Ignorance Is Not a Virtue

If there is one thing that really ticks me off is other people telling me what’s good or bad for me, and what I should or shouldn’t do. The other thing I find equally annoying is people who allow themselves to be blindly guided by the rules set by others and moreover get offended if other people don’t also comply with the same rules.

It is not because I am by nature rebellious or anti-social, but given this wonderful thinking machine that we’re equipped with in the form of the brains and that we humans are supposed to be the epitome in Evolution’s millions of years travails to attain the perfect species on this planet or (for the religiously minded) created in our Maker’s image, I cannot help but think that sometimes not only are we underutilising our intellect and capacity for thinking, but we deliberately undermine those very abilities for no other reason than sheer laziness.

And when it is our leaders or persons of influence who indulge in this mental laxity, is it any wonder then that instead of progressing, when it comes to basic rational thinking, we can still encounter beliefs, attitudes and responses that are practically medieval in nature. Except the digital age is making the stupidity a lot more pervasive, while democracy ensures that ignorance is also the domain of the ruling elite and a reality that we have to endure and play by.

What, for instance are we to make of some Ulemas’ paranoid objection to the film 2012 and the burning of DVDs of the film by some elementary school children, other than knee-jerk responses of some minds faced with something they have absolutely no clue about. I guess for dull minds the easiest response is to reject, if necessary with some forms of violence: because it hurts their heads to allow the light of knowledge shine into gray cells and expand their corseted intellect.

Hence their propensity for proscribing just about anything they cannot wrap their little minds around. Don’t do this, don’t do that. Don’t read this, don’t watch that. And if you ask them, ‘why?’ they tell you not to ask questions because then you’ll go to hell or box your ears. It is hardly surprising that the number of dull-witted people increase with each coming generation. When teachers have little knowledge the pupils feed on barren ground.

The sad thing about people of little knowledge, however, is their tendency to cling on to whatever petty belief system they have and shove it down other people’s throats as if their life depends on them. In a way, I suppose it does. For any sign of doubt or hesitation is tantamount to the end of life as they know it, who they are and what they stand for.

As such the basis of their beliefs is fragile because it is founded not on real faith that is the fruit of wisdom, the pursuit of understanding or the result of self-knowledge. Instead it is based on wilful ignorance, second-hand knowledge and parochialism.

Banning would not only increase the popularity of the film (and boost the sale of pirated DVDs), but elevate the importance of the film to something other than a fun and sensational form of entertainment. It is also a lazy way of dealing with new ideas and a sure recipe for stunting a developing critical faculty.

I dread to think what sort of people incite elementary school children to engage in burning books and DVDs as a show of protest over the showing of a film that they’re most likely too young to comprehend and I shudder to think what sorts of adults those children would grow up into if their taught response to any new ideas is to destroy them like some deadly disease.

Do they really think anything good would come out of their action other than proclaim their pitiful intolerance and narrow-mindedness? If anything it teaches them to legitimise violence and vandalism as an acceptable form of social discourse and mode of expression. And more dangerously, take away their natural curiosity and thirst for knowledge about the world.

It would be a lot more constructive for them and the teachers to make an outing of watching the film together and turn it into an interesting project for class discussion. Perhaps it is also a good opportunity for both teachers and pupils to learn a bit of history and culture, to surf the web for as much information about it and to do a practical criticism or debate on the content and quality of the film itself.

This way they might even have fun and actually use their brains to learn something useful in the process. The two things which, by the way, are rarely found in most of this country’s school-rooms.

(Desi Anwar: First published in The Jakarta Globe)

More Fatwas Please

I’m following with interest the edifying ‘fatwas’ recently issued by our venerable old men of MUI and to be honest, rather disappointed that they did not come up with injunctions that are a lot more relevant, tougher and pertinent to what this country really needs.

Take for example the ‘fatwa’ against smoking. While I fully agree that pregnant women and children should not smoke, there should be a fatwa against men or anyone else for that matter who smoke in front of pregnant women and children with the crime punishable by stoning, while those who smoke in public places should have their index and middle fingers lopped off so they would not be able to repeat their disgusting offence ever again.

Smokers not only pollute our lungs and contribute to global warming not to mention make my clothes smell like an ashtray, but they are evil incarnate and followers of Lucifer who will no doubt adjust very nicely to being roasted in the flames of Inferno.

As to the fatwa on chanting and meditating during yoga, I was hoping for a full ban on the whole exercise altogether along with Pilates, Ballroom Dancing and Karaoke, as my failure to perform any of these activities remotely well have greatly weakened my faith in a just and fair deity. I mean, that Down Dog and Sun Salute are not as easy as the Yoginis make them out to be. And what have I done to possess a singing voice akin to a cat slowly being skinned alive?

Also deserving eternal damnation, along with not voting during election time, is fatwas against aspiring politicians giving empty promises during the campaign period, lying about their wealth, high-school diplomas and how many houses and illegitimate offspring they have as well as sporting bad haircuts, cheesy smiles and singing in public. These sinners must be reminded that Heaven has no place for them, their greasy looks and their god-awful voices.

On top of that I would also suggest a fatwa against public officials for snoring on the job, rambling speeches and incoherent reasoning as these actions form a serious threat to our faith in God and Democracy and deserve nothing less than Purgatorial retribution.

Fortunately if I’m not mistaken there are already fatwas against corruption and watching gossip infotainments on the television. But why stop at the obvious?

One ‘fatwa’ which is long overdue in this country is against people who refuse to queue up and who, feigning ignorance and lack of peripheral vision, insist on pushing their way to the front of the line especially in public toilets. For these troglodytes the fear of hell fire and eternal torture is not enough for them. They should be thrown the lions along with the heretics and apostates.

As a matter of fact, thinking about it, there should be fatwas for all forms of bad manners and uncivilized behaviour in this republic. Foremost that come to mind, other than the inherent inability to stand patiently in line, are: spitting, gobbing and throwing rubbish out of car windows; taking off one’s shoes on airplanes; scratching one’s crotch; burping, chewing with the mouth open, slurping and making other unpleasant noises while eating and drinking.

Other annoying and morally deficit behaviours include staring, eavesdropping, gossiping in high-pitched voices, not saying what one really mean and not minding one’s business as these vices are not only insidious but they are traits inherited directly from that Serpent in The Garden.

And while we’re at it, I really think there should be a fatwa on personal hygiene and cleanliness. After all cleanliness is next to godliness and it’s not for the good of God’s health that this homily refers to. Yes, those MUI wise men should ensure that when their flock leave their respective homes they are free from the evils of body odour, bad breath and dirty fingernails that are sure signs of moral degenerateness and mental corruption.

Finally there really should be a fatwa against pathetic old men who pretend they’re clever, venerated wise men ordained by God but who could only come up with a bunch of the most ridiculous and pointless rulings that is an insult not only to the Almighty but to the intelligence he’s bestowed us with. (@Desi Anwar: First appeared in The Jakarta Globe)