Shaukat
31-10-2005, 10:05 PM
The doors of the world today are wide open, whether we like it or not. Our youth, like those in other societies, are attracted to the seeming glamour of this entertainment culture. "Aren't we allowed to have any fun in an Islamic society?" they ask. "Is Islam a religion that prohibits everyone from enjoying life?" Indeed, it is a challenge to the Islamic revolution to find another model of enjoyment and fulfillment than the casual, carefree, sensate lifestyle "Hollywood," to use the catchphrase, promotes as universal. This is also an issue of cultural diversity. Must we all conform to Hollywood's view of human nature, which mostly stresses what is base rather than noble in humanity? What about human dignity, particularly in the portrayal of women as little more than sex objects? Isn't there something more to existence than consumer status and a few moments of pleasure in a life that is otherwise empty and meaningless? I think the basic legacy of the postmodernist, consumer culture of the West is to enjoy life for the moment at the expense of not thinking about the rest of society or the future of the world, as if, somehow, it is possible just to take a perpetual vacation from reality.
Essentially, it is living without responsibility. The greatest tragedy of the 20th century is carried within this Hollywood culture: life deprived of its spiritual dimension. Maybe this lifestyle is due to the fact that people feel powerless over their lives. And since they can't change things, they feel they should just enjoy their brief mortality and forget about all the rest. This kind of lifestyle is closely linked to other phenomena in the Western-dominated world - violence, drugs, environmental degradation, sexual exploitation and even slavery through the sex trade in Asia. Even rap music - originally a form of expression of dissatisfaction with this culture - has become absorbed in it and is now itself an expression of violence and licentiousness. Other than the enormous profits the Hollywood music industry is making, and the brief distraction for troubled youth it provides, what does it all amount to? Has the lifestyle of the West given the younger generation anything to cherish in their lives? Has it given them any self-esteem or identity? Has it opened their hearts to others or to nature? After the few minutes of enjoyment, the feeling fades within you, leaving a hole where the soul is, an emptiness.
The alternative is spiritual enjoyment that transforms your inner being and gives you a direction in life, a meaning. The alternative is an enduring satisfaction that connects you to all of God's creation, rather than just feeding your selfish ego. Religious values offer a guide for living that is not just right for yourself, but for humanity as a whole. It provides a sense of peace, instead of the restless compulsion of always seeking more stimulation through ever greater consumption of goods, entertainment and new experiences. Spiritual joy is profound and lasting. I think that so many in the younger generation are looking for this peace and love, and they can't find it in consumerism. I remember seeing an interview with a group of teen-age boys on "60 Minutes" about why they used drugs. One of the boys said, "I just need a couple of moments of peace in this life, and when I take those drugs, I find them. "In speaking of the drug problem in the West today, one might turn Karl Marx on his head and say, "Opium is the god of the masses. "There are also many forms of physical enjoyment that don't degrade human dignity, like sports of all kinds. Imam Khomeini (ra) often talked of the enjoyment of classical music. But the kind of degradation, which flows from unlimited sensate culture - I've mentioned, for example, the sex trade and sexual slavery - is where we have to draw the line.
There is a gap between my generation and theirs that must be bridged. This is our most important dialogue. It is part of the cultural reconstruction of which you speak .My generation faced political and military domination of the West. We had to deal with the Shah. The younger generation must face, as you say metaphorically, the Spice Girls. Today, the West doesn't have to deploy its armies and naval fleets, only its satellites and TV broadcasts. In some sense, that can pose an even deeper threat to Islamic values. That is why our greatest challenge is to convey to our youth Islamic spiritual values as a counter to the postmodern impiety of the West while, at the same time, becoming more tolerant of their desires.
(By: Dr. Masoumeh Ebtekar, the former Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran)
Essentially, it is living without responsibility. The greatest tragedy of the 20th century is carried within this Hollywood culture: life deprived of its spiritual dimension. Maybe this lifestyle is due to the fact that people feel powerless over their lives. And since they can't change things, they feel they should just enjoy their brief mortality and forget about all the rest. This kind of lifestyle is closely linked to other phenomena in the Western-dominated world - violence, drugs, environmental degradation, sexual exploitation and even slavery through the sex trade in Asia. Even rap music - originally a form of expression of dissatisfaction with this culture - has become absorbed in it and is now itself an expression of violence and licentiousness. Other than the enormous profits the Hollywood music industry is making, and the brief distraction for troubled youth it provides, what does it all amount to? Has the lifestyle of the West given the younger generation anything to cherish in their lives? Has it given them any self-esteem or identity? Has it opened their hearts to others or to nature? After the few minutes of enjoyment, the feeling fades within you, leaving a hole where the soul is, an emptiness.
The alternative is spiritual enjoyment that transforms your inner being and gives you a direction in life, a meaning. The alternative is an enduring satisfaction that connects you to all of God's creation, rather than just feeding your selfish ego. Religious values offer a guide for living that is not just right for yourself, but for humanity as a whole. It provides a sense of peace, instead of the restless compulsion of always seeking more stimulation through ever greater consumption of goods, entertainment and new experiences. Spiritual joy is profound and lasting. I think that so many in the younger generation are looking for this peace and love, and they can't find it in consumerism. I remember seeing an interview with a group of teen-age boys on "60 Minutes" about why they used drugs. One of the boys said, "I just need a couple of moments of peace in this life, and when I take those drugs, I find them. "In speaking of the drug problem in the West today, one might turn Karl Marx on his head and say, "Opium is the god of the masses. "There are also many forms of physical enjoyment that don't degrade human dignity, like sports of all kinds. Imam Khomeini (ra) often talked of the enjoyment of classical music. But the kind of degradation, which flows from unlimited sensate culture - I've mentioned, for example, the sex trade and sexual slavery - is where we have to draw the line.
There is a gap between my generation and theirs that must be bridged. This is our most important dialogue. It is part of the cultural reconstruction of which you speak .My generation faced political and military domination of the West. We had to deal with the Shah. The younger generation must face, as you say metaphorically, the Spice Girls. Today, the West doesn't have to deploy its armies and naval fleets, only its satellites and TV broadcasts. In some sense, that can pose an even deeper threat to Islamic values. That is why our greatest challenge is to convey to our youth Islamic spiritual values as a counter to the postmodern impiety of the West while, at the same time, becoming more tolerant of their desires.
(By: Dr. Masoumeh Ebtekar, the former Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran)