The Waste Land

It’s interesting how some writers and journalists capitalize on sectarian tensions in the country (and I assume it’s the same in other countries at least in this region) spreading their venom tearing down the country for the sake of their own political agendas. And yet rarely will anyone call them on the nonsense they publish under the name of free speech. 

Surely if such people are allowed to write, others have the right to respond. It is increasingly tiresome to read the same old historical arguments that are not even relevant to current times.

Whenever I encounter something of this nature, it reminds me of the poem by T. S. Eliot called The Waste Land, and I start to wonder, for how long will people continue to dig in the waste lands of history, recalling the worst that have or haven’t happened, clinging to outdated things that separate people, imagining conspiracy theories and thinking the world is conspiring against them and against their religion or sect?

It’s very egotistical to think people have nothing better to do other than conspire against you or that every little move is about you and is a part of a master plan. In other words: Seriously, get over yourself!

Some writers and newspapers used to balance the score between the different ideologies and extremes, unfortunately they either gave up or got dragged to one side or the other and for now, we’re left with the extremes. I wonder how long will moderate voices remain silent? How long will they remain so dispersed that no one is able to hear them behind the screams of extremism ?

Do we need a major catastrophe to wake us up ? Do we need to suffer the waste land Eliot talked about ?

Many people are digging in history for whatever reason suits or motivates them, unfortunately few are learning from what they see in there because history is repeating itself!

A wise man said: “History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.”

I wonder if I should laugh.