Seeing, Pausing, and Acting with Clarity - Lihat, Dengar, Rasa

Knowledge fills your mind with facts, but wisdom fills your heart with understanding. When the heart is guided by wisdom, your actions become thoughtful and kind. Knowledge helps you know what can be done, but wisdom helps you know what should be done. It brings balance between thinking, feeling, and doing  so that your hands move not just with skill, but with purpose.

Wisdom is the ability to take a step back and see things clearly before acting. It is the calm space between impulse and decision, where understanding grows. When you step back, you give yourself room to see the bigger picture  what is right, what is needed, and what can wait. In that quiet distance, emotion settles, reason returns,undettered by internal and external critics and from there our next move becomes both gentle and precise.

Muraqabah in Sufiism is the practice of watching over oneself, a pause that allows the heart to notice the stirrings of ego, desire, and impulse. In that quiet observation, the mind becomes a witness rather than a slave to emotion, and actions arise from awareness instead of reaction. It is through this inner vigilance that one learns patience, clarity, and the subtle guidance of the soul, turning each choice into a reflection of conscious presence rather than fleeting impulse.

One particular  NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) that I will share as an NLP Master, is the technique often called the “Perceptual Positions” exercise  (in line with the concept of what Im reffering to above).

• First Position – You experience the situation through your own eyes, fully immersed in your own feelings and perspective. Notice your emotions, judgments, and desires. This grounds you before you shift perspective.
• Second Position – You step into the other person’s shoes, seeing the situation through their eyes, feeling what they feel. "Why does he feel strongly about this?", "how does the statement look from his viewpoint" Avoid projecting your assumptions; focus on empathy.
• Third Position – You zoom out as an impartial observer, watching the interaction objectively, as a detached witness. "How do I look at myself as a third party person?", How might you respond more wisely, considering both perspectives?

The third position is exactly what we want to gain insight from : it allows us to step back, gain clarity, and respond with wisdom instead of reacting impulsively. It’s very much like the Sufi idea of muraqabah observing the self and the situation before acting.

The benefit of taking a third-person perspective is that it gives us clarity and objectivity. By stepping outside ourself, we can see the full picture without being trapped in emotion, bias, or immediate reaction. It helps us understand both our own motives and those of others, anticipate consequences, and make decisions that are wise rather than impulsive. This perspective fosters empathy, patience, and strategic thinking, turning a moment of tension into an opportunity for insight and calm action. It is easier said then done, but Wallahi (by God) it has saved me from unnecessary problems. The point in all of this is to not only understand our terrain and environment but to also understand ourself in the process to being a wholesome pesilat.