The way we look at life affects the impact we have on
society. If let’s say we decide to see the incessant power cuts as a way to
reduce the cost of living or we see the inadequate job openings as a reason to
create our own jobs then you would realize that complaining about certain harsh
truths of society becomes useless and a total waste of time. Problems are nature’s
way of telling us that nothing is ever complete and the vacuum exists because
it’s our task to fill the void.
One morning as I walked to the bus station I noticed a woman
walking down the street selling some items. I was struck by a thought; the
money she makes from her sales in a whole week wouldn’t be up to what someone
spends on a bottle of water at a high class restaurant/hotel. Society is split
into different levels with regards to the amount of wealth a person possesses. Those
at the base do the most menial jobs for paltry sums. I remember seeing a man
tottering beneath a huge bag of rice somewhere in Conakry (Guinea). I felt bad
immediately after my late cousin, Fatima (May Allah accept her soul), told me
how much he was going to be paid for his pain. Why do the rich hoard it all and
totally ignore those below? I always ask myself why someone would want to own a
private jet when there are people who don’t even have food to eat. Isn’t there
a social structure to make the distribution of wealth even?
Islam does have a solution to the uneven distribution of
wealth; the Zakat system and the countless Quran verses and Hadiths that order
the believers to give to charity. The Bible equally orders Christians to give alms. It's the same in all religions. It’s sad that what we have today is a dysfunctional
generation who have no care for society, a generation that
beautifies the body as the soul wallows in puddles and dumps of filth, a generation that would rather spend huge
sums of money on the latest gadgets than take a second look at a beggar. Does life
have to be all about what we should do to be comfortable or it should factor in
those who may need us to be comfortable too? More often than not people would
rather spend on themselves than spend on someone else. I know beggars will
always be on the streets no matter how many times we drop coins in their
calabashes but isn’t it great that you helped feed a man instead of spending
hundreds on clothes you might probably wear just twice?
Maybe if we thought about death often we won’t think twice
about giving out our excess money to those who need it most. Has it ever occurred
to you that you could be dead the minute after you refuse to give that street
beggar some of your money? That ghc100 you had in your pocket will probably be
stolen by the mortuary men or the benevolent men who remove your lifeless body
from the car’s wreckage. What happened to altruism?
Below is an extract from one of Yacine M. Diallo’s Facebook
updates;
“...I don’t disregard
wealth, stability, and recognition – I just choose to have at the top of my
list Personal development, Moral duties, Faithful beliefs and altruism.”
The world needs people who think of humanity as a whole
body, people who view their existence as part of the bigger picture, people who
recognise the society’s need for their support and not people who thrive on
being egoistic and selfish. Anyone who doesn’t think of others is an awfully
pathetic member of the society. If you can’t help society’s underprivileged then
the best you can do is sympathize with them and not treat them like animals
because they don’t wear your kinda clothes, drive your kinda car or even smell
the way you smell. On countless occasions I’ve seen supposedly wealthy people
stare at supposedly poor people with disgust in their eyes. But can we really
tell who is poor from who is rich? Or does it even matter how society defines
rich and poor? Life on this earth encompasses an insignificant duration if
compared to the afterlife. Someone lived a 100 years on earth, cool! But he died
about 3,000 years ago. A hundred years on earth, 3,000 years and counting in
the afterlife/grave. Now I think we all agree that the true rich man is the man
who has earned Allah’s mercy and is in the bliss of the afterlife, even though
people on the earth used to look down on him because he didn’t have money.
The way we look at life is indeed the key to living a life
of true success and fulfilment. Always remember that you are assured one thing,
and that is your near death.
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