I have been quite depressed for the past few days. Business could not have been better and I was in Dubai for 8 days.. enjoyed it a lot too. But, this feeling of emptiness stayed in me. Within me. Why?
I had many questions in my mind that needed answers.
IS this all life is then? Make money? Keep making money? Spend more and more? Buy and buy? Shopping? Malls?.. What have we become?
I read the Arab News a few days ago. There was a report about the rise of suicide cases in KSA. Over 700 in 2010. Alarming. This, in a Muslim country where you are reminded to depend on Allah practically all the time and in each conversation. Where the two holy mosques of the entire Muslim Ummah are. Suicide?
Two conditions of the mind cause a person to do this:
1. A definite belief that nothing good lies in the future. Total, utter hopelessness.
2. An outright disbelief in a God.
700 people felt these. In Saudi Arabia.
I was not really shocked. I had predicted this. As I am predicting right now that it will only get worse. Crimes will increase. Morality will go down and Evilness will spread. What else would you expect? We have become so damn materialistic that it is sickening now. Ten thousand, fifteen thousand.. heck twenty thousand is not enough for people. Everyone wants a Blackberry or an IPHONE 4.. everyone thinks they deserve to have everything and they go out of their way to get it. Your status has to be defined by what you possess and it has to be good otherwise you are a nobody.
The simple bedouin is no longer the simple bedouin he used to be. The youth DO NOT respect their elders at all. Everyone has an agenda. Frustrations are reaching levels where minds may become dangerous. And they are becoming dangerous.
I was at Panda last night. Went to buy milk. As I left, the Saudi cashier joked with me.. ” Wait a while, soon the lights will go out, girls will come out dancing as the lights go on again and we will shout HAPPY NEW YEAR”.. I laughed. You wish, I said. But, they were seriously SAD that this was not actually happening and started complaining about life here. I told them to thank Allah, it is not that bad. They looked at me with the expression ” YOU MUST BE NUTS”…lol. Youth are exposed to the world through media, travel and other means. They are taught Values which in reality are NOT practiced. And they live in an environment that pressures them. An environment of western education ( a mockery of it maybe, but similar).. but no western culture. They are totally confused. Confusion, if not taken care of , can turn into depression and disbelief very quickly. And so, suicide amongst other things like drugs, alcoholism, excessive sex and perversion is the result. Don’t tell me all this is not happening now.
I am shocked at the Religious guy who had been lecturing me about Tawheed and Prayers at the mosque and so many nice things about Islam. His other major concern is the future of his kids and how he can gain more from what bank and Insurance and God knows what bla bla. Come on man! Here you are talking about depending on God and then you yourself really don’t depend on Him!.. this is the problem .. the ONLY MAJOR problem and reason behind the frustration of this youth. Our elders preach what they DO NOT practice. And Kids are not idiots. They see it. Result? Hatred for religion or hatred for Elders. Look around you.
Then we have us, the expatriates. No loyalty to the country ( no rights given, so no loyalty). Lots of resentments. Fears. Kafeels. Home sickness. Deprivation ( lower category deprived of family). Over 9 million of these with a variety of issues, curses and anger. And, we have the women… totally and utterly PISSED off with limitations…
This is becoming really scary now.
I decided that I will give KSA some more months. If this country gives me citizenship, not because of the “POINTS” system.. but solely because of the time my family has spent here since 1964, then I will stay. Otherwise each day spent here is a colossal waste of time now. There is a country I hold the passport of. There are people there who could benefit from my work, my business and my solutions. There are people who can produce so much. Most of all, I can train them for the Middle East, if they choose to come here and work. I could get them jobs and send 100% professional, arabic speaking teams to do projects here and go back. I could at least build lives there. Because no matter what business I do here, the IQAMA restricts me. It subjects me to sponsorship and does not allow me to open businesses. Yes, I would open a new business each year and make someone in charge of it .. this would build a home and then many homes. But, who has time to go explain this to the Saudi government now? Any Saudi I hire to go talk for me will want a huge salary so he can buy his wife an IPHONE 4.. or a BB and a car, and pay his loans.. and .. and…!
Not that my own country.. or so-called country is in good shape. All ” Muslim” states are in misery because of our great Hypocrisy.. but there are good people who suffer. And, I am not “Sponsored” by anyone there.
Gloomy picture on the 1st of January.. sorry.
We must do something positive as countries.. as individuals. And to do something positive .. something that is powerful enough to give something good to the world.. we must sacrifice something. That is the law of the Universe. The sacrifice maybe equal to nothing when the reward comes though.
When we just earn, eat, sleep and earn more and keep seeking money.. which we are all basically doing now.. We Do make the money and buy nice cars and big TVs .. but we also get depressed. We feel that emptiness inside. Maybe, I don’t feel I am able to give life enough.. or what I seek to give in KSA anymore…
Happy New year to you KSA and Pakistan.. where ever you maybe..
Real Talk Blog : ali shah 