This is going to be a short post that was aroused by the above posted image that has been circulating my facebook newsfeed today. I was put off by it and I thought that I could write about it.
Let’s imagine that you are a “Nobody.” You do not have a
name. You do not have a religion to abide by. You do not have a country to seek
solace in.
Let’s imagine that for some eleven or twelve years you are
just a question mark. You are an enigma. Not only to society, family or friends
(That is if you had any that is willing to befriend an anonymous entity), but
more importantly to yourself.
That above picture when simply translated into English says:
“After 5 minutes after you are born, they will choose your name, nationality,
religion and sect...And you will spend the rest of your life stupidly fighting
and defending things you have not chosen."
Surprisingly, yes you are powerless when you are a youngster. You have no right to
have a power simply because you do not yet acquire the power to think. To process
things. To feel things. How could you make such important decisions when you
are still sucking on milk from your mother’s breasts? How could you fathom such
big ideas when you take up to 12 hours nap everyday? How can you possibly
comprehend to even choose anything? If you took a five year old kid to a
clothes shop and told him to just choose one item, he will disobey you. Not
because he wants to, but because he does not yet have the ability to differentiate
between what is good or bad. Between putting away some money for a rainy day
and between having enough money to buy a fancy villa somewhere in the Hamptons.
So he will end up buying all what he likes.
What if he was asked about making up his mind about those
big ideas when he hits puberty? When his mind is evolving? When he sees other
people with names, with societal worthiness, with a nationality, won’t he be
disorientated? Won’t he start questioning his family that raised him? Won’t he
be harmful to even himself? And the list goes on.
If any of you guys who posted this image on their facebook
or twitter or any other social mediums think that it is unfair for you to
defend your names, nationalities or even your religion just because you did not
“choose” them, then it is your own opinion. But again, do you really think that
being without the aforementioned traits you are powerful and self-reliant and
you are your own destiny-maker? I suggest you think again.
I for one do not see it as an attack on my freedom to
choose. I see it as a start. I see it as the hand that pushes my boat out on
the harsh sea. I see it as a guiding hand. I see it as the alarm clock that is
beside my bed.
But I will gladly defend those “stupid” things
till the day I die. Because I believe in each and every one of them. I believe that I
am my own destiny maker. I believe in Islam. I believe in my country Egypt.
I believe that my name is Yahia Ayman Gweifel. And that is not because they
were chosen for me. But because I sought to hone them to be the best they can
be. I choose to be a good practicing Muslim. I choose to be a good Egyptian
citizen. I choose to be the best Yahia I can be. That is the true power of
choice. And it does not, at all, belittle from your sense of freedom.
So my final thing that I want to say is that: For all you
who posted this image, did you choose to live in this world? Did you choose to
be born?
Let’s imagine that YOU ARE NON-EXISTENT.
