Quest And Conquest

Fellow warriors, we conclude this amazing first season with today’s episode, Death and Resurrection.

Taj examines death through the prism of legendary warriors such as the Royal Knights and Miyamoto Musashi. He explores the ways in which famed innovator Steve Jobs used the specter of death to live a more meaningful and focused life. Taj recounts how a revolutionary who helped give birth to Bangladesh and helped found its government came to grips with his own mortality on the battlefield to see through his heroics. Taj explains how the Buddha and the Quran contextualize liberation and life through the lens of death. He posits that society has co-opted the language of death in terms of academic and professional “deadlines” due to an implicit understanding of how it can help yield greater productivity. He describes the essential character traits of his late grandmother, Zohra Tajuddin, which helped define her legacy beyond her mortality. Taj describes author David Brooks’ concept of resume qualifications versus eulogy qualifications to illuminate perspectives on fulfilled living vital to any true hero or heroine.

The next season of Quest and Conquest is due to resume at the end of January. In the meantime, fellow warriors, we look forward to seeing you on Facebook and Instagram, where you can stay tuned for more news and regular content.

In today's episode, The devil's New Opiate, Taj explores the role that entertainment often plays in modern life and contrasts it with the role of story telling in societies during times of old. Taj illustrates men's fundamentally frugal needs as juxtaposed against an often covetous nature t hrough the lenses of French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau and Russian writer Leo Tolstoy. He examines how even the most meaningful stories, when consumed for their own diversionary sake, in excess or binged, can rob the individual of authorship of one's own truths, real life heroics and great adventures. Why do individual is given to hedonistic pursuits still resonate vicariously on with screen heroics and hard-work? How can the neatly episodic format of TV series narratives and linear structures of video games, skew the individual's perception of reality and expectation as to the yields of his or her own efforts? As we traverse through time space and realities from comic book heroes and ancient prophets to entertainers in Tokugawa, Japan

In today’s episode, Live Your Word, Taj explores the transcendent nature of language and the inherent power behind the words we regularly wield. He ponders the significance of language through both evolutionary and divine scriptural lenses. Why do many list public speaking as their number one fear? Why are so many of the inspiring leaders we admire such effective communicators? Taj describes the work of Dr. Stephen Krashen and how languages and modes of thought can be  acquired through repeated and prolonged bouts of exposure. Taj asserts the merits behind continually edifying one’s language palate as it relates to the willful focus and expression of one’s consciousness. He illustrates how Mahatma Gandhi channeled his own consciousness, through his words, to affect massive, transformative change. Taj highlights the importance of nuanced discernment through the works of Aristotle, Ghazzali, and Thomas Hobbes and he examines why it may have been important for God to demonstrate Adam’s intelligence to the Angels through his ability to name the myriad objects that he beheld.

In today’s episode, Congruence, Taj demonstrates ways in which congruent individuals bring the varied pieces of their life into a purposeful, coherent whole. How does one best juggle the myriad arenas of engagement in one’s life? Taj distinguishes Prophet Yusuf’s congruent persona from that of the brothers who meant to do him harm. Taj contrasts Aristotle’s ideal virtue centered society with that of Machiavelli’s which saw the papacy erode the trust of the people due to incongruence. Taj demonstrates how Jesus was able to remain in his element in spite of unsavory environments and how Bodhidharma maintained congruence by refusing to speak while in front of a public audience. Taj ponders over fictional heroes like James Bond and Batman and whether such characters are metaphors for our own fractured psyches.

In this episode, Taj unpacks a story from the Mahabharata involving guru and master warrior Dhrona and his ace disciple Arjun to demonstrate the preeminent importance of focus. He turns to the Bible and the Quran for further insights. He dissects the ways in which the modern world seeks to dilute human beings in substance and essence through the myriad methods of distractions. Taj posits that the current materialistic world order requires the commoditization of humanity which is best served by unfocused minds. He offers biological and anthropological perspectives on focus. Taj asserts the importance of defining one’s chosen arena(s) of battle and muting out background noises of self-doubt, self-pity and regret. Arenas can pertain to anything from home life to the workplace and even personal hobbies. He introduces transcendental meditation’s “monkey brain” concept and illustrates his own hilltop metaphor for the role of focus in illuminating and then traversing the path that lies ahead. He compares individuals with increased capacities to focus to athletes who are able to recover quickly from intense physical exertion. In the current day and age individuals who are able to focus their minds at will may seem to possess supernatural abilities. Taj closes with recent examples of superhero focus by highlighting feats of his brothers and sisters in humanity in Jaagoron who have had to overcome serious hurdles en route to succeeding in their chosen arenas.

In this episode, Taj investigates the philosophical foundations laid by the “Father of Liberalism,” John Locke, in helping establish the materialistic ethos of modernity. Taj posits that Locke’s advocacy of relentlessly pursuing wealth is ill-suited to finite economic pies and leads toward the commodification of human existence. Taj explores John Rawls’ remedial, utopian philosophies which address the arbitrary social, physical and cultural attributes with which one is born. John Rawls’ views on utilitarianism and meritocracy are parsed through the lens of his hypothetical “veil of ignorance” construct. Taj illustrates these ideas by wondering how Albert Einstein would have fared in Greek’s Sparta or how Steve Jobs would have fared in a desert island. Talents that would allow an individual to succeed in a particular arena at a particular time in history would perhaps not serve this individual well in other circumstances. Taj suggests that no individual is truly “self-made” and should cater his/her talents to the edification of a shared humanity. He links Rawls’ empathetic outlook with timeless truisms of old. Taj turns to Karna’s story from The Mahabharata to the Torah to the Bible and to the Qur’an to explore scriptural considerations of the poor and otherwise neglected.

In this episode, Taj embarks upon a quest to bring utopian visions into reality. He recalls confronting wealthy landlords who instituted a rule preventing their employees from using the elevator to complete their daily back-breaking duties in a multi-storey building. Taj explores both the success and pitfalls of free markets in assigning human beings value. He surveys the utopian seeds being planted by reformers, leaders and movers and shakers from Alaska to Spain. Taj discusses revolutionary cash-grant systems that have lifted millions out of poverty as initiated by President Lula Da Silva of Brazil, by Mexico and other countries in Latin America. Taj reflects on the Nordic model as animated by the successful labor movement in Norway and delves into former US presidential candidate, Andrew Yang’s “universal basic income” proposal. Taj describes an America and Bangladesh which continue to rise in prosperity while saddling their populaces with greater burdens to bear and looks to author Rutger Bregman for potential remedies. He asserts that stagnation of the soul allows for societies to succumb to inequality and injustice whereas reinvigorated efforts will continue to be required to achieve transformative realities. Taj draws hope from real world utopian models in asserting for a more just and egalitarian world.

In this episode, Taj explores how we replace our childhood dreams and noble aspirations for the rat race or cow’s life as cogs in the machine content to organize our lives around money. This leads to a dehumanized view of the self and others which allows for inequality, barbaric behavior and allows for Human Dignity to come under assault. Taj recalls the story of “Bengal,” a maid who was humiliated and physically assaulted by a wealthy land-lord, left with little to no recourse for justice. Taj takes us through Magna Carta, the Bill of Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Medina Constitution as journeys emblematic of humanity’s desire for a dignified existence. Taj ponders whether the free enterprise of today masquerades as fiefdoms of old. He ponders if the free bosses of new have replaced the lords of old. Taj reflects on the crushing poverty that exists amidst the soaring prosperity in the world’s great super power and talks about how the value assigned to the average worker has slowly diminished over the past 40 years. Taj gleans insights from Bangladesh’s War of Liberation in 1971 and Mahatma Gandhi’s Salt March in British India. Taj contemplates the phenomenon where people seem to tolerate injustice better when the person exacting the oppression looks more like us than different. To this end he compares “the white sahibs” of British India to “the brown sahibs” of liberated India.

In this episode, Taj talks about what it means to have power in reserve. This concept is discussed in terms of the actions of the “noble warrior,” the “savage survivalist,” and the deceptive “sophisticated savage.” This episode includes stories of legendary japanese swordsmiths (Muramasa & Masamune), old school Karate practitioners and the Pandavas from the Hindu epic- The Mahabharata. Taj shares insights into the differences between deliberative and instrumental freedoms and the Islamic notion of intelligence as implying restraint. Learn about Italian “sprezzatura” and the pitfalls inherent in the braggadocious “uncle and aunty culture.” British etiquette is compared to American frontiersmanship in discussing the essentials of edified civilizations. Taj turns to world renowned MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) coach Firas Zahabi and fictional superhero, Superman to glean lessons of cultivating power for noble purposes.

In this episode, Taj discusses the concept of “clearing the field” as it pertains to catalyzing growth and welcoming abundance into one’s life. Explore the mindset of “no-mindedness” and what it means to be “in the zone.” This episode takes us to tea time with a Taoist sage to arts and crafts at a Buddhist monastery. From Bruce Lee to Bruce Lincoln find out what it means to flow like water on one hand and crumble under hollow dogma on the other. Discover the wisdom behind the inscription on King Solomon’s ring and how true power is acquired by relinquishing it. Explore Abdullah Ibn Amr’s path to paradise and Khalil Gibran’s recipe for projecting success into the future.