Eavesdropping used to be my hobby,and sort of still is. But especially when it’s a conversation about one of my uncles wanting to join the Taliban,this incessant need for unnecessary gossip becomes a blessing. I wasn’t shocked really. It was my mom and aunt discussing the matter on the other side of the door. Why not? Well,because I understood a bit too well where he’s coming from.
My father has eight siblings,three sisters and five brothers. The brothers except this ‘middle child’ have done reasonably well. Amongst a university professor,lawyer,businessman and an engineer,my ‘Talib’ uncle (no names) does not have a university degree and shook hands with PIA’s ‘golden hand’ in 1997 for immediate gain of a few hundred thousand rupees,at the expense of job security. You might have already seen the document embedded. Post handshake he had financial problems,his wife left him and her son for five years,he lived with my grandfather who also passed away. Today my uncle,one of the most loving people I know,is also the most erratic human being I have ever come across. It is apparent in every gesture,every sentence,even in his affection.
From a very early age he had created differences in his head with his siblings and his father,and from that point onwards he suffered academically,career wise,temperamentally and eventually financially. He is the rotten apple that kept me from going astray. When we are young we tell ourselves ‘this is just a phase’ ‘we’ll grow out of our mistakes’ ‘we can improve’ ‘college is for fun’. But we never imagine our simple neglect making us unsuccessful and perpetually unhappy in the long run. We just assume things will work out. But for many they don’t. I am sure there are many whose lives just led them into a ditch because of sheer bad luck,but when decision has a crucial role to play,why not become smarter decision makers as soon as we can differentiate ‘good’ from ‘bad’. There will be many gray areas,but for the most part we are going astray because we assume things will fall into place.
When I came to college my writing and communication class became the laboratory for delving into the ‘misery of the masses’ and because of a recent suicide in the family I took a sharp turn:from positive to distrustful. I can see friends,family passing statement about drug abusers,thieves,extremists,but really are we all given the same options in life? It is difficult to place yourself in someone else’s shoes. When a man’s eight children are starving and his wife is pregnant with the 9th,perhaps all he can afford with his daily wage is a little less food and some cheap alcohol that would at least let him sleep through the night or attain temporary happiness. I don’t think I have the right to ‘hate’ on such a person. Yes maybe he shouldn’t have had eight children if he can’t afford feeding them but in his defense those very children are seen as sources of income,not added expenditure. It is hard to imagine what people who can’t afford,who feel marginalized,who can’t take care of their loved ones go through every day. Who do you blame? I’m not quite sure.
Our appalling social conditions are a direct result of a stagnant economy,and obviously our firm belief that ‘the poor are poor for a reason’. Most of them probably are. Wait… How did I reach here from my uncle? About him,he lost his job,his wife,he has the latter back but she is unhappy because they’re facing financial problems and their only son faces self esteem issues as they barely make ends meet. He is unhappy from what I can tell. And at the expense of his unhappiness I figured that majority of our people are going through even harsher times. Why would they not want to become part of a ‘bigger cause’ in the name of God,and forget about the family,children,poverty,the depression they are dragged through on a daily basis? They need to escape this misery. They think they are choosing God over the material world,but really all they are doing is deluding themselves,escaping from their problems. All the suffering can end in a moment,and that escape becomes seductive.
I’m not saying the Taliban are right,I am not saying anything about what they should be doing,or what they are doing. But in any ‘cause’ or movement the plebeians are mostly just picking convenience. God will provide food,shelter and protection for their families because they have dedicated their lives to Jihad. They are escaping a vicious cycle in the hope of a better afterlife. Not all ‘freedom fighters’ are like this,but many are. Their social and economic marginalization and daily suffering makes the narrative of Muslim suffering and violence more appealing. The result:more dependant people trying to make ends meet in even more severe conditions than before. This has to stop. More importantly,we,in our comfort zones need to stop getting ‘shocked’ and calling people ‘bad’ ‘evil’. Maybe instead figure out why this is happening. Once you know the cause,you’re one step closer to finding a solution.
Poverty and this pseudo religious escape have combined to aggravate our problems. People like you and me consider these options,as hard as this may be for us to digest.
By Zoon Ahmad Khan
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