Humanity isn’t just at risk—it’s already dead. Who will mourn its loss? Pablo Neruda’s blood-soaked streets are everywhere now. Abdul Ahad Azad was right: ‘Man is his own worst enemy, a devil in human form’
It is not an exaggeration to state that the worst living being on the surface of the Earth is a human being. The human being has crossed all the limits and has become insane. Laws are broken, and morality is thrown to the wind. The soothing nature is corrupted, wars are growing with each passing day, the horrors of animal instincts are unleashed shamelessly, and the innocent are shivering with fear, fearing that the monster of the human being will swallow them in a single gulp. There is uncertainty looming large in the sky. Death is written in bold letters on the horizon. The owls of destruction in the form of human beings are decimating the gardens of colourful flowers and vibrant fragrances. Pablo Neruda’s Spain is not the only place where the streets are red with the blood of children. It has become omnipresent. From Han Kang’s The Vegetarian to Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms, everywhere humanity is brutally murdered and the oppressors are laughing in mirth. Their nefarious designs in the guise of well-ironed clothes and well-structured statements are fulfilled at the humble altar of the poor. The poor are not to be blamed for the erosion of humanity from our lives. It is the capital-owning class that is responsible for all the chaos and confusion that seems endless.
As the title of my article suggests, humanity is not now at stake; in reality, it is already dead. The so-called human beings look human at face value. Dig deep, and there is only stink that leaves a person unconscious. Cite a single example in which we can think of humanity still intact—every part of the world smacks of inhumanity. Transgressions take place in broad daylight. Though the rich enjoy the peace and comfort of every moment, it is the poor who are at the receiving end and bear the brunt of inhuman decisions dictated by the bloodsuckers who are at the helm of affairs.
As we are aware of the fact that the present world is dictated by capital only. In other words, profit is the only driving force of the modern socio-economic and political system. In this situation, it is the destitute who become the easy targets of predators and bear the unbearable burden of the sins that they didn’t commit. Now, a person is compelled by the circumstances to look for the causes that have made the majority of human beings today inhuman.
What are the compulsions that have forced man to embrace inhumanity? First is materialism. As said above, the greed for more and more material things has hollowed out the man. His only concern is how to pile heaps of material things to satiate his false ego. The demon of egoism sometimes manifests itself in the form of materialism. Embracing the monster of capitalism, another form of materialism, tightly so that a single penny is not wasted while preying upon the meagre income and property of others.
The second is forgetting himself. Man has forgotten who he is. Following his whims while forgetting his Creator has made him a rogue citizen. That citizen is always on a hunting spree, hounds that are always chasing innocent prey. One who forgets himself is immune to resorting to arbitrariness and trampling upon the rights of others. So, expecting any kind of human gesture from the bloodsuckers is like living in a fool’s paradise.
Third is false or pseudo-egoism. As said briefly above, egoism is a curse in the long run. It does not allow a person to accept others as human beings. The egoistic person is caught in a narrow well where his whims reign supreme. He believes that he is the only special person deemed fit to survive and rule over uncivilised and savage people. He is the master of those who do not have the requisite sense of humour necessary to survive in the post-truth society. This harmful attitude puts humanity at stake and unleashes a brutal ordeal on the heads of the meek.
Fourth is self-delusion. Abdul Ahad Azad is right in saying that man is deluded by himself. It is his angle of approaching things that has made him murder himself and humanity at the altar of self-illusion. He is fit to be called an idiot because one who only loves himself, believing that he is doing some divine work without taking others into account, is a devil in human form. This self-illusionary fog brutally murders humanity and throws rules and regulations helter-skelter. Apart from these, there are many other causes too that are responsible for eroding our precious and pious trust in humanity.
Those will be thoroughly discussed some other day.
To restore humanity to its original form to some extent, man must mend his ways as much as he can. The Earth is a precious gift from God. Moreover, the best gift from God is humanity. It is humanity that prevails over everything. However, as discussed above, it is this humanity that is being looked down upon. Following the principles of humanity is something to be avoided. This sort of thinking is going to act as the last nail in the coffin of the destruction of humanity. To regain the lost status, man must shun hypocrisy, double standards, and egoism at the earliest.
Embracing others, whether poor or rich, in the most humane manner, will open the doors of salvation. Finding solace in minimal needs will give solace to man, and he will not chase materialism blindly. In this way, he will have some space and time to introspect. Pablo Neruda, in his poem “Keeping Quiet”, insists on quiet introspection and supports the cause of humanity. His advice of shunning new wars and respecting humane principles guides us in the best direction. He is of the opinion that the persistence of human noises has made us deaf. We are unable to understand each other in this rat race of nothingness. In the same vein, Abdul Ahad Azad and Hazrat Sheikh-Ul-Alam also point out the fact that if man were to mend his ways, the derailed train of humanity would come on track. The chugging train of humanity would cover endless journeys if man were to ponder over the evil deeds he had done.
It is an arduous journey now. The damage done is quite deep. The scratches are bleeding, and the wounds are getting green with each passing moment. An unbroken vow is the need of the hour. The pledge that survives the most dreadful storm can salvage the boat of humanity that is swirling in the gushing waters and is being tossed here and there by the ferocious waves of inhumanity. Taking others into account, the journey will be less arduous, and there will be the company of people who are there to dress the wounds, the wounds caused due to the thorns implanted by the murderers of humanity.
Oh, man! Wake up to reality. You have nowhere to go. If you have to go anywhere, it is here. Don’t isolate yourself from the mainstream of humanity. Though living at the periphery, you dominate and dictate terms to the people who are at the centre stage. Be reasonable and avoid transgressions. Allah’s grip is hard. He will take you into account. Before your account of misdeeds is left open for others to see, dust yourself off and awaken from your deep slumber. Avoid the hackneyed ways of torture and brutality. Bow your head at the altar of humanity and scream at the top of your voice. Moreover, weep and cry as much as you can. In this way, tears will wash the sins of your inhumanity while paving the way for humanity. Let us pledge to follow the principles of humanity at our individual levels.
God bless the whole of humanity!
Syed Mustafa Ahmad
sy************@***il.com