Loneliness & Islamic Conversions and Woke Agenda
They are all connected! Let me explain.
The conversion efforts by Islamic radicals and woke ideologists seem remarkably successful. I believe one primary cause driving young people, primarily girls, into these cults is loneliness.
Children do not make genuine connections these days.
Many modern societies are increasingly becoming isolated. There are no connections or sense of community.
The connections within the family are breaking down. Broken marriages, long commutes, 24x7 work pressures and incredible time demands of work take a toll. My parent’s generation put their health and well-being on the back burner to meet these demands. The connections with grandparents and extended family have become rarer.
The connections outside the families are breaking down too. Kids change schools, change schoolmates and teachers, so often, there is hardly any permanent anchor in kids’ lives outside of their immediate family. There are no mentors, guides or trusted elders any more.
These are putting extra strain on fragile young minds. The device-driven upbringing is also partly to blame. There is a lack of connection and relationships between kids and other members of their society. The young become lonely. They are starved of love - parental love, friendship, mentor’s love and responsibilities. They feel they are not seen - that they are invisible.
It used to be said; it takes a village to raise a child. That village is missing.
The young crave connection and community!
Community is not just some good-to-have thing; it gives the young some definitive advantages:
Community gives people a sense of physical, mental and psychological security.
The connections give young people access to advice, knowledge and role models.
This access builds a value system, work ethic and sense of social responsibility.
In times of emergency, the young can access financial, political, manpower or even moral support.
A community notices you simply because you exist, even when you do nothing. You do not have to put on an act to get noticed.
Sometimes community allows you to discover your purpose. And this is the best gift a young person can get.
Islam, Wokism both offer community
Islam intends to be one global community. The same goes for Wokism. And this is not an empty promise. At every stage of the conversion process, you find guides, friends, cheerleaders, and role models. They offer emotional and moral support. The recruits are awed by the stark difference between a supportive potential community vs the loneliness they so desperately want to leave behind.
The church is a values-based idea to organise a community. But in the West, Christians are no longer attached to communities. Christian missionaries emphasise the importance and power of community as an enticement for conversion, particularly financial support to poor Indian tribes.
I wonder…
Are we too individualistic that we have shunned community and connections? I recently watched an HGTV program where a couple was looking for a house. The guy said I want X, and I want Y. The girl said she wanted A and B. My son was wondering if they are looking to live together or separately. There was no “WE” in their project. Have we become so individualistic that we cannot cohabitate with our spouse?
What is the way forward?
It is disheartening that community and connections, some very desirable traits, are being used by those who want to break society.
I find people talking about being “old-fashioned”. There is a movement in the US towards Christian conservative family values. But I do not find debates and discussions about how to move forward.
For starters, we can have some more free time. Maybe we can have 24x7 safe community centres where people can hang out and meet each other without booking slots and buying tickets. I know we can redesign work, maybe redesign family and communities too. Maybe I dream too much.
Thinking Aloud! (My secret note for those who read till the end!)
Is it just me, or are you worried too? About breaking down of our communities and lack of connections? I find boys are not around men often. Or girls are not around women often. I have sometimes wondered if I should create a men-only hang-out space and a complementary women-only space.
What do you think?
Rahul, what you describe, from my perspective, is the program of modernity. It requires two things. One is a belief in the superiority of the individual over traditional social institutions. Of course, with that atomistic individuality comes alienation and the loss of meaning. Consumerism with its meaning being based in social status doesn't provide a way to create a workable society. The other thing is the drive to create a global culture with a moral, social, economic, and governmental authoritarian structures. Globalistic modernity, in this sense, is a religion. It provides a basis for belief, woke ideology, and a mission to fulfill, destruction of the former world. Because it is a belief system based on envy, it can never bring about personal peace or global unity. While it is certainly destructive, it is also unsustainable. The question is what do we do when this system fails and collapses?