True strength lies in shedding hate, ego, and jealousy. Discover how genuine peace and self-awareness can transform your life beyond societal judgments.
By Shah Muneeb
In today’s world, one of the strangest realities is this: if you don’t carry hate, jealousy, anger, ego, grudge, or stubbornness, society won’t accept you. Such individuals are often perceived as weak, powerless, and irrelevant, but the truth is the opposite. These emotions were never part of human nature; they are man-made creations that humanity accepted as truth. Now anger, jealousy, and ego are seen as signs of intelligence and strength, yet peace only begins when we let them go.
We believe that anger gives us power, stubbornness drives us forward, and hate makes us stronger. We think forgiveness makes us weak, but the Prophet (SAW) said that whoever forgives, Allah increases his honour and respect. Those who hide hate and jealousy behind fake smiles live in constant unrest. Their peace dies first, and their toxic thoughts eventually destroy their future.
Philosopher Sufi Inayat Khan explained that whatever a person thinks, speaks, or does becomes like a seed. If positive, it gives positive fruit; if negative, the results are bitter. Life does not need hate or ego at all, but instead of facing this truth, we chase society’s approval at the cost of peace. The real human being steps out of society’s frame and asks: What benefit is there in anger, stubbornness, jealousy, or ego? The answer is none. We were not born with these traits; we learned them. A child is proof. Children don’t ask about caste or religion; they simply laugh and play. Even if they fight, they quickly return to friendship. Childhood is full of peace because children have not yet worn society’s glasses. These glasses are given by parents, relatives, friends, neighbours, and social media. They teach us to remember who hurt us, to be jealous of those ahead, to take revenge when insulted, and to judge those who are different. This is how false ideas are passed on.
Take a family example: when a child doesn’t eat or study, parents compare him with his siblings. They think it is care, but in reality, it plants ego, jealousy, and stubbornness inside the child. Later, this grows into stress, depression, and anxiety. Joseph Murphy wrote that repeated thoughts fall into the mind like seeds and grow into trees, either positive or negative. Sigmund Freud explained that even forgotten childhood experiences shape personality and habits.
Plato said the beginning is the most important part of any work, especially in the case of a child, because that is when character is formed. So society’s glasses make us what we were never meant to be. As long as we wear them, we cannot love freely. We doubt every relationship, hide pain inside, and suspect intentions behind every smile. But what is the real weakness? It is not kindness or compassion. Real weakness is having a mind but refusing to think. It is following others instead of building your own path. It is giving up peace for trends, trusting others’ knowledge but ignoring your own ability to learn, and living inside frames made by others. Real weakness is having everything but creating nothing.
The law of life is simple: what you see, you absorb; what you hear, you become; what you learn, you carry; what you speak, you reflect; what you do, shapes your destiny; what you think, becomes your reality. Sadly, people treat their thoughts as the ultimate truth. If you disagree, they push you out of their world. But no one can truly judge you. A person who doesn’t know himself cannot know others, and one who knows himself never judges.
The goal of life is to become who you truly are, not what family, relatives, society, or social media want you to be. Islam teaches truth and love, and in fact, all religions, when understood deeply, teach the same: stay away from negativity and seek knowledge. As Rumi said, “I listen to every religion because every religion has something good in it.”
If you find ego, jealousy, stubbornness, or hate within yourself, remove them. If they are not inside you, don’t worry if society calls you weak or odd. Their opinion doesn’t matter. The real truth is, you can live without these poisons. Don’t fear the truth, face it, embrace it, and recognise your real self.
sh***********@***il.com