Dear Francis,

In the Qur’an, Surah Al-Asr, God says:

“By time, indeed, mankind is in loss, except for those who believe, do righteous deeds, encourage one another to truth, and encourage one another to patience.”

These verses are so profound. They belong to all times; they encompass every moment of human existence. To explain humanity’s loss, regardless of religious differences, by swearing by time itself is such a powerful thought.

We are beings belonging to time, perhaps its simplest playthings. Yet time is also the most precious resource, given equally to the richest and the poorest.

And the measure that distinguishes those who are not in loss is, I believe, the human soul and its capacity to grow beyond itself. Just as you tried to express in your writing, it is about righteous deeds, about sincere growth and deepening, both inwardly and outwardly.

Through our choices and the freedom given to us, we often choose our own loss without even realizing it.

I wish we could learn not to be defeated by the battles of circumstances beyond our control, but instead, to stop wasting what is still within our hands, and simply succeed in being HUMAN.

Thank you so much for this beautiful and thought-provoking piece.