Yesterday, a friend of mine made a public faux pas by suggesting that I might come in contact with the Dalai Lama while on my trip to Dubai. And, additionally, I might return with a suitcase filled with karma. Right continent, wrong dogma, I’m afraid.
I’ll grant that he likely mistook Dubai for Mumbai (still quite a distance from the mountains of New Delhi, though we could let that slide), but, nonetheless, it put me in the awkward position of how, exactly, to reply to his remark. Pointing out the mistake seemed both haughty and over-critical. Glossing over it could suggest that I also believe I might have a guru encounter. And not responding at all to well wishes is just rude. (Who over-thinks everything? I do!)
About half an hour later, I had what I thought was the perfect response. I would simply say: Masha’Allah. It’s not exactly (or at all if taken literally) how this Arabic word is supposed to work, but I thought it might do and I immediately felt relieved. I’m sure my friend immediately felt confused.*
We can all make note of the enormous dromedary in the room, which is that I have no business, given my religious views, saying that god will or has willed anything. Yes, I know. Insincerity worries aside, it is nice to have words that express the indefinable.
And, on that note, here are some more charming foreign words that have no direct equivalent in English. Enjoy!
*In hindsight, had I written Inshallah, instead, it would have actually made some sense. As in, "Yes, it is possible for me to meet the Dalai Lama—if god wills it!" Oh, to have l’espirit de l’escalier!
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