Week ago I listened to some younger guys, guys in their fifties, commenting on the great changes they’ve witnessed in their short lifetime and complaining about the accelerating rate of change. Now, these were Americans, people who love change, people who constantly demand and expect everything to be better, bigger, faster and cheaper all the time.
I spent some time thinking how would I feel about all these rapid changes if I were a farm hand in Jordan, a Pakistani construction worker in Dubai or a merchant in Syria. Keep in mind I would be brought up in an Islamic society, brought up to submit to Allah’s will as represented by the existing authorities. In Islamic countries all life, even political life, is governed by religion and Islam demands submission. I would have been taught to submit to authority, to rigidly adhere to rules. In Islam no one is taught to expect or to welcome changes and certainly not to demand changes. My upbringing would make me intuitively aware of my position in society. I would instinctively know who is above me, which butt I have to kiss. I would instinctively know who is below me which butt I have to kick ever so often to show I am above. Flexibility, change, adaptation, innovation would not be in my character, not even in my dictionary. I would be taught that cleverness, ability to manipulate existing rules while appearing submissive and making sure no one above is angered, is the way to succeed. And, above all, I would be taught to always add “Inshallah” to have a way out, to make it clear it is Allah who is responsible for me not delivering what I promised.
And here come all these changes. And they all come from the West, from America. Equality, democracy, rights. Even for women! Who will I boss if I cannot boss my wife and kids? There is TV with pictures of rich lands and rich people leading an individualistic life. They seem stupid yet they are free. All the young ones have radios and play obnoxious and strange music without any respect for you and the old traditions. And there is this Internet allowing instant communication from everywhere to everywhere. Can’t keep anything secret anymore. Wife wants new cell phone to make gossip easier, daughter wants to go to school and the son wants a play station. And my new business partners don’t want to hear Inshallah anymore but expect me to deliver what I promised, precisely, exactly and on time. All of this is pushing me out of my comfort zone, demanding change in my thinking, my beliefs and my way of life. Everywhere I look I see new ideas, new products, new expectations. Life is changing faster and faster. Worst of all, no one seems to be able to do anything to stop it.
And I must admit these new ways can work in the deserts of Middle East. Just look at Israel. Rag tag band of sick and undernourished refugees from the cities of ruined Europe and look at what they did! They made the desert bloom, they made the sand to provide abundance for more people anyone could ever imagine. How could that be? After all they are not nice, submissive people, they are pushy and obnoxious individuals, not willing to submit to anyone. They argue incessantly and change everything. And, deep inside I must admit they live better than I do. Even the oppressed Palestinians inside of Israel seem to have fewer butts to kiss than I do.
Deep inside, I must admit, I envy them and my pride dictates that I must hate them and must do everything possible to stop them before they change my world beyond repair.
I have only two choices – change my thinking, my way of life or change the rest of the world. But I don’t want to change, change is too difficult, too painful. Resisting, to the last drop of blood of other people is much easier. Dying, as long as it is done by others, doesn’t hurt that much. When there is no one willing to die to protect me from all these changes, then I will see what can be negotiated.
