Travelling Thoughts

For the past days, the tragic submersible accident that happened by the Titanic’s resting place has captured the world’s media. Even after 111 years, it claimed five more souls. Now that the tragedy is confirmed, can we learn something from it?

Long time ago when I was about 6 or 7 and honestly thought that my grandparents had recollection of the time when Titanic sank, I remember asking my grandmama if she remembered it. Needless to say, she didn’t as she was born 13 years after the sinking of the unsinkable. But this just goes to show how mysterious event it was.

Maybe part of that mystery is the depth where the ruin of Titanic lies, almost 4 000 meters under the sea. And that, in turn, has forced the scientists to innovate new ways to see and experience the grave of the mighty ship and all of them who went down with her on the fateful night in April 1912. Because of these innovations, James Cameron managed to visit the wreck himself and then, in turn, created the masterpiece of a movie. I went to see it five times. Not because of Leonardo DiCaprio, but because of the haunting story and the amazing cinematography that seemed to bring the ship itself alive.

Back at the day, there were people who said that the Titanic was cursed because it wasn’t christened as per the normal tradition at the time, and also because it was built in Belfast, which was a secular city.

Now, after the recent implosion of the millionaires touring submersible and the rhythmic knocks heard during the search and rescue mission, the talk about the curse has picked up again. As we know now, the implosion happened possibly on Sunday, when the connection between the submersible and the ship above was cut off. Were the knocking sounds then caused by the ghosts in the Titanic or something else? And did the Titanic claim five more souls after 111 years? And will it continue to claim even more in the years to come?

Now, the blaming game begins. They operated on international waters, so the safety concerns were lax, the company should have made it better, why this, why that, why not, et cetera. But what we should be concerned about, more than what should have been done in the first place, is this: I hope their families knew how much they meant for these five people.

The topic, sic transit gloria mundi, means simply: thus passes the glory of the world. It is a stark and cruel reminder for all of us that when we die, we can not take anything physical with us. Islam teaches us that the only things we carry with us are our deeds, be them good or bad. And I’d rather be remembered for my good deeds than my bad ones.

I found the above video from TikTok and decided to put it up here to show you how quickly their lives, most likely, were snuffed out. Experts say that in a span of 1 second, they passed away. In that one second, they probably didn’t even have time to think about anything. And if they didn’t show and tell their loved ones how much they meant for them… then what?

I don’t want to sound harsh, but remember that every moment, every second, counts. Tell your parents, spouses, siblings, and everyone else that you love them. Don’t just assume that they know. We all need to hear it at times.

Better still, make sure that your good deeds speak for you. If you can, aid others, support your friends, or participate in charity so that in the future people will speak your name with reverence and love. Be someone that others aspire to be.

How can you be like that? One way of doing it is trying to improve yourself through your actions and thoughts. Some say that dreams are a key to understanding your subconscious. And through that, you can alter even your thought patterns. For this purpose, I recommend starting a dream journal. One good example of a dream journal is this: Celestial Whispers Dream Journal (via Amazon).

Personally, I found this very interesting and helpful when I was having nightmares. Not because I wanted to write them down and remember them, but to decipher them if I could learn something out of the zombie-filled dreams. And I did. And now I hope that you will too! And in case you wonder, this dream journal is done by me, and it should be available in your amazon region too.