Tariq Saleim's Blog, page 2
June 27, 2015
2100 AD - A Sly Pretense
My third book, 2100 AD - A Sly Pretense will be published in August 2015 and will be available on Amazon and Kindle. For those of you who are interested in Dystopian fiction, following is a brief description of the book.
"After a devastating war for limited resources, the world finally knows peace thanks to the UPF—the United Planet for Fairness. Independent nations are a thing of the past. Education and medical coverage are guaranteed until citizens are eighteen. Religion is outlawed and demonized.
But the UPF’s laws are strict and unforgiving. Unemployment after age twenty-five is punishable by death. Retirement benefits and retirement age are abolished.
Even living under such draconian laws, most citizens of the UPF are happy with their lot. Unemployment and crime are at historic lows worldwide. The law’s tough, but everyone has a fair chance at success. Besides, anyone who dissents quickly disappears.
Then a journalist makes a horrifying discovery—far from giving everyone a fair chance, the UPF deliberately manipulates the population through a complex web of lies, drugs, and alcohol, a vicious program that breaks people’s wills, leaving them desperate to work any job, no matter how demeaning, to avoid execution. Such information could tear the UPF apart, if it were ever made public.
The UPF convinced a planet of slaves they were free and happy. How do you persuade a contented populace they should revolt?"
I look forward to sharing it with you.
Cheers,
Tariq
"After a devastating war for limited resources, the world finally knows peace thanks to the UPF—the United Planet for Fairness. Independent nations are a thing of the past. Education and medical coverage are guaranteed until citizens are eighteen. Religion is outlawed and demonized.
But the UPF’s laws are strict and unforgiving. Unemployment after age twenty-five is punishable by death. Retirement benefits and retirement age are abolished.
Even living under such draconian laws, most citizens of the UPF are happy with their lot. Unemployment and crime are at historic lows worldwide. The law’s tough, but everyone has a fair chance at success. Besides, anyone who dissents quickly disappears.
Then a journalist makes a horrifying discovery—far from giving everyone a fair chance, the UPF deliberately manipulates the population through a complex web of lies, drugs, and alcohol, a vicious program that breaks people’s wills, leaving them desperate to work any job, no matter how demeaning, to avoid execution. Such information could tear the UPF apart, if it were ever made public.
The UPF convinced a planet of slaves they were free and happy. How do you persuade a contented populace they should revolt?"
I look forward to sharing it with you.
Cheers,
Tariq
May 20, 2014
Kindle Offer - A Chronicle of Amends
You can purchase my book, A Chronicle of Amends, from Kindle for reduced price of USD 0.99 starting from 05 Jun 14 up until 12 Jun 14.
Regards,
Tariq Saleim
Regards,
Tariq Saleim
May 11, 2014
On The Money
TECHNIQUE # 1 - WORK SMART, TAKE RISKS
“Hard work does not make people rich. If hard work is all you have to offer in exchange for material success then there is little hope for you. My words may seem harsh but I deem it necessary to use such harsh words to dismiss your delusions about hard work and its deemed connection to material success.
“Observe the janitor in your building who works hard day after day cleaning people’s excretions. Who can argue that his job is not hard? He can be the best janitor in the world but if that is all he can do then that is all he will ever be; a janitor. Go to a construction site and notice the hard work being put in by laborers. The amount of physical labor they put in is staggering; yet most of them are poor. Go back to fifteen and sixteen centuries and read accounts of European and American slavery. Slaves worked hard all their lives but most of them died in poverty.
“It is obvious that in all these examples (and several others which have not been presented here) hard work is not the solution and more is needed.
“If you want to make money then, in your chosen field, go beyond just hard work; learn to work smart. This is one technique which has helped countless individuals and businesses. It is not a new concept and has been around for a very long time. Yet, it is amazing how so many, individuals and businesses alike, miss the point totally. In simple terms it means focusing ones efforts on activities, customers, products etc., which yield the maximum benefit (in this case this benefit being material success). Instead of wasting time, energy and resources on things which are not yielding results, one switches around to find what generates better results.
“Education usually gives people the ability to work smarter, when compared to people who are not educated. Doctors, lawyers, accountants, engineers, teachers, writers, actuaries (and similarly other educated professionals) are able to squeeze more material success from their eight to ten hours workday because they have learned to work smartly. At some point in time they worked hard in acquiring a certain skill set, which later in life they are able to sell smartly. Educated businessmen are usually able to market their products / services better by employing right marketing strategies, targeting correct customer segment, investing in research and development, etc.
“This combination of hard work plus smart work is an extremely powerful money making technique. Millions of people (if not billions) have turned their lives around through effective application of this single most effective skill set. If you are able to fathom this concept and apply it in your daily life you will notice marked improvement in results.”
He took a brief pause to see if there were any questions; there were none so he started talking again.
“Hard work and smart work, however, is not the full story. Rich people do not only work smart but they chose to go beyond that; they learn to take risks. One significant differentiating attribute between rich and the wannabes is their ability to take risks. Rich take risks, sometimes calculated, at times outright foolishly, but they truly take huge risks.
“Beyond a certain point, material success or lack thereof, is not a competence issue but rather a risk appetite issue.
“Rich understand this simple yet not so commonly known concept very well. Their love of material success is supported by a huge appetite for taking risks and this is how they make it big. Of course, for one such person that makes it big, there are several who are washed away because risk by its very nature is uncertain. Sometimes it delivers, at times it does not and that is why it is called risk.
“In the field of Economics, there is a concept of 'Diminishing Marginal Returns' which simply means that the more you have of a certain commodity, say commodity A, the less you are willing to give away of something else for more of the same commodity A. For example, if you are very thirsty, the first glass of water that you drink has a much higher utility. By the time you have had two glasses of water you are no longer thirsty. In fact having a third glass may actually make you feel uncomfortable. Theoretically speaking if you only have enough money to buy three glasses of water, you would be very willing to pay for the first one, may be for the second one as well but will definitely ponder before purchasing the third one. This is simply because the third glass of water does not have the same utility for you as the first glass.”
Someone from the audience raised his hand. Asad requested one of the organizers to pass him a microphone so that his question could be heard easily by everyone.
“Sir my name is Jeremy and I am a student of Law. I have a question for you.”
“Please go ahead,” Asad replied politely.
“You have just spoken about the concept of diminishing marginal returns; do you believe that it also applies to money?” questioned the student.
“Thank you, let me try to answer that for you,” replied Asad. “It would be easy to assume that concept of diminishing marginal returns does not apply to money which means people would be willing to have more of it irrespective of how much wealth they hoard already. However, in reality it does apply. It is true that most people would want to have more wealth than they already hold; however, their risk appetite experiences considerable reduction as they become wealthy. They are no longer willing to take risks which they were once happily undertaking because money does have diminishing marginal returns.
“At some point in time, all of us want to eliminate, hedge, and reduce risks from our lives. Little do we realize that this is not possible in conclusive terms; nevertheless we still try. For some people this happens very early on when they have very little money. They decide they will not be taking anymore risks and play safe from this point onward. For some it happens much later in life when they have amassed a lot of wealth and decide to take it easy. For most of us it happens somewhere in between the two extremes. However, everyone at some point in time decides to stop taking risks. It is this decision which determines the extent of one’s material success in the longer run.
“Rich people and families have huge risk taking capacity, especially the first generation ones. Second and third generation rich are generally known for their love of maintaining status quo, enjoying life’s finest charms and avoiding unnecessary risks.”
Asad felt that he had answered the question appropriately. He looked at the student and asked, “Have I answered your question Jeremy?”
The student nodded his head and said thank you. After that, he handed over the microphone back to the organizer who had given it to him in the first place. Asad started talking again.
“It is wrong to assume that rich only risk their capital; they risk a lot more. They may at times break laws and regulations as well and risk legal repercussions. At times they risk their reputation by getting involved in dishonest and immoral practices. They risk their hereafter (i.e. if you believe in God, heaven and hell) by indulging in evil practices and spreading corruption and so on.
“In summary, our ability to take risks (and not just with our capital) goes a long way in determining how successful we would be in financial terms. If we are always looking for safety and avoid risks in general then it is extremely difficult to make big bucks. We may still be able to live comfortably; however, it would be difficult to enter the big league.
“Your risks are yours to take. No one can tell you how much risk to take and when to stop. It is entirely your call. Some people are able to live at ease with extremely high level of risks; others are uncomfortable with the least bit of it. It is very personal and subjective.
“Know this in no uncertain terms that many incompetent people have been able to amass staggering amount of wealth by taking unprecedented risks with their capital, reputation, lives and prevalent laws and regulations. At the same time, some highly intelligent souls were barely able to make a living because of their nonexistent risk appetite.”
*********
Excerpts from - On The Money
Publishing Date - October 2014
“Hard work does not make people rich. If hard work is all you have to offer in exchange for material success then there is little hope for you. My words may seem harsh but I deem it necessary to use such harsh words to dismiss your delusions about hard work and its deemed connection to material success.
“Observe the janitor in your building who works hard day after day cleaning people’s excretions. Who can argue that his job is not hard? He can be the best janitor in the world but if that is all he can do then that is all he will ever be; a janitor. Go to a construction site and notice the hard work being put in by laborers. The amount of physical labor they put in is staggering; yet most of them are poor. Go back to fifteen and sixteen centuries and read accounts of European and American slavery. Slaves worked hard all their lives but most of them died in poverty.
“It is obvious that in all these examples (and several others which have not been presented here) hard work is not the solution and more is needed.
“If you want to make money then, in your chosen field, go beyond just hard work; learn to work smart. This is one technique which has helped countless individuals and businesses. It is not a new concept and has been around for a very long time. Yet, it is amazing how so many, individuals and businesses alike, miss the point totally. In simple terms it means focusing ones efforts on activities, customers, products etc., which yield the maximum benefit (in this case this benefit being material success). Instead of wasting time, energy and resources on things which are not yielding results, one switches around to find what generates better results.
“Education usually gives people the ability to work smarter, when compared to people who are not educated. Doctors, lawyers, accountants, engineers, teachers, writers, actuaries (and similarly other educated professionals) are able to squeeze more material success from their eight to ten hours workday because they have learned to work smartly. At some point in time they worked hard in acquiring a certain skill set, which later in life they are able to sell smartly. Educated businessmen are usually able to market their products / services better by employing right marketing strategies, targeting correct customer segment, investing in research and development, etc.
“This combination of hard work plus smart work is an extremely powerful money making technique. Millions of people (if not billions) have turned their lives around through effective application of this single most effective skill set. If you are able to fathom this concept and apply it in your daily life you will notice marked improvement in results.”
He took a brief pause to see if there were any questions; there were none so he started talking again.
“Hard work and smart work, however, is not the full story. Rich people do not only work smart but they chose to go beyond that; they learn to take risks. One significant differentiating attribute between rich and the wannabes is their ability to take risks. Rich take risks, sometimes calculated, at times outright foolishly, but they truly take huge risks.
“Beyond a certain point, material success or lack thereof, is not a competence issue but rather a risk appetite issue.
“Rich understand this simple yet not so commonly known concept very well. Their love of material success is supported by a huge appetite for taking risks and this is how they make it big. Of course, for one such person that makes it big, there are several who are washed away because risk by its very nature is uncertain. Sometimes it delivers, at times it does not and that is why it is called risk.
“In the field of Economics, there is a concept of 'Diminishing Marginal Returns' which simply means that the more you have of a certain commodity, say commodity A, the less you are willing to give away of something else for more of the same commodity A. For example, if you are very thirsty, the first glass of water that you drink has a much higher utility. By the time you have had two glasses of water you are no longer thirsty. In fact having a third glass may actually make you feel uncomfortable. Theoretically speaking if you only have enough money to buy three glasses of water, you would be very willing to pay for the first one, may be for the second one as well but will definitely ponder before purchasing the third one. This is simply because the third glass of water does not have the same utility for you as the first glass.”
Someone from the audience raised his hand. Asad requested one of the organizers to pass him a microphone so that his question could be heard easily by everyone.
“Sir my name is Jeremy and I am a student of Law. I have a question for you.”
“Please go ahead,” Asad replied politely.
“You have just spoken about the concept of diminishing marginal returns; do you believe that it also applies to money?” questioned the student.
“Thank you, let me try to answer that for you,” replied Asad. “It would be easy to assume that concept of diminishing marginal returns does not apply to money which means people would be willing to have more of it irrespective of how much wealth they hoard already. However, in reality it does apply. It is true that most people would want to have more wealth than they already hold; however, their risk appetite experiences considerable reduction as they become wealthy. They are no longer willing to take risks which they were once happily undertaking because money does have diminishing marginal returns.
“At some point in time, all of us want to eliminate, hedge, and reduce risks from our lives. Little do we realize that this is not possible in conclusive terms; nevertheless we still try. For some people this happens very early on when they have very little money. They decide they will not be taking anymore risks and play safe from this point onward. For some it happens much later in life when they have amassed a lot of wealth and decide to take it easy. For most of us it happens somewhere in between the two extremes. However, everyone at some point in time decides to stop taking risks. It is this decision which determines the extent of one’s material success in the longer run.
“Rich people and families have huge risk taking capacity, especially the first generation ones. Second and third generation rich are generally known for their love of maintaining status quo, enjoying life’s finest charms and avoiding unnecessary risks.”
Asad felt that he had answered the question appropriately. He looked at the student and asked, “Have I answered your question Jeremy?”
The student nodded his head and said thank you. After that, he handed over the microphone back to the organizer who had given it to him in the first place. Asad started talking again.
“It is wrong to assume that rich only risk their capital; they risk a lot more. They may at times break laws and regulations as well and risk legal repercussions. At times they risk their reputation by getting involved in dishonest and immoral practices. They risk their hereafter (i.e. if you believe in God, heaven and hell) by indulging in evil practices and spreading corruption and so on.
“In summary, our ability to take risks (and not just with our capital) goes a long way in determining how successful we would be in financial terms. If we are always looking for safety and avoid risks in general then it is extremely difficult to make big bucks. We may still be able to live comfortably; however, it would be difficult to enter the big league.
“Your risks are yours to take. No one can tell you how much risk to take and when to stop. It is entirely your call. Some people are able to live at ease with extremely high level of risks; others are uncomfortable with the least bit of it. It is very personal and subjective.
“Know this in no uncertain terms that many incompetent people have been able to amass staggering amount of wealth by taking unprecedented risks with their capital, reputation, lives and prevalent laws and regulations. At the same time, some highly intelligent souls were barely able to make a living because of their nonexistent risk appetite.”
*********
Excerpts from - On The Money
Publishing Date - October 2014
November 18, 2013
SOMETIMES I FEEL
Sometimes I feel
So lonely and private
My interests, my choices
So different from the herd’s
So fearful I am
Of being left alone
I mask my thoughts
And veil my words
So I stay amiable
How long will this be
Truth razes my inside
It ought to come out
This crazy, crooked world
Needs to know
Yet not so many
Cope with truth
I can take pleasure
In a fool’s party
Or mend his foolishness
By light of truth
Not both at the same time
You are either with them
Or against
No middle ground
No neutral zone
If knowledge and wisdom
Lead to seclusion
What good do they serve
Yet truth is secluded
Again and again
If it stays in masks
In shades and shadows
Then useless it is
Anyway
So here is the trial
Will you counsel a fool?
To fix his idiocy
Then warrant his rage
Or just let it be
Knowing this can be fixed
The fool can be saved
The silly is glad
On your silence
With his foolishness
So just let it be?
I face this question
Again and again
***
A Chronicle of Amends
So lonely and private
My interests, my choices
So different from the herd’s
So fearful I am
Of being left alone
I mask my thoughts
And veil my words
So I stay amiable
How long will this be
Truth razes my inside
It ought to come out
This crazy, crooked world
Needs to know
Yet not so many
Cope with truth
I can take pleasure
In a fool’s party
Or mend his foolishness
By light of truth
Not both at the same time
You are either with them
Or against
No middle ground
No neutral zone
If knowledge and wisdom
Lead to seclusion
What good do they serve
Yet truth is secluded
Again and again
If it stays in masks
In shades and shadows
Then useless it is
Anyway
So here is the trial
Will you counsel a fool?
To fix his idiocy
Then warrant his rage
Or just let it be
Knowing this can be fixed
The fool can be saved
The silly is glad
On your silence
With his foolishness
So just let it be?
I face this question
Again and again
***
A Chronicle of Amends
November 17, 2013
WHAT IS ETERNITY?
What Is Eternity?
I have been struggling with the concept for years, and it was only recently that I have been able to get a grip on it. It may not be correct, for no one except God knows what eternity is, but here is an explanation worth considering.
Eternity and time are two opposite yet corresponding concepts. Eternity is never ending, and time is always running out. Yet time runs endlessly and ceaselessly into eternity. Eternity is made up of ever-ending and also never-ending bouts of time.
We notice time through change. Changes occur inside us and around us. These changes make us notice the passage of time. We notice that a day’s time has passed when we see sun rising and setting and night falling. We notice these changes around us and within us (getting tired, hungry, sleepy), and we know a day’s time has passed. Weathers and seasons change, and we feel another year has passed. We see a child being born, growing up, maturing, growing old, and eventually dying, and we know a generation’s time has passed.
It is through change (within us and around us) that the passage of time is noticed. If these changes were to cease there would be no passage of time or time, for that matter, and eternity would set in.
Now for a second imagine a state of existence where change ceases to exist. The sun is always up (or the moon is always up), seasons don’t change, we don’t grow, we don’t mature, and we don’t age. It’s a state of existence where everything maintains the status quo. Past, present, and future do not exist. They do not exist because there is no change of anything to record the passage of time. Instead of a linear concept of time, you are on a point concept of time. That point is the past, the present, and the future.
And this is what eternity is.
A state of affairs, good or bad, restless or peaceful, happy or sad, that does not change is eternity. And this state of eternity (conceptually) is not really difficult to achieve. It requires a different set of laws of nature. I believe a God who can create one set of laws can create another one as well. All that needs to be done is to stop the process of change or to slow it down considerably and one is in eternity or an extended concept of time.
Doubting eternity is naïve. There are enough miracles of God in us and around us to give us evidence He creates laws of nature for his desired ends. If He can make this life and this world time bound through change, He can make a different life and a different world timeless as well. Eternity is as much of a miracle as time and temporary. We live and breathe through one, and we will be made to live through the other.
***
A Chronicle of Amends
I have been struggling with the concept for years, and it was only recently that I have been able to get a grip on it. It may not be correct, for no one except God knows what eternity is, but here is an explanation worth considering.
Eternity and time are two opposite yet corresponding concepts. Eternity is never ending, and time is always running out. Yet time runs endlessly and ceaselessly into eternity. Eternity is made up of ever-ending and also never-ending bouts of time.
We notice time through change. Changes occur inside us and around us. These changes make us notice the passage of time. We notice that a day’s time has passed when we see sun rising and setting and night falling. We notice these changes around us and within us (getting tired, hungry, sleepy), and we know a day’s time has passed. Weathers and seasons change, and we feel another year has passed. We see a child being born, growing up, maturing, growing old, and eventually dying, and we know a generation’s time has passed.
It is through change (within us and around us) that the passage of time is noticed. If these changes were to cease there would be no passage of time or time, for that matter, and eternity would set in.
Now for a second imagine a state of existence where change ceases to exist. The sun is always up (or the moon is always up), seasons don’t change, we don’t grow, we don’t mature, and we don’t age. It’s a state of existence where everything maintains the status quo. Past, present, and future do not exist. They do not exist because there is no change of anything to record the passage of time. Instead of a linear concept of time, you are on a point concept of time. That point is the past, the present, and the future.
And this is what eternity is.
A state of affairs, good or bad, restless or peaceful, happy or sad, that does not change is eternity. And this state of eternity (conceptually) is not really difficult to achieve. It requires a different set of laws of nature. I believe a God who can create one set of laws can create another one as well. All that needs to be done is to stop the process of change or to slow it down considerably and one is in eternity or an extended concept of time.
Doubting eternity is naïve. There are enough miracles of God in us and around us to give us evidence He creates laws of nature for his desired ends. If He can make this life and this world time bound through change, He can make a different life and a different world timeless as well. Eternity is as much of a miracle as time and temporary. We live and breathe through one, and we will be made to live through the other.
***
A Chronicle of Amends
November 14, 2013
Come to be tonight
Come to me tonight
Tonight is all I have
Drop into my arms
With passion so immense
For one last time
A different day tomorrow
A different you
A different me
Let’s love each other tonight
With all there is to love
Let’s live it up tonight
With all there is to live
Forget petty matters
There is no tomorrow
Why waste time thinking
Let’s talk and love and laugh
Let this be the last
I recall and take along
Before the sun rises
You and me together
For brief yet deep moments
Living the way we wanted
Forever and ever
A Chronicle of Amends
Tonight is all I have
Drop into my arms
With passion so immense
For one last time
A different day tomorrow
A different you
A different me
Let’s love each other tonight
With all there is to love
Let’s live it up tonight
With all there is to live
Forget petty matters
There is no tomorrow
Why waste time thinking
Let’s talk and love and laugh
Let this be the last
I recall and take along
Before the sun rises
You and me together
For brief yet deep moments
Living the way we wanted
Forever and ever
A Chronicle of Amends
