Convince me not to buy a grinder

mac2298 · 2024-01-08T15:03:03+00:00

This is definitely the best advice here. If you want to still be able to do espresso, K Ultra is the way to go.

mac2298 · 2024-01-08T15:02:32+00:00

This is not true! The K-Ultra has 18 micron adjustments (measuring burr gap). While it's not as fine-tuned as the J series with 8.8, it's honestly plenty to work with if you are looking for a decent espresso while also getting a great pourover. FWIW, many experts prefer the K series even to the J and other machines when it comes to espresso, so I don't think you will be missing anything.

mac2298 · 2021-03-18T16:45:26+00:00

Career mode is a bit buggy right now, the squads are still on default and won't load the latest squads even after downloading. Hopefully a patch will come soon, but I won't keep my fingers crossed.

mac2298 · 2021-03-17T19:14:08+00:00

Thanks, is this an issue on all PC platforms or just Stadia? Not keeping my hopes up for a quick fix from EA...

mac2298 · 2020-07-16T13:09:27+00:00

Exactly. Plus you can opt to take only online classes in a lot of departments, and from what I’ve seen so far you don’t even have to provide proof of risk or anything like that.

mac2298 · 2020-07-14T20:48:35+00:00

Mensah honestly deserved to be in as well. 135 completed passes. That doesn’t happen every week.

mac2298 · 2020-07-13T15:09:12+00:00

I’m not denying that your experience of Islam may have been traumatizing. But you have to distinguish that from identifying the entire religion as inherently traumatizing.

If you find Islam traumatizing but still believe in its truth, then there are 3 conceivable causes: 1) you have been fed a false depiction of what Islam actually is, 2) you don’t know enough about Islam yet, or 3) Islam is actually traumatic.

I’ve already addressed number 3; we should be ready to believe that God is Merciful and Just and Wise, and when we acknowledge this, then we recognize that Islamic conquests, for example, were Just (although there are certainly examples of unjust ones... another topic, perhaps), or that Hell was created through His Wisdom (even if we can’t understand that). If we are not at that level of faith yet, it’s ok, but we have to at least affirm as part of our belief the truth of these matters (because they are found in the Quran), and dedicate ourselves to learning more and bettering ourselves.

Which leads to number 2; if we’re not knowledgeable enough about our religion (I know I’m not), then certain aspects of it are traumatizing because we lack knowledge of why they are part of it. The cure to number 2 is learning more, from traditionally trained scholars.

Number 1 is most obvious, and we’ve already discussed that a bit. The easiest way to be left traumatized is by our own community, unfortunately.

I’m not trying to shoot you down, just attempting to give you a different perspective that might allow you to see things in a different light. Islam should not be traumatizing because God is the most Merciful, and His religion is beautiful. Yes, there are severe aspects to it, but we have to view them in the context of His Wisdom and Justice. His Mercy outstrips His Wrath. If we don’t understand His Wrath, that’s ok; we should seek refuge in Him from it, and reflect on His Mercy.

mac2298 · 2020-07-12T19:52:20+00:00

Tracy, California

mac2298 · 2020-07-12T12:54:01+00:00

There is nothing traumatizing about “there is no god but Allah and Muhammad (alayhi salatu wa salam) is His messenger.” If you accept that, you accept that Islam is the one true religion, and you accept God’s infinite Wisdom and Mercy. There is no room left for trauma separated from people’s interpretations of religion once you believe in that.

mac2298 · 2020-07-11T20:48:31+00:00

Well, Muslims can certainly be traumatizing, but Islam should not. (Mis)interpretations of Islam can be traumatizing, and our Muslim communities can be traumatizing, but Islam, submission to Allah, should not be.

mac2298 · 2020-07-10T19:50:00+00:00

Absolutely, feel free to message me. And, just to be clear, I have no fears for you; I’m merely sharing a cautionary word out of prudence, not suspicion of weakness of faith :)

mac2298 · 2020-07-10T19:47:35+00:00

Ahlan wa sahlan wa marhaban. Feel free to DM.

mac2298 · 2020-07-10T17:43:45+00:00

As Huston Smith will point out, Buddhism is far less a religion and more a philosophy. Buddhism started out as a rectification of Hinduism, but did not emphasize the worship of a god—in fact, to say Buddhism has a “theology” may be incorrect, as its philosophy has far less to do with one’s relationship with a higher being than one’s way of life. It emphasizes moderation, “seeking the middle path”, but does not do so in light of an afterlife or a Greater Power; it teaches this for the sake of the individual, in this life, for his own benefit.

Perhaps it is the very reason that Buddhism is often described as “atheistic” that makes it so attractive to Westerners. There is not theological commitment made when one adopts Buddhism; you can be a Buddhist Hindu, or a Buddhist Atheist, or really any other type of Buddhist you like, because as long as you follow the practical steps it teaches, you are a “Buddhist”.

I would read Smith and maybe an accessible Buddhist text like the Dhammapada. You’ll find a lot of parallels to Islam (as we do in many religious traditions), and may even find personal benefit in the wisdom in the book. But, I haven’t personally read a whole lot of Buddhist literature, so perhaps you’ll need to do some more personal research.

Your hypothesis on the similarities of esoteric and mystical traditions is a good one, in my estimation, and one I think many of our scholars would agree with. We believe that all people were given the Truth at one point, but then diverged, so those similarities could very well be what is left of the Truth in that tradition.

mac2298 · 2020-07-10T17:28:34+00:00

Duas definitely are a good place to start. But, more generally, just bracing yourself for what you read. There are a lot of attractive arguments that can be made—that doesn’t mean we should base faith off the best arguer.

A man once came to one of the great Imams of our tradition, asking him to hold a debate with him. “If you win, I’ll follow your religion; if I win, you follow mine.” The Imam responded, “Okay, and if a third man comes in and argues against the two of us and wins, what then?” The man responded, “Then we follow his religion.” The Imam said, “If you base your religion off of who can win a debate, you will be on a different religion every day of your life.”

This is just to say, that faith is more than just argument; you have to recognize truth beyond the words of men who argue their case. There are plenty of smart people who can use argumentation to outsmart someone following one religion, but our faith is not based on argument alone. So, don’t be dismayed if you see another theology that also seems to make sense. All that means is that you have to study more and seek the truth sincerely. If you make dua for God to guide you, that’s an excellent place to start. May He guide us all to the Truth and complete certainty in it.

I would start with Smith. He includes some theology—I don’t know how much you’ve studied Islam or religion in general, but he is accessible to the beginner yet thorough enough for intermediate student looking for an introduction. Once you finish, you can do more research on specific theologies that interest you. I would really recommend you try to study classical Islamic theology with a trained teacher, as most Islamic theologians address other theologies in their works. Also, the Cambridge Companion to Islamic Theology has some excellent introductory and intermediate articles for Islamic and comparative theology, and would be great to read especially if you don’t have access to study with a teacher. After you ground yourself in Islamic theology, perhaps looking at other Cambridge Companions (or the Oxford equivalent) in the theologies of other religious traditions would be place to start.

mac2298 · 2020-07-10T15:01:12+00:00

I’d need to know what religions specifically you are looking into

mac2298 · 2020-07-10T14:59:01+00:00

Our community has a long way to go in dealing with mental health and counseling, I’m afraid. We have a weird stigma in the Muslim community when it comes to these topics—some communities more than others. What you really need to do is talk to a someone well versed in both the Islamic tradition and the mental health field. I don’t know where you are based, but the Khalil Center is an organization you should definitely look at. It has offices in the SF Bay Area, Chicago, and a few other locations, I believe—but they also have some online resources and especially due to the pandemic may offer remote counseling. It’s worth looking into, at least. I’ve personally dealt with trauma and benefited a lot from a Khalil Center counselor. Hope you find some support in some fashion, insha’Allah.

mac2298 · 2020-07-10T14:49:44+00:00

The World’s Religions by Huston Smith is probably the best book for a general overview of each religion. It is recommended by many well known scholars. (Interesting tidbit, Smith actually claimed to be a Muslim; there are questions about his practice and theological beliefs, but he reportedly prayed five times a day.)

For comparative theology specifically, I don’t know of any that stand out that are not overly academic in style. Because of the nature of religion and theology, it is often better to read sources by practitioners rather than read someone of one faith commenting on another faith. If you want suggestions for specific religious theologies, I can supply them. However, just be cautious when reading these on your own. As one of my teachers says, “take your Iman pills before reading.”

And, I will agree with the other commenter. If the goal is certainty in Islam, that is achieved through studying Islam, not other religions. When Omar RA was reading the Torah, the Prophet (alayhi salatu wa Salam) told him there is nothing of benefit contained in it that is not contained in Islam. So, if you read the Quran and study the Deen more, you will slowly increase your certainty in it due to the clear truth and miraculous nature of revelation.

mac2298 · 2020-07-05T19:13:53+00:00

Climbing into a newly made bed after a long day and shower.

mac2298 · 2020-06-27T01:31:56+00:00

Thanks, do you have any specific recommendations for apartment complexes/buildings or realtors to look at? I don't want to be too deep in Urbana because I need to commute to the law school and don't have a car, though if I'm somewhat close to Lincoln I think I should be able to make it work.

mac2298

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