The program titled “Know Thyself” was organized by the Jeddah Chapter of Daya Pain and Palliative Care Clinic based in Perambra in the Calicut district of Kerala, India.

“We can make this life a celebration by loving our fellow-beings and working for their well-being,” Maritheri said while making his presentation.

“God has created every individual with amazing capabilities. We have to discover our potentials and work hard to develop them for the benefit of ourselves and the community,” he continued, saying that self-discovery was the first step toward achieving personal development and success.

“We should know where we are now, where we want to go and how we can get there,” the professor explained while emphasizing the importance of goal-setting and making an action plan to achieve goals.

Maritheri urged the well-to-do individuals to support the poor and needy as an expression of gratitude for the great blessings bestowed on them by the Almighty. “We should make constructive contributions for the welfare and progress of the community, so that people will remember us when we pass away.”

He emphasized the importance of telling positive qualities of an individual in order to motivate him/her before telling the negative things he/she has to change. “This policy will have a good impact on businesses as well as personal and family relations.”

Maritheri, who is an experienced trainer and counselor, asked people to ponder themselves in solitude about their actions and capabilities in order to improve performance. “We should have a positive approach in our lives. This will help us get rid of worries.” More than half of the 50,000 daily thoughts of an individual are negative ones, he pointed out quoting a study.

Maritheri stressed the importance of spirituality to achieve a balanced personality development. “God has created humans to test who among them does things in the best manner. So we, Muslims, should do things in an excellent manner in all walks of our lives. It is the quality of the best Muslim.” He advised tensed people to make their families and friends happy to get rid of their tension and worries.

The workshop impressed the participants. “It was like a scanning of our inner world that helped us eradicate our negative thoughts, preparing ourselves to face the future with courage and hope,” said N.M. Jamaludhin, vice president and coordinator. “I have never seen such a presentation before,” added Kassim, a schoolteacher.

President C.H. Abdullah spoke about the organization’s humanitarian activities. “Since its inception in 2005, Daya has been a source of hope for hundreds of terminally ill patients,” he added.

Daya provides home care to cancer patients and conducts rehabilitation programs for their families. Abdullah disclosed his organization’s plan to construct a new building for the clinic at a cost of SR500,000. “We have already purchased a land for the purpose,” he said.