope and her second child completed hifz at the surprising age of five years and nine months only. The wonder doesn’t end here because her third child also achieved the feat of memorizing the entire al Quran al kareem. We can conclude that her dedication sustained the top level for a prolonged period. 

When she was asked about her exceptional attainments and what was her remedy to overcome distractions? To sum up all her efforts and aspirations, she said that all this was possible just because of the love and affection she was having towards the subject. And the courage she had to overcome each and every distraction and the biggest of all is to cut off from the social life either (social media or avoidable social gatherings). The mirror effect was observed from the sister of the above-mentioned individual as well. Her sister also maintained the mantle by working hard to accomplish the memorization of al Quran al Kareem for her three kids, one at the age of six years and two months another at the age of six years and one month and third at the age of six years and five months. The purpose here is to mention the sheer dedication and focus required to accomplish this task. However, the age at which an individual starts the hifz is not the only aim of the discussion. If a person is willing to memorize al Quran, this article aims to guide him by the above-discussed examples, how to avoid distractions and remain focused till the end. Kudos to the parents of these kids.

In this advanced era, we look for the top-secret formula (short-cut) for accomplishing any task in life. I am not aware of any secret formula for any other task, but for memorization of al-Quran the only tested formula is renouncing the whims and controlling the self from distractions and the top distractor in the list of distractions is the mobile phone when it’s equipped with all the social media platforms. To have it in an uncontrolled way is a vicious cycle of self-destruction.
These two women set an exceptional example for remaining focused in life. To remain focused and dodge distraction is the abundant treasure in life.
History harbors several examples, explaining, how people achieved coveted titles in world, by applying, the no distraction method in their lives. Saina Nehwal who made India proud by grabbing badminton titles said- right after winning the medal. I relished and feasted on pizza after winning my title. She knew that a small morsel of pizza can ruin her career. She controlled her craving for her favorite food by keeping in mind the zeal she is was having for her profession. Her zeal conquered her craving realizing that the glee of relishing pizza will diminish in seconds and leave the repentance, while the happiness of achieving the medal will remain till death.
This is how one can achieve his most longing desire by controlling his whims in life.