I feel the need to write something to tell everyone whats going on, but I don’t know how to start. In the previous few attempts, I started with different points in time. First I started off with telling how I didn’t have internet at home for past two months. I erased and then tried to write something regarding the groundbreaking visit to a phenomenal person in June. That didn’t feel right either. Although both those points were completely relevent, but didn’t tell all. I then realized that what I wanted to say was exactly what the topic says: “A World Apart”. Since I couldn’t start with this phrase because I would be stuck in the dilemma at the second sentence again, I had to use Saadat Hasan Mantu’s favorite trick to kick off writing something, i.e. writing what just happened in past few moments.
Blank… I thought I had taken a start and words would flow, but as I pressed the ‘enter’ key to start the new paragragh, I realized that I was yet again at a new start. What I want to say cannot be contained under the heading of any subject, topic in the world, other than the words “A World Apart”. And explanation of that phrase is exactly what I should do in the next paragraph.
A World Apart means two things. First, I am a very different guy than what I used to be. Different than what I used to be one month ago, two months ago, six months ago, nine months ago and five years ago. Second, I live in a world very different than the world most people live in. The loss of a common point of reference is exactly the reason why I am not able to say what I want to say.
There I did it again. Instead of keep on writing, I leaned back and started thinking what would people think when they would read this. How would they precieve me? What would be different stereotypes in their head which would shape what they make out of these words? Right now I am dealing with the impossible task of writing in a way which would make people set aside their concepts created by the corporate virus in their bloods, and read my words with a free mind. But freedom is exactly what people don’t have.
Hey, I am taken back once again. I used the word ‘freedom’. Did I convey what I mean by ‘freedom’? No, people read the word and they thought about whatever they think of what ‘freedom’ is. They didn’t know what I meant by ‘freedom’. What I mean by ‘freedom’ is that people would read this word (and any other word) without being influenced by deceptive definitions and perceptions created by the corporate world. Here is a hint: Have you ever actually felt free? If no, then your definition of freedom is not your own. I thank to God for creating some words which cannot be manipulated, e.g. feel.
Loss of a common point of reference… what a shame.
Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance.
And that is exactly what has happened. The truth is right there, written in the book of God. But the book of God has been made irrelevent. If you read Quran, you will come across so many verses where He warns against making His words irrelevent. The word Quran uses for such a person is “Kazib“. Kazib is a person who listens to the truth, chooses to ignore it, and convinces himself that he is on the right path. He therefore makes the truth irrelevent.
You want to know the truth? All of you are kazibs.
As I wrote the last three sentences, I was faced with another dilemma. In our good world, we are not supposed to be bitter. Sophisticated and mannered people don’t go about telling people that they are evil. That would make me a mullah, yet another perception corporate world has created to drown the truth in a sea of irrelevence. And mullahs themselves, preaching the word of God, they think they have got Heaven in their pocket. They denounce the infidels, they pray five times a day. Then there are moderate, bright mullahs with a sense of humor. They hold formal educational degrees along with their madrassa degrees. They walk with politicians, come on TV, sound global and peaceful. They denounce talibans and any acts of voilance. And talibans… they would enforce parda, kill the non-believers and protect Islam. Really? Or are they too – like all others – just another perception created by the corporate world to drown the truth in a sea of irrelevence?
When I tell you that all of you are kazibs, you are likely to place me in any one of the pre-created sections of your mind. Are you telling yourself right now that this guy is another of those XYZ? And that you know these XYZs very well. The XYZ is the stereotype, and this process of discarding my words makes you a ‘kazib’.
So I cannot really explain to you what happened in the past two to three months. All the words are owned by the corporate world. If I say I have tuned religious, you guys will precieve me in a way that doesn’t reflect the truth. If I emphasize too much on what corporate world is doing to this world and to the people, you guys will call me a conspiracy theorist, yet another word to drown the truth in a sea of irrelevence.
You see, I can no longer use words.
May be that is exactly why I didn’t write anything for so long. Its not the internet. I have internet at office where I can blog as freely as home. Its just that whenever I want to say something, I don’t know what words to choose. Because even the words are not free anymore. Even the words are slave to the corporate world, for what they mean is governed by perceptions created by them.
This reminds me of a character from Intizar Hussain’s “Zard Kutta” where the character is a great poet. He leaves the city and goes into the jungle. He stops talking to other humans, and start talking to lifeless objects.
Dear readers, I am irrelevent. My story is a world apart. My life hooks out to a dimension and freedom unknown to you, for all of you have been enslaved.
But there is hope. Truth is a weapon which gives you power against an enemy which is not known to you, which cannot be seen, which creeps inside your heart and uses deception to enslave you. And most importantly, there is no definition of truth. This weapon cannot be taken away from you.
Start here: Search for happiness. Think what would really make you happy, with complete truth and honesty.
