But I wonder, whether we wish others, on personal occasions, Have a Great Birthday, or, around a collective milestone, have a Great Eid—do we really mean it?
Why do we wish others at all when we do not mean any of it?
Increasingly, we are living in a “me” society. The sun rises for me. I created the greatest masterpiece of all time. The birds croon for me. The seasons change for me. I bring the colors. And since I deserve the best I have the right to snatch it from others!
Yet, we wish others; wish them the sun and the moon. But when others do better than us, we envy them. Sometimes the jealousy drives us to insane acts, and we burn with rage—we must drag the successful ones to mud. We must belittle them to make ourselves look better.
Our words don’t mean anything, yet we make the motion of wishing!
Why?
We say, we have evolved over the eons, and now we are cultured, compassionate and full of love. Yet, our beauty is only skin-deep! Under the tailored suits and fake smiles we hide our fangs and claws.
So, on the eve of this Eid let my prayer be, “O Lord, make me humble, make me worthy, let me serve the lowest of your lows, and please, please, please O my Lord, let me not feel the least proud when I serve the deprived! Let my head hold high but eyes low!”
Let this be my only prayer, and not gold, not strength and not even peace, those are just the trifle pleasantries of life!
