The time that we live in now is the era of imperialism. Colonialism is old school. Days of shackles are over. Days of desires have arrived. People are now chained by their own desires. And this is a chain unseen. Invisible yet present.
Have you ever thought about who controls what you want? Do you believe that thoughts can be controlled? Have you heard of social engineering?
If the answers are no, you should start exploring.
Television and newspapers are the media by which our new masters communicate with us. This is how they manipulate our thoughts and create desires. Those who try to evade the force of the media are often caught in the web of peer pressure.
In the past, food was for nourishing our body. Drinks were meant to quench our thirst. Now, food and drinks are means of recreation. We used to be what we ate. Now, we are where we eat. Clothes are no longer the means of covering. They have become a tool for creating craving. Some curves will be covered, some not. People will imagine the unseen. They will desire the concealed.
By buying foods and clothes we are selling ourselves. We willfully sell our own selves to people’s judgement. We want to become what people think of us. Thus we sorrowfully have sold our souls to shaitan. Our desires have become our lords.
There is a difference between commerce and commercialization. There is a difference between consumption and consumerism. Commerce is a means to facilitate consumption of necessary items. The objective of commercialization is profit maximization. Exponential growth at any cost. Meaning more and more and more.
Instead of making life easy, consumerism makes life difficult. We are not happy with what we have. Each day we are bombarded with so many things that we should have. Or rather, things we are told we need to have. No matter how much we buy, we are not satisfied. There are many things left that we do not own. And to get them all, we trade our serenity, our sense of complacence with greed. We are never happy again.
Mirza Yawar Baig truthfully said, no matter who wins the rat race, the winner is still a rat.
Ramadan is a month of reflection. We refrain from food. We resist sexual temptation. This gives us a break from the rat race. It is an opportunity for us to question our motives.
Who is our Lord? What are we running after? Mouthwatering foods everyday? Designer clothes for Eid? At the end what do we get?
How much are we spending a month for our desires? How much was enough for us to live a normal decent life, just taking care of our essentials? What percentage of our wealth goes to the afterlife?
Should we not cease to create unnecessary necessities? Should we not free ourselves from the slavery of the desires that were installed in our hearts by the media?
Yes, we should. We should be free again!
Let this Ramadan be the vessel of our freedom. Let’s become human again, humane again.
28th Rajab, 1437 Hirji.
