SNEAKO - December 31, 2023LETTER FROM MECCA
Episode Stats
Words per minute
173.02798
Harmful content
Misogyny
2
sentences flagged
Toxicity
4
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Hate speech
8
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Summary
In this episode, I talk about my spiritual awakening in the holy city of Mecca, and how I came to realize that no amount of drugs or therapy can help you become a better human being. The only real act of security here is God, and the only real place of safety is in Mecca.
Transcript
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The first time I thought I understood God is while reading the autobiography of Malcolm X.
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The first real book my father had given me as a child.
00:00:11.340
I had never seen an expression on a face so determined that it was furious.
00:00:17.560
It's not often you find a civil rights leader that isn't cringy about it.
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Plus he found a way to change his life in prison and gave himself a cool name.
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After finishing the last chapter, I went to the mall and bought the same glasses from the cover.
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From that day forward, it became my mission to give my words power to.
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To document growth as means of inspiration just like Malcolm did.
00:00:36.960
I swore to embrace the uncertainty of change head on instead of fearing it like everyone else.
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There are three truths from that book that stuck with me for life.
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Number one, a boy must struggle to become a man.
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Two, the greatest threat to corrupted power is positivity.
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The neighboring holy cities of Mecca and Medina are where Islam originated.
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Where the prophet was born and where he was buried.
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It's the destination Muslims globally pray towards as if it's the center of the universe.
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But Mecca's atmosphere alone will have you believing that.
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Mecca is the host to so many hilariously different walks of life solely off the collective intention to purify the heart.
00:01:17.640
To visualize the madness of Times Square on New Year's Eve, but moving at peaceful chaos.
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A meditative energy so powerful and contagious upon arrival, it's overwhelming.
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Witnessing hordes of strangers naturally exist as if the passerby on both shoulders was their brother and sister.
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Such a densely populated city commonly requires police ready in eyesight, yet the physical presence of security is nearly invisible.
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Right then, my confusion turned frustration was realized.
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Never has his presence been so obvious in every thought, every word, and every action than in Mecca.
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It's visible directly on the faces of the pilgrims.
00:02:10.140
I went completely silent for days while my soul adjusted from its familiar chaos to unwavering peace.
00:02:17.860
So I could finally lower my guard and pray fearlessly next to my brothers from across the world.
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So I could walk amongst a crowd of complete strangers with the confidence and familiarity of a soldier amongst his army.
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So I can look into someone's eyes and see it's a pure soul and not that little character created out of fear.
00:02:38.240
The pilgrimage began in the city of Medina, where the prophet led prayer and where he was buried.
00:02:43.940
For days, I didn't utter a sound just to properly hear distant chatter between prayers.
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I listened to scholars and shakes share wisdom accompanied by coffee and tea.
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Every day at the sound of prayer call, I routinely followed.
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Each prayer fixing the noisy static blocking my proper connection to God.
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I stayed silent while ego, depression, and fear desperately clamored for attention.
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Each prayer wiping away cobwebs covering my heart.
00:03:10.180
I wandered the streets of Medina with both newfound maturity and an infantile carelessness.
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Equipped with the understanding of perfect oneness the creation has with its creator.
00:03:20.180
Armed with the realization no amount of drugs and therapy can supplement God.
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Reminded that although prayer in Medina is routine, back home it's replaced by weekend's ritualistic drinking.
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I continued walking through the holy city just like the prophet before me, now fully aware of the uncomfortable truth.
00:03:38.760
These coping mechanisms are mere bandages over the wounds of life.
00:03:43.120
And there's nothing man-made that fixes damage done by God's creation.
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With every passing day, it becomes even more evident how the struggles of man will never be solved by worldly pleasures.
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How indulging as a means of distraction only grows the ever-increasing void in the heart.
00:04:01.080
Each passing day reveals that the more glamorous the life is paid for by riches and fame, the more broken the soul is.
00:04:07.640
Without God, they naturally worship celebrities instead.
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Living life completely desensitized because everything is dramatized and sexualized.
00:04:17.240
While Mecca is the place that tells you to be grateful just for being alive.
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The path of the West is accepting a mind state of constant outrage and exhaustion.
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Of course a spiritual awakening among youth is imminent.
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Why else can someone who was raised on stimulation and made wealthy through fame finally find the truth in Mecca?
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A city where women appear like two floating ice lits under a cloak.
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Over a decade of seeking the next high to forget how meaningless it all is,
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only to find it wearing a white piece of cloth with my head to the floor.
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The whispers of temptation had never sounded less appealing.
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Nothing in this world is more important than following God and Mecca is existing proof.
00:05:05.240
And when it became clear my surroundings were the closest example of heaven on earth,
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Yet I couldn't shake this lingering feeling of despair.
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To the place where prostitutes are celebrated.
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But the modest sisters who cover themselves willingly are called victims of oppression.
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Where men become heroes for abandoning their family to dress like girls.
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Where everyday people are tricked into worshipping the devil by worshipping themselves.
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I should be fully present here while I have the opportunity.
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But Mecca is such an idealistic sanctuary from everything I despise.
00:06:00.260
A place exists where the very meaning of life is answered collectively five times a day.
00:06:08.200
And together we're united under our gratitude that God created us.
00:06:11.640
If the world knew the truth of Islam, we would have peace.
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It never becomes more clear how no one here is better than the other.
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He does not judge you based on wealth or your fame or anything you seek in this life.
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We will only be judged on what we hold in our hearts.
00:06:52.860
When I finished Umrah and looked at my shaved head in the reflection of the mirror.
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It was the first time since childhood I truly saw myself.
00:07:02.740
It was the last time since conflict of audience.
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I said it when I found out that our forte is dark when I move on this foot.
00:07:25.120
Before I put my father on the floor was my x slower in my back.
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So this goes by now that happens my grandfather.