Let's ponder for a moment
By Shafaat Shahbandari :
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Shafaat Shahbandri[/caption]
Materialism - the biggest bane of modern world - has swept our society in all its ugly pervasiveness.
Cities it had invaded long before, but the extent of its penetration in the countryside and in semi-urban places like Bhatkal over the last decade is astonishing.
Young and old, men and women, educated and uneducated, all have fallen for it.
Possession of material wealth has become the primary criterion for the measurement of individual and collective success in our society today.
Wealth generation in itself is no vice. In fact, it is one of the most encouraged activities in Islam. If acquired in the right way and allowed to flow equitably in the society, it can create revolutions the like of which the world had seen in the golden period of Islamic history.
What is objectionable, though, is the morbid obsession for material accumulation and discriminatory practices based on the level of its possession.
Indeed, economic status of an individual or a society counts as an important factor for its overall success, but it cannot be considered as the panacea for all the ills.
In these days of alarming inflation and skyrocketing prices, money does play a major role.
We need money for better healthcare, for quality education and with money we can buy good food and clean water.
But can money buy those age-old values of camaraderie that personified our community for centuries?
Can money buy the belief system and social structure that made a small community like ours stand out among the giants?
If it can't, then there is no point dying for it.
Like most people, we don't miss a chance in boasting about the achievements of our forefathers. We pride ourselves on the esteem - that is on the vane - with which other communities in the vicinity hold us. We can’t stop raving about the integrity and industry of our ancestors. Yes, we are all proud of our roots, but we are only proud, that's it.
We don't bother to build on the lasting foundations that our ancestors so earnestly laid. We are only concerned about building lofty edifices, one bigger than the other, that won't last even a few decades.
Great institutions are not identified by the shiny walls of its buildings, rather it is the people who form their bricks and mortar.
Likewise, great societies are not necessarily known by their affluence alone, but rather the real wealth of a society is its leaders.
Leaders, who are raised from among the people and who are willing to stay among the people.
Leaders, who don't see themselves as masters, but those who are the embodiment of service.
Leaders, who are willing to be the eyes and ears of the society as well as the voice of the streets.
The reality on the street today is that we don't have such leaders, because we don't have such people. Leaders are but a mere reflection of the society they represent.
The reality today is that, unlike our forefathers, we have become short-sighted and superficial. We don't see beyond the horizon.
Today, all we care about is how we make money and how quickly we make it?
Our elders fondly relate stories from the past, when our women used to be so honest in their affairs that when the men – husbands, sons or brothers – remitted a higher monthly amount than usual, they would write letters to the employers of the men, to enquire on the source of the extra amount.
Those were our women, and those were the women who groomed the leaders that shaped our community in the past.
We all know what is the case now. We just don’t care from where it comes and how it comes. As long as the money keeps coming, nobody asks any question.
Sadly, we are bringing up our younger generation on the same ephemeral values. Hence, we can’t expect them to be any different.
To be continued
Writer is a journalist based in Dubai
Shafaat Shahbandri[/caption]
Materialism - the biggest bane of modern world - has swept our society in all its ugly pervasiveness.
Cities it had invaded long before, but the extent of its penetration in the countryside and in semi-urban places like Bhatkal over the last decade is astonishing.
Young and old, men and women, educated and uneducated, all have fallen for it.
Possession of material wealth has become the primary criterion for the measurement of individual and collective success in our society today.
Wealth generation in itself is no vice. In fact, it is one of the most encouraged activities in Islam. If acquired in the right way and allowed to flow equitably in the society, it can create revolutions the like of which the world had seen in the golden period of Islamic history.
What is objectionable, though, is the morbid obsession for material accumulation and discriminatory practices based on the level of its possession.
Indeed, economic status of an individual or a society counts as an important factor for its overall success, but it cannot be considered as the panacea for all the ills.
In these days of alarming inflation and skyrocketing prices, money does play a major role.
We need money for better healthcare, for quality education and with money we can buy good food and clean water.
But can money buy those age-old values of camaraderie that personified our community for centuries?
Can money buy the belief system and social structure that made a small community like ours stand out among the giants?
If it can't, then there is no point dying for it.
Like most people, we don't miss a chance in boasting about the achievements of our forefathers. We pride ourselves on the esteem - that is on the vane - with which other communities in the vicinity hold us. We can’t stop raving about the integrity and industry of our ancestors. Yes, we are all proud of our roots, but we are only proud, that's it.
We don't bother to build on the lasting foundations that our ancestors so earnestly laid. We are only concerned about building lofty edifices, one bigger than the other, that won't last even a few decades.
Great institutions are not identified by the shiny walls of its buildings, rather it is the people who form their bricks and mortar.
Likewise, great societies are not necessarily known by their affluence alone, but rather the real wealth of a society is its leaders.
Leaders, who are raised from among the people and who are willing to stay among the people.
Leaders, who don't see themselves as masters, but those who are the embodiment of service.
Leaders, who are willing to be the eyes and ears of the society as well as the voice of the streets.
The reality on the street today is that we don't have such leaders, because we don't have such people. Leaders are but a mere reflection of the society they represent.
The reality today is that, unlike our forefathers, we have become short-sighted and superficial. We don't see beyond the horizon.
Today, all we care about is how we make money and how quickly we make it?
Our elders fondly relate stories from the past, when our women used to be so honest in their affairs that when the men – husbands, sons or brothers – remitted a higher monthly amount than usual, they would write letters to the employers of the men, to enquire on the source of the extra amount.
Those were our women, and those were the women who groomed the leaders that shaped our community in the past.
We all know what is the case now. We just don’t care from where it comes and how it comes. As long as the money keeps coming, nobody asks any question.
Sadly, we are bringing up our younger generation on the same ephemeral values. Hence, we can’t expect them to be any different.
To be continued
Writer is a journalist based in Dubai
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