Where are we heading? No, I don’t mean it literally, I mean where we, as a society heading? I believe it was Darwin who said that the process of evolution is not complete. So, if we take it as a standard, the question still begs an answer, where are we heading? If the answer is towards a better and a brighter future and/or evolving, then I must seriously contest your answer. Look around you and tell me how have we evolved?
From the increase in the pollution to the destruction of our once beautiful eco-system to the destruction of the tall and majestic rainforests, wherever the eye can take a gander, I for one see no evolution and/or a bright future. Now don’t give me all that jazz about its all in the name of progress. I really don’t see how do we wish to progress by crushing the weak links and just going rampant over what ever arouses our lust or fury. True sacrifices must be made in order to win a war but if the number of sacrifices is far greater than those killed than chances are that you will lose.
No, before you ask I haven’t gone all green (though I do support the causes against global warming, environmental pollution etc.) I am just saying that as a society on every front we are constantly deteriorating (Today however I would only be covering our bases of respect and how much do we value knowledge). How? Well chee I don’t know, look around for once. When was the last time you actually saw someone caring about another human being just for the sake of humanity? When was the actual lasts time you saw someone giving without expecting a reward in return? When was the last time you saw people actually bothered to respect someone on the bases of his knowledge and not his pocket? Now, before you start to answer these questions please I implore you to look up the term “rhetorical questions”. It would save a lot of my time.
Now, you may not believe it but in the times of your father and grandfather people were respected on their knowledge. People who actually had knowledge, no matter how poor, were considered precious and respected in the society. It didn’t matter if the one respecting was rich or poor either. But today just look around, the ones who actually have wealth walk around as they rule everything and everyone should bow down to them. The ones stepping down from a Volvo, BMW, Mercedes, Land Rover etc are automatically considered respectful and people walk around them ready to kiss any posterior they can to get in their good graces. Now, I am not saying that those people are always not respectable; they might be but seriously is monetary value of someone’s assets really the best criterion for judging if the person should be a holder of your attention and time?
It’s really sad to see that money has become the goal of our society. Education is now sold, prime example being tuition centers (half of them can’t even spell the word tuition correctly) popping up everywhere and teachers actually supporting them more than institutions. I could rant endlessly on this but I digress. People actually rate others on the amount of cash in their pocket or the power they possess and not the knowledge nor the other person’s sincerity and loyalty. If you wish to test this, just go anywhere (where you are not known) in tattered clothes on a cycle and then to the same place in branded clothes on a luxurious ride, the difference would be evident. And the saddest part is that people actually have come to accept these rules of judgment and pass these rules subconsciously to their children.
Still convinced that society hasn’t lost its morals? Well let me narrate a story I heard just the other day. “I am a grade 20 government officer of Pakistan Atomic Energy. Now, one day as we (him and his co-workers) sat in the absence of light, we couldn’t help but discuss what have we accomplished in our life. Frankly, after looking at today’s society, almost all of us reached one conclusion that we had accomplished nothing. We have neither gained any respect from anyone nor any monetary assets. We would have been better off working in some private firm or in outer countries. Now, I would like to add that my coworkers were all grade 20 and 21 government officers who are all highly educated in their respected divisions. Where is our retribution? Our job designates as “Scientists” but society dubs as useless/respect less individuals. Even our wives taunt us that we have achieved nothing in this lifetime.”
Of course half of you would be like that hey dude, I know this guy/girl and he is a grade 18 officer and he has blah blah blah… Firstly, not all divisions of government are on the same pay scale and benefits secondly the word power comes in. A grade 18 officer of Police is simply more respected and considered useful in our today’s society than a grade 20 scientist. And please don’t give me examples of Dr. A Q Khan or Dr. Samarmand Mubarik (heck half of you won’t even know any other scientist than Dr. A Q Khan and honestly I don’t blame you), sometimes exception occur even in our dumb and money hungry society.
Still not convinced? Seriously, look at this society where money matters more than any amount of knowledge or manners. Where at the end of the day it all comes down to who has more. A society where the only moral is either you eat or you get eaten. A society where each day and out people are slaughtered in one way or the other just because they are poor. A society which only knows how to follow the laws of the Jungle. Honestly, we are nothing more than animals.
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