Heart Of Darkness

​Last month there was a celebrated case of public beheading this side of the causeway. It made YouTube, was headlined (with pictures) in the international press and every human whatever organization pitched in with its 'condemnation.' I was bemused even though such tragic and barbaric acts go against my natural inclination. The quasi-cynic in me could not resist the question: So What? It happens every Friday. Why now?

As one professor once retorted, 'Had the death penalty been effective, it would have worked with Adam. After all, he was threatened with death if he ate from the forbidden tree yet he did it and survived.' But this case lingered in my mind since the 'crime' for which the man was beheaded for was none other than sorcery. Personally, I find human metaphysical activities thoroughly suspect but find that human pre-occupation with them fascinating.

This case reminded me of an incident years ago. A fellow female professor approached me asking for a favor. This woman is probably one of the few professors in Arabia who is genuinely educated, thoroughly talented, and handsomely balanced in wisdom and knowledge. She asked me to use my 'influence' to get her an appointment with a certain 'umm Fatima.' This is not the real name but it gives you an idea. It turns out that this umm Fatima is a suspect character who has acquired fame and fortune by being your simple-run-of-the-mill witch.

Anyone who requires her services has to pay handsomely and wait at least six months for an appointment to meet this esoteric phenomenon. I had never heard of her before. So I enquired. It turned out that she was famous and rich and sought after by the wealthy, the poor, the powerful, the sick, and every maiden wanting a husband in this time of matrimonial drought. Umm Fatima had a fixed address known to all and sundry (except me for lack of interest) and I was to use my influence to 'fast track' my professorial friend into her sanctified presence. Needless to say, I failed. To be honest, I did not even try but followed this woman out of curiosity and a possible use in one of my novels. As far as I know, she is still practicing and doing rather well and the wait period for an appointment has grown from six to ten months.

Then comes this ghastly beheading of a man in a parking lot. The man does exactly the same thing as umm Fatima and the act is recorded by phone cameras and videos and posted on YouTube. Meanwhile, for all I know, umm Fatima is thriving and luxuriating in her silk-laden boudoir and visited probably by the same people who issued the verdict against the beheaded man.

It makes you wonder, if nothing else. 

Is something good or bad in of its self? Of course not. Don't believe me? Just ask Plato who introduced what is known as the 'circular argument'. I will not bother you with the details but let us say Paul eats pork, Ali and Ezra do not. Does that indicate pig is good or bad in of itself? I doubt it. But if one were a pig it would be glorious if one lived where one is not eaten. The choice whether or not to eat a pig does not reflect on the pig's nature, but it certainly reflects on the pig's status and survival chances. More importantly, such choices reflect on us.

According to Rationalists, good or bad are conditions closely tied to our human condition, be it misery, happiness, or what is euphemistically known as 'morals.' In other words, we decide. I have no problem with that, but I do have a problem with imposing that will on others.

"The Will to Power," to borrow an oft quoted though grossly misunderstood Nietzschian phrase, is evident today in its crudest form wherever you go. Apart from philosophical exegetical discourse, this aphorism (if even that) is practiced on us by the mighty and the lowly alike. At the end of the day, whether you have been abused by a corrupt traffic warden or derided and ordered around by your boss, you lose the most valuable of your possessions: dignity and freedom.

So we make rules and proceed to impost them on others. Even in democratic societies, the rulers have lost touch with the ruled. The people's dilemma in such countries is that the alternative is either non-existent or of the same ilk. People succumb in meekness not intended for inheriting anything. In our part of the world, we simply suffer. We used to suffer silently, now we suffer vociferously yet the end result is the same: we suffer.

Those of us who still want to 'live' resort to ways of venting such suffering. The only way to do it is through a shared sense of humor. In this day and age, the sharing is rather spectacular through the internet and related technology. The result? An overcrowding in local prisons.