Nothing Reflects the World´s Failure Better than Somalia

Wednesday, 06 May 2009 SMC 

"The modern urbanised lifestyle is completely illusory" says the young Somali Intellectual Nasr Ibn Othmann; and if Somalia fails, the reason is the corrupting influence of West. I can find no words to express better the Horn of Africa reality. But then, we are all Somalis, and the entire Humanity is one moment before its final collapse and disintegration. This rather pessimistic terms I can turn to an optimistic message: By saving Somalia and by contributing to Somalia´s pacification, reunification and rehabilitation, the Mankind does not in fact help Somalia, but itself.

Preserving the Paradise that Somalia has always been – and was acknowledged as such – the Mankind simply brings to a standstill its own advanced disintegration – the very last moment before falling in the precipice.

However, I wonder who among the corrupt members of an already defunct global system can possibly receive any message, pessimistic or optimistic.

I herewith republish integrally the insightful that shows how far from the down-to-earth reality the present religious, socio-political and economic leaders of Somalia are.

The True Nature of Somali Society and the Corrupting Influence of the Modern Urban Environment

By Nasr Ibn Othmann

http://sommusings.blogspot.com/

There can be no doubt that we live in a dangerous world. There is much to concern us about modern life, at the best of times, not least of which is the idea that our lives are profoundly influenced—more often than not—by mass-media inspired ideals. Modern human life has become so complex, in some parts of the world, that the general health of some people is greatly influenced by the enormous demands of the modern urban environment. It is often said that most of the people on the planet Earth shall, very soon, be living in a metropolitan environment. If, as I suspect, this is indeed the case, can we—as apparently rational beings—live comfortably with such a disturbing idea?

To my mind, a great deal of the modern urbanised lifestyle is completely illusory. The great cities of the world can only exist if there is a supply of crude oil available to the human race. Indeed, we would never be able to feed the human race adequately, now that the human population is greater than 6 billion individuals, if it were not for the great availability of Phosphates, Nitrates, and Pesticides derived from the crude oil of this world. This is a remarkable fact in itself, but we must remember the fact that nothing about the human condition has prepared us for a life lived within the limits of the urban environment.

Neither the psychological nor biological needs of the human condition are ever adequately satisfied when people find themselves living within the typically restrictive modern urban environment. No matter where one travels to in this world, the situation, inside a city, is often the same. One typically finds an environment where too many people are chasing too few jobs. In relative terms, some people are certainly better off than others, yet no single individual can ever claim to be genuinely free from the basic demands of modern city life. When one thinks about the demands of the modern urban lifestyle, for a short while, one is bound to confront the uncomfortable truth that urban environment is a genuinely dangerous place.

The modern urban environment is dangerous because it is built upon a foundation of inequity. In order for a city to thrive, by definition, the people of that city must be divided into a society of advantaged people and disadvantaged people. Social differentiation is the universal hallmark of modern urban living. The modern urban environment is, quite simply, and rather tragically, a kudos driven social phenomenon. For most individuals, living in the modern urban environment, the implicit concept of gaining kudos within society—by succeeding inside a city—has become all important. The concept of kudos is certainly very important in the great cities of the Western world, where fame and celebrity have developed into powerful social forces in their own right.

The modern urban experience seems to have become the central pillar of human civilisation during the past 100 years. We, as the human race, no longer value nature the way it ought to be valued. We seem to have forgotten that nature—in all of its glory—is very safety net that subsidises the modern urban experience that we all find so familiar today. We pay scant attention to the fact that currently the human race, and our poisonous obsession with mindless consumerism, is directly causing the extinction of no less than 500 discrete species of flora and fauna each week. What can inspire such irresponsible practices? And how have we, the human race, apparently failed to learn from all of the accumulated wisdom of the ages?

It is my suspicion that a warped sense of urban idealism has greatly influenced the apparent moral decline we now see in all centres of modern urban life. The phenomenon of misplaced aspirations is very common amongst the legions of deprived youths who inhabit the great cities of today. Such young people aspire to have fast money, and all of the associated trappings of the ephemeral currents of modern consumerism. Urban crime, in many instances, is not only tolerated, but it is positively glorified—by certain sub-sections within the urban community—if the phenomenon can directly provide the urban youth with all that they desire. The concept of fast and easy money represents the death of social cohesion in the urban context. It can come as no surprise that the city is home to both the billionaire financial swindler and the impoverished common purse snatcher. Therefore, the modern city has certainly become both a place of fear and a breeding ground for social unrest.

In recent times, man has begun to champion the environment, and I am certainly glad that some of us are unable to accept the idea that the earth can be treated with disrespect for infinitely long period of time. Clearly, this is not the case, and the destruction of the natural safety net of life—the environment in which we find ourselves—must be treated with respect. However—as obvious as this may seem to most of us—the idea of treating the earth with respect is far from the minds of some. In some corners of the world, the concept of commercial profit has transformed otherwise normal human beings into beasts of profit. And, in the pursuit of pure profits, such people will stop at nothing. This obsession is the prime motive for all human economic speculation. Profit is the motive behind the construction of all steel and concrete monstrosities found inside the urban environment. Profit is the motive behind the poisoned soils of the landfill sites of northern Europe. Profit is at the root of all urban corruption, and white collar crimes. The lustful and destructive pursuit of profit is so powerful that it enables, with consummate ease, any flawed logic to triumph over the truth.

In light of the inherent dangers of the so-called developed—and modern—urban environment, what could be more ridiculous than the idea of remaking Somalia in the image of the densely populated urban world? In an age where both humans and dangerous viral pathogens can spread easily within the confines of the urban environment, can it be wise to introduce both foreign troops and foreign ideals to the Somali national territory? The folly of some—like the apparently mindless insistence of President Sharif Ahmed to maintain foreign soldiers, in Mogadishu, in order to serve the interests of a sedentary world that has no respect for the ancient customs and the rich heritage of the Somali people—cannot be permitted to overwhelm all that is good about the uniquely pure Somali culture. There must come a time when genuine political leadership is provided for the benefit of the Somali people. Honest and sober leadership in Somalia, by definition, is conservative in nature. This has been the case throughout the entire history of the Somali people, and I am quite confident that this shall prove to be the case in the future. Somali national politics must develop into a viable concern before it is too late. The likes of President Sharif Ahmed, and the bankrupt transitional federal government of Somalia cannot be considered a viable alternative to the corrupting influences of the modern—and globalised—urban environment.

Source: American chronicle

Somaliweyn Media Center “SMC”

Somaliweyn Media Center (SMC)
Muqdisho Somalia

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