There are times when I feel overwhelmed with things around me and I admit that I have difficulty to reorganise those things according to priorities. What I normally do is, I will categorise things accordingly based on urgency and importance. But I will remind myself those urgency and importance should be related to what is really matters to my identity as a Muslim and how it will impact my relationship with Allah. This is challenging. Every time.
This is already October, another two months before we reach the end of 2024. What have I done so far this year?
Off lately, I find myself just do a minimum without caring going extra miles to do something. This is especially relating to things which are instructed by others which I have to do. I have been wondering what is the cause of this even though I can guess. I remind myself that I should not rely on my guess without concrete reasons to avoid su’u zahn (opposite of husn zahn). While listening to a radio this morning (17 October 2024), the radio DJs talked about “quiet quitting”. It is a term to refer to a phenomenon at a workplace where its employees just do bare minimum required in their job, without the motivation of doing more than what is required. It does not mean the employees are demotivated to do their job well, it is just they do what is required. Nothing more, nothing less. The thoughts of “why should I do more?”, “why should I care to go extra miles to contribute?”, “if other people do not care, why should I care?” would always linger as a subconscious reminder which leads this phenomenon to thrive.
No doubt we have to adapt to changes that happen around us. Yet, to balance between the needs and wants are not easy. We need to do our job well and protect our mental health and personal time. Quiet quitting is when we do all that without formally resigning. In this case, it serves as a coping mechanism of finding balance in life and perhaps can be seen as a personal assertion between work and personal life.
I do not what else to write here. To end this post, I asked ChatGPT to compose a poem based on what I have written above. Enjoy!
The world surrounds, a sea of demands,
Urgency whispers, yet slips through my hands.
I stand overwhelmed, priorities unclear,
Yet deep in my heart, I know why I’m here.
I sift through the noise, sort urgent from small,
What truly matters, what matters at all?
I pause and reflect, what will this mean
In the light of my faith, the unseen, the serene?
With each task, each step, I seek to align
What echoes forever with the Divine.
But still, there’s a weight I can’t deny—
This pull to do less, the question, “Why?”
Why should I strive when others stand still?
Why climb the extra mile, climb the hill?
Perhaps I’ve quiet quit, in more ways than one,
Just doing enough, until the day’s done.
Yet balance is fragile, this life, a test,
To protect my soul while giving my best.
I find myself torn, between needs and care,
Seeking peace in the midst of this quiet affair.
As the year wanes, I ask with a sigh,
What have I done? How? Why did I try?
In moments of silence, I find what I seek—
A reminder of strength, though I may feel weak.
Quiet quitting, perhaps, is more than it seems,
A way to balance, to cradle my dreams.
But still, I must strive, for in my heart I know,
The true path is where both faith and effort grow.