I think in a way different way.
Firstly, what does it even mean to be successful? Being successful honestly means being successful as a Muslim. Being successful isn't really about being materially successful.
I think people really are "slaves of the dinar".
I think people put too much emphasis on jobs in a sense. I don't mean that we shouldn't work hard.
But what I mean is.... for example, you look at schools. The aim of schools isn't even to cultivate kids intellectually. If you really believe that, I think I might like to sell you some ocean-front property in Kansas.
Let's be real. School is basically about preparing kids for the workforce. I think that is ridiculous. I think the aim of school should be about kids actually learning, growing spiritually and intellectually.
Every little thing is supposed to be about preparing us for the work force.
I remember in high school being told I needed to shave my head because my hair didn't look professional- because my hair grows like an Afro and it's believed to look African.
Everything with 12 year olds, 14 year olds, everything needs to be about employment, according to how people think.
When I was in high school, I got a copy of the Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant. At the city college, I was nominated for head of the philosophy club.
I guess maybe that is part of my resentment. I have a book in my backpack which gives an alternative viewpoint of World War 2.
Do I expect some white guy in a suit to like me more and pay me money because I've been reading about World War 2?
A lot of what I do has absolutely nothing to do with making money.
I think we have to get away from this mindset where everything is about work and money. I have work in the morning. I get up and I go to work.
But even at work- my supervisor comes and talks to me and what does my supervisor want to talk about? I have a great relationship with my supervisor and my supervisor comes and chats with me and wants to have intellectual conversations with me. Don't get me wrong, if we need to address something work related, we do but it's like half the time we're not even talking about work. (and why is it even that I'm able to attract the supervisor's interest in intellectual chats? due to following interests that aren't about money)
It honestly makes my blood boil that people shave their beard to be accepted at work.
The idea of talking with a different accent doesn't even occur to me.
My issue with the people who talk white is a lot of the time they also tend to think like white people too.
I deal with white people at work who can't stand me. Yet it really doesn't occur to me that I need to utterly change everything about me to appeal to white people. For what? So white people can despise me and so non whites can despise me?
I refuse to bow down to white people, I hate non Muslims, I openly say the Jews control the media (usually not at work but I have done it at work before), I have a beard, I don't intend to budge an inch, I don't care at all what feminists think, I think I'm possibly to the right of Mussolini and I want people to know this-
I GET AWAY WITH IT.
I don't have to bow down to people, you don't have to, we don't have to.
As far as work goes- show up and do your work.
You don't need to shave your beard. You don't need to adopt a politically correct worldview. You can go pray salaat in the break room in front of co workers who think it looks crazy.
Just be good at what you do. With my last job, I would show up and the people LOVED me. They seriously loved me. Because I was getting results. I was getting the job done. They didn't care that I have a beard or different religious views. They cared that I was there and getting results. With the current job, some of the racist white people dislike me but there's a general hostility towards the non white workers tbh.
Anyways, just be good at what you do. It's like if you have a hostage. If you have a hostage, you're in a position to make demands. If you're a bank robber and you have a hostage, people are prone to cave in to your whims. If you're the best chef in the kitchen- it's doubtful anyone is going to care that you don't sound white. You can even say "look- at this time I need to go on break to pray salaat" and it's very likely that they'll just say"okay".
My point is don't worry about developing a persona that white people like. If you're a chef- focus on your chef skills. Focus on trying to be the best chef in the kitchen.
If you're the best at coding- do you think anyone is really going to care if you kinda sound hood or have a beard?
Work to live, don't live to work. As long as you do the work, you take it seriously and you're good at it, you don't need to go and completely alter your persona.
It's like I said with the hostage metaphor- if you show up and the people
need you- they're not prone to care about things like you having a beard or not sounding white.
Also, don't be totally materialist in your values. You don't have to chase dunya.
Zayd ibn Thabit reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Whoever makes the world his most important matter, Allah will confound his affairs and make poverty appear before his eyes and he will not get anything from the world but what has been decreed for him. Whoever makes the Hereafter his most important matter, Allah will settle his affairs and make him content in his heart and the world will come to him although he does not want it.”
Source: Sunan Ibn Mājah 4105
Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to Al-Albani
https://abuaminaelias.com/dailyhadithonline/2014/08/11/akhirah-allah-takes-care-of-rest/
