The posts thus far have centered on deconstructionist critiques of aspects of the modern life and the modern world. I would like to depart from the more technical stuff to discuss one of the more fundamental topics related to human nature.
One of the famous scenes in cinematic history was the 'Greed is Good' speech given by the sinister investment exec Gordon Gecko, played by Michael Douglas, in the movie 'Wall Street' (1987). For those unfamiliar with the scene, do watch:
The motto 'Greed is Good' has been used to describe the Wall Street shenanigans that led to the 2008 Bank Crash. But it points to a deeper underlying philosophy. Modern so-called free market economists, such as from the Ayn Rand school, tend to treat each individual as separate economic units pursuing their own interests, and state we are all better off by following our own paths. From their perspective, human beings are geared by Nature to follow what they deem to be to their advantage, and any aspiration for bettering the condition of others is weakness and a result of social engineering.
Any advocate of social welfare would no doubt find such a view as anathema, but there is a kernel of truth hidden in the excessive egoism of this belief. Human beings are created by God each with an individual essence. Since birth, our experience through the lens of sensory perception is pretty much a self-centered universe. No matter how close we may feel to kith and kin, we can never view reality through someone else's kaleidoscope. The pain and joy of others can only be reflected onto our internal mirror of observation and then into our own consciousness. We remain bound to this captive reality of the single self (self here not necessarily defined as the classical Islamic concept of 'nafs').
From this egocentric viewpoint, it is only natural that the self would function to fulfill its own inclinations, be they bodily, mental or spiritual. It is hard to conceive of a pattern harder to break than following one's own interests. The question really lies in what one defines as his or her own interest, then things can get a bit murky. Here the idea that the fate of the larger society is tied to the individual can broaden the concept of 'personal well-being' to be inclusive of friends, family and the general human race.
The fundamental point is that desire, seen as the pursuit of the fulfillment of the inclinations of the self, is hardwired into the DNA and makeup of humanity. We are desire-centric beings. While this may seem at the surface to be obvious, in the day-to-day grind we can forget how essential desire may be to our progression in life. Desire is the fuel for the (metaphorical) fire, and if there is any benchmark we can use to measure men, it is by the quality of their desire.
Desire can take the form of self-preservation, which is the most basic. Once this has been fulfilled, we normally gravitate towards desires of our own wants and occasionally desires of service to others. There are unfortunate folks for whom the desire for self-preservation remains the predominant desire in life, a sort of knee-jerk reactive state of being in which circumstances pushes the individual forward whereas he or she would prefer to remain in inertia.
Desires can drive civilizations to the same degree they can drive individuals. We can look at the early Arabs in the first three centuries after the advent of Islam as driven strongly by desire. This wasn't a crude desire for land and loot, but a desire to conquer all the imaginable vistas of mankind, inspired by their confidence in their Deen. Only later did Muslims reach a stage of self-satisfied complacency which marked a turning point and a steady decline that has not been arrested. The Modern West, following their deity Progress, similarly is marked by a desire to claim a world kingship.
To bring the subject of desire closer to home, I often think of the numerous goals I have set for myself in life, some which have been accomplished and many (such as learning a new language, being more punctual or what have you) which remain in the still theoretical. In the past, I would concentrate heavily on the barriers that block my way, the scale and type of challenges that need to be crossed for me to achieve what I want. But I would find myself frustrated when the task I set for myself simply cannot be done.
It is only recently that it occurred to me that these failures have more to do with a lack of desire rather than the impediments in front of me. It is analogous to someone worried about driving through dangerous terrain when his tank his half-empty. How many times have I thought of something worthwhile that I genuinely wanted to achieve, but inside at my core I knew I lacked the requisite excitement and passion to get me over the finish line? It dawned on my that to accomplish something that is substantial and worthwhile, the desire has to be burning hot and not lukewarm. The focus, to begin with, should be to inculcate a desire that is strong enough to last the distance. Rather than seeing your goal as merely a 'good thing', think of it as as essential as food and water. This takes some time, but once your desire is set, the challenges can and will be overcome insha Allah.
Ambitions, which in a way are channeled desires, are key to a healthy psyche. We need something bigger than the sticks and carrots society may offer us. I do feel disappointed when I look around the current generation with its noticeable lack of any higher ambitions, be they worldly or otherwise. We wait for others to tell us what our ambitions should be, which is a pretty silly approach. Lower ends desires of nice music and tasty food are so easily satiated nowadays, what else is left?
The desire to live in service of others, in particular our Creator, can be a higher-end desire. But I would hesitate perhaps to use the word 'selfless', as even in our service of the Divine and humanity, we do so with the expectation of some spiritually enhanced state or internal sense of satisfaction. These are still, in a way, forms of self-satisfaction, so perhaps there can never be a true state of selflessness after all. The 'will to want' remains in us, even in Jannah, which is the culmination of every journey of desire.
One of the famous scenes in cinematic history was the 'Greed is Good' speech given by the sinister investment exec Gordon Gecko, played by Michael Douglas, in the movie 'Wall Street' (1987). For those unfamiliar with the scene, do watch:
The motto 'Greed is Good' has been used to describe the Wall Street shenanigans that led to the 2008 Bank Crash. But it points to a deeper underlying philosophy. Modern so-called free market economists, such as from the Ayn Rand school, tend to treat each individual as separate economic units pursuing their own interests, and state we are all better off by following our own paths. From their perspective, human beings are geared by Nature to follow what they deem to be to their advantage, and any aspiration for bettering the condition of others is weakness and a result of social engineering.
Any advocate of social welfare would no doubt find such a view as anathema, but there is a kernel of truth hidden in the excessive egoism of this belief. Human beings are created by God each with an individual essence. Since birth, our experience through the lens of sensory perception is pretty much a self-centered universe. No matter how close we may feel to kith and kin, we can never view reality through someone else's kaleidoscope. The pain and joy of others can only be reflected onto our internal mirror of observation and then into our own consciousness. We remain bound to this captive reality of the single self (self here not necessarily defined as the classical Islamic concept of 'nafs').
From this egocentric viewpoint, it is only natural that the self would function to fulfill its own inclinations, be they bodily, mental or spiritual. It is hard to conceive of a pattern harder to break than following one's own interests. The question really lies in what one defines as his or her own interest, then things can get a bit murky. Here the idea that the fate of the larger society is tied to the individual can broaden the concept of 'personal well-being' to be inclusive of friends, family and the general human race.
The fundamental point is that desire, seen as the pursuit of the fulfillment of the inclinations of the self, is hardwired into the DNA and makeup of humanity. We are desire-centric beings. While this may seem at the surface to be obvious, in the day-to-day grind we can forget how essential desire may be to our progression in life. Desire is the fuel for the (metaphorical) fire, and if there is any benchmark we can use to measure men, it is by the quality of their desire.
Desire can take the form of self-preservation, which is the most basic. Once this has been fulfilled, we normally gravitate towards desires of our own wants and occasionally desires of service to others. There are unfortunate folks for whom the desire for self-preservation remains the predominant desire in life, a sort of knee-jerk reactive state of being in which circumstances pushes the individual forward whereas he or she would prefer to remain in inertia.
Desires can drive civilizations to the same degree they can drive individuals. We can look at the early Arabs in the first three centuries after the advent of Islam as driven strongly by desire. This wasn't a crude desire for land and loot, but a desire to conquer all the imaginable vistas of mankind, inspired by their confidence in their Deen. Only later did Muslims reach a stage of self-satisfied complacency which marked a turning point and a steady decline that has not been arrested. The Modern West, following their deity Progress, similarly is marked by a desire to claim a world kingship.
To bring the subject of desire closer to home, I often think of the numerous goals I have set for myself in life, some which have been accomplished and many (such as learning a new language, being more punctual or what have you) which remain in the still theoretical. In the past, I would concentrate heavily on the barriers that block my way, the scale and type of challenges that need to be crossed for me to achieve what I want. But I would find myself frustrated when the task I set for myself simply cannot be done.
It is only recently that it occurred to me that these failures have more to do with a lack of desire rather than the impediments in front of me. It is analogous to someone worried about driving through dangerous terrain when his tank his half-empty. How many times have I thought of something worthwhile that I genuinely wanted to achieve, but inside at my core I knew I lacked the requisite excitement and passion to get me over the finish line? It dawned on my that to accomplish something that is substantial and worthwhile, the desire has to be burning hot and not lukewarm. The focus, to begin with, should be to inculcate a desire that is strong enough to last the distance. Rather than seeing your goal as merely a 'good thing', think of it as as essential as food and water. This takes some time, but once your desire is set, the challenges can and will be overcome insha Allah.
Ambitions, which in a way are channeled desires, are key to a healthy psyche. We need something bigger than the sticks and carrots society may offer us. I do feel disappointed when I look around the current generation with its noticeable lack of any higher ambitions, be they worldly or otherwise. We wait for others to tell us what our ambitions should be, which is a pretty silly approach. Lower ends desires of nice music and tasty food are so easily satiated nowadays, what else is left?
The desire to live in service of others, in particular our Creator, can be a higher-end desire. But I would hesitate perhaps to use the word 'selfless', as even in our service of the Divine and humanity, we do so with the expectation of some spiritually enhanced state or internal sense of satisfaction. These are still, in a way, forms of self-satisfaction, so perhaps there can never be a true state of selflessness after all. The 'will to want' remains in us, even in Jannah, which is the culmination of every journey of desire.
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