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Are we happy? The answer may come from deep within us: "I'm not sure." There are ambitions and aspirations that occupy your mind that have not yet been realized, so they become the focus of your attention. As for the reasons for happiness that have come your way, they may have faded in your perception and their colors have dimmed, becoming like the unimportant static background in a picture that lacks a focal point for the lens, which is these ambitions that have not yet been realized.
Just as iron rusts, the tools of tasting blessings embedded in our hearts rust. Therefore, Allah the Almighty reminds us of them in many places.
Allah's Reminder of Blessings
Allah the Most High says: "Allah is He Who has created the heavens and the earth and sent down water from the sky, then brought forth therefrom fruits as provision for you; and subjected to you the ships to run upon the sea by His command; and subjected to you the rivers; and subjected to you the sun and the moon, constant in their courses; and subjected to you the night and the day; and gave you of all that you asked of Him. And if you count the blessings of Allah, you cannot enumerate them. Verily, man is indeed an ingrate, a disbeliever."
There are many verses about hearing, sight, shelter, clothing, food, drink, fire, metals, sleep, awakening after sleep, spouses, children, and others. There are many verses so that we do not neglect Allah's blessing and forget it. However, with this divine reminder, we may not enjoy these blessings.
This is not about being preoccupied with the problems of Muslims, feeling their pain, and spoiling life by seeing their suffering. This condition is part of a psychological phenomenon known to psychologists as "cognitive distortion," which is usually translated as "cognitive bias," and perhaps more accurately named "perceptual dysfunction."
In 1989, expert David Burns explained this phenomenon in his book "The Feeling Good Handbook."
The Phenomenon of Mental Filtering
He mentioned among the symptoms of cognitive distortion the phenomenon of "mental filtering." This is the inability to notice the positive aspects of life due to a person's preoccupation with a relatively minor flaw, like someone who only sees a minor flaw in a beautiful, useful garment.
This, my brothers, is an unhealthy phenomenon that needs treatment, but in reality, it may be present in most of us.
If one of us fails to taste the blessings of Allah upon him and appreciate them properly, Allah the Almighty may afflict him with the loss of one of these blessings. Affliction comes to remove the rust from the tools of sensing blessings embedded in your nature, to cleanse them and restore life's luster, and to give it vibrant colors again, after it was a dull, monotonous background with no color.
After the perceptual dysfunction occupied the mind with it and diminished the value of these blessings and marred their luster by longing for what has not yet been realized from ambitions.
Learning the Art of Tasting Blessings
Affliction comes to teach man the art of tasting blessings. The blessings with you were abundant, but your ability to taste them was weak, so you did not appreciate them and be happy as you should. The blessings may decrease with affliction that deprives you of wealth or status or health or others.
But if you are among those who are content and have good thoughts of Allah and contemplate His wisdom, then you will realize through affliction the much that remains with you, and you will be ashamed before Allah that you did not appreciate His blessing upon you before, so you acquire the art of tasting blessings and be happy and reassured.
We ask Allah the Almighty to make us among His servants who are granted well-being and are grateful. Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.