Alienation and Superstitions

Alienation: Dr. Sharyati has given a fine example of alienation in one of his articles: He mentioned Charlie Chaplin's movie "modern times", in which the tramp changed from a human being who was capable of feeling, expressing emotions and being human to a factory worker whose job was just to screw nuts. In the movie, the tramp lost himself, and that is what alienation means.

Religious alienation: "is nearly the most common of all forms of alienation. For by putting forth clearly defined moral rules that often conflict heavily with natural human instincts, religion tends to guarantee that those who follow their gut instincts become sinners and thus alienated. The majority of people in a religion were socialized as children in it, and this is a clear case of involuntary exclusivity. The socialization process in regards to religion reaches to such a deep extent of the human psyche that years after deviating from the most rational people still feel as though they are sinners, deep down."(Alienation definition by Alexander Chapman and Leoy Chan)

I believe religious alienation is exactly what some of our people are suffering from. This alienation prevents them from seeing the truth, and unfortunately, there are some people who are benefiting from this. Prison does not have to be a confined place. This is a prison in its worst kind." A prison that you cannot smell, taste or touch, a prison for your mind."(The Matrix)

So you see, our problem is much bigger than what it looks like. Is anyone surprised that some people believe in some silly superstitions? As long as this problem exists, not much is going to change.

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AN: This is a reply to Mr. Naghipoor's nice article "more superstitions".

Responsibility

I'm scared these days.

The Election Day is getting closer and closer.

Some are defending the candidates they want to vote for, some others are bashing the other candidates, and there are some who prefer to sit in the back seat and do nothing at all.

I feel like I am stuck in the middle. I try to keep an open mind. I try to consider every aspect before making a decision, but it is easier said than done.

The biggest problem is that I do not know how to get to know the candidates. Frankly, I do not trust what people say. It is worse when it comes to newspapers and the media. I get so frustrated sometimes. Why does politics have to be so complicated?

And I am scared. I am afraid that I might make the wrong choice. I know it sounds silly. It is just one vote after all, but it is all I can do for my country at the moment, and making a wrong choice sounds like betraying my people to me.

Voting is a big responsibility, isn't it?