Dissent newsletter (volume 1) | Page 9

In a small geometrical cave of the city sprawl, we lie and wait for our death, eating and mating. In prehistoric times, eating and mating made humans more susceptible to predators for it was when our attention was divided and defenses lowered. For it is when our senses are deceived into feeling good, that bad times strike us. Now, way down our evolutionary chain, we find ourselves eating and mating beyond measure. We hoard wealth and materials we don’t need. We remove our concerns from the environment, we use and abuse the world around us, unwilling and unable to recognize the danger we find ourselves in. Quran says about those who will not enter Paradise: “(These are) they whose labour is lost in this world's life and they think that they are well versed in skill of the work of hands.” At this very moment, babies are being born, people are starving to death, murdered, robbed of wealth and dignity. Twenty species of animals are going extinct every single day, entire forests are being cleared as we read, and no one to declare a hint of an interest. You and I have been disconnected from reality although we are still very much a part of it. Do you think any good can come of this? So ask yourself again: What is it you want in life? Far from fulfilling our purpose, we have forsaken even the quest of finding our purpose. The world is a giant, splendid library, and we spend our lives wandering aimlessly. Jumping floor to floor, shelf to shelf, reading the titles of all the world has to offer: Sports, Health, Self-help, Language, History, Fiction, Games. When are you going to sit down and start making sense of it? A hundred years of wandering will never remove your confusion unless you spend them in learning. No man-made rules or guidelines are relevant here. You were not conceived with your permission, and neither will your death befall you after seeking your consent. So when you and I dive into this matter, we leave behind man-made rules, limits and complications of traditional religions. It’s all or nothing in the end, either you do or do not find the Truth. The journey only starts when you make an effort to commit to its search. Otherwise, the cycle of rebirth continues. You’re here now, born as the most intelligent of creatures, God’s most precious creation. This is our best chance. “You and I have been disconnected from reality although we are still very much a part of it. Do you think any good can come of this?” All the photographs on this page were taken by Kazi Akber