Travel has always been illuminating for me—every place I visit presents me with experiences that shed light on things I was previously unable to fully understand. That this is so, is only natural to Mrs. Trang, an urban planner from a university in Hanoi. She introduces me to Psychogeography. Psychogeography is an urban planning concept which suggests that our geographical surroundings have a psychological impact on our emotions and, hence, our behaviors. According to Mrs. Trang, when designing a city, urban planners must first know the kind of feeling(s) they wish the inhabitants to experience. Only then will the urban planner be able to determine such things as building design to the kinds of trees and flowers to be planted. All of these elements, she says, will allow a city to emanate certain vibes—“Every city has its own personality.” These vibes are designed to affect the way people think and act. Therefore, it should be no surprise if people are to some extent different whenever they change their geographical locations.
Psychogeography is also a concept that allows me to better grasp the concept of Inshallah, a religious concept central to my own personal and professional life. The term “In Sha Allah” simply means “God willing” or “If God wills.” Muslims ought to say it, instead of “I will,” whenever they intend to do something in the future for another party. In my view, this practice of “In Sha Allah” is a social transaction of advanced request for forgiveness from the party who makes a promise, and a guaranteed release of forgiveness from the party to whom the promise is made. This social transaction of forgiveness would be important when the first party, for whatever reason, is unable to keep their promise. Such failure produces certain effects such as distrust or contempt which is, to some degree, damaging to the relationship between them. However, within the Muslim community, such negative effects are likely mitigated because forgiveness (understanding) has been given upfront, i.e when they say “Inshaallah” (”If God allows me to do so”).
At this point, I was able to understand that the term “Inshallah” offers remedy for the damage that is not even there yet. Looking at it from Arendtian perspective, I think the practice Inshallah is a form of response to the irreversibility of human action. It means that once a certain deed is performed, the consequences exceed time and space and are impossible to undo. If the consequence is negative, it prevents the related parties from moving on with their lives. The way to free them, Arendt would say, is through forgiveness. That way, the wrongdoer may release the guilt and the wronged one is free from grudges. Then they will eventually be able to interact with each other again. Finally, I should also like to say that to merely use the term “In Sha Allah” without genuine efforts to meet the promises is an irresponsible act that is also damaging to social relationships.
One of the effects of the change in location that has always troubled me was that people are more likely to fail to meet their promises. Having many encounters of just such an experience, I lost my ability to trust people and their promises. But, after four years of psychological, religious and physical homelessness, I think the Psychogeography concept has just dissolved the grudge I have for people and promises. Moreover, it seems to unveil the secret behind the religious ritual of saying “Inshallah” within Islam.