The Natural Interests of the Human Being
Since the dawn of history, human life—both individually and socially—has always been a mixture of various interests: seriousness and jest, play and music, grief and humor, labor and amusement. In other words, it is a blend of trivial and meaningful pursuits.
Despite the diversity of these interests, the dominant feature of human life remains seriousness, productivity, and purposeful work. It is only natural that a person might indulge in trivial activities occasionally, as long as they remain on a path characterized by duty, responsibility, and meaningful engagement.
Therefore, if you encounter today an individual—or an entire system—that seeks to tamper with this natural order by promoting triviality over value, jest over earnestness, and a lifestyle saturated with entertainment, sports, singing, and play over one of discipline, learning, and productivity, then you have every reason to question their intentions.
Such a person is not merely wasting time on their own; they are actively attempting to spread this culture of distraction. This points toward a hidden agenda with malevolent implications.
Ibn Khaldun, speaking of the rulers of kingdoms, observed:
“If they grow accustomed to ease and comfort, it becomes second nature. Their children are raised amidst luxury and indulgence, abandoning the habits through which their ancestors maintained power—harshness, toughness, endurance, and mastery of the wild. Their might weakens, their strength fades, and the state declines as it dons the garments of senility.
They continue to indulge in the customs of luxury and refinement in all their affairs, becoming immersed in softness, forgetting the bravery through which protection and defense were once possible—until they become dependents on others for their own protection.
When decadence and ease strike a state in such a way, the ruler may resort to choosing supporters from outside his people, individuals hardened by hardship and more capable of bearing the rigors of war.”
I say that most of our Arab countries have suffered from this aging decay for many years. Their continued existence is not due to vitality but to a thin string held by the hidden Western circus master. He animates his puppets on stage before the audience, but should that string snap, the lifeless dolls would collapse onto the floorboards.
The Media of Trivial Interests
Whenever I cast a contemplative eye on the state of our era, I am seized by unease and suspicion.
Massive satellite networks, global television programs, festivals, media outlets, fashion houses, writers, celebrities, and advertisements—all seem to call upon us to embrace jest, amusement, indulgence, and distraction. They invite us to obsess over superficialities, optional luxuries, and empty pursuits, and to live our lives accordingly.
Take, for example, some of the most widely broadcast Arab channels like MBC, LBC, Rotana, and others. Their daily programming might include: an interview with an actress, a game show, a meaningless drama, sports, cartoons, a dance segment, funny clips, a talk show about why girls like certain boys, a cooking show… and so on.
Are these really the deepest concerns of the Arab viewer? Are these trivialities and laughable topics the full extent of their intellectual appetite?
I might understand this type of entertainment in a country that ranks among the top globally in all areas of advancement and development. In such a case, these channels could serve as a well-earned reward for a society that has excelled and produced. But to broadcast such content to nations still crawling toward basic achievements in industry, medicine, education, development, human rights, and civilization itself—this is cause for alarm.
I can, to some extent, understand the motivations of a merchant who plays on primal human instincts to market his products, profit from laughter, and capitalize on people’s craving for pleasure.
But I fail to understand how an intellectual, writer, politician, or policymaker could consciously promote such hypnotic distraction.
The Politics of Trivial Interests
There is little doubt that many Arab regimes intentionally deploy this distraction as a strategy to sedate their populations and divert them from existential concerns—freedom, democracy, and independence from global powers. Whether this conspiracy is enforced externally or enacted willingly from within, its consequence is the same: they say afterward, “The Arab people are not ready for democracy.”
Thus, one of Muammar Gaddafi’s first pieces of advice to his people during the revolution was: “Dance, sing, be joyful.” As if to say: Return to your previous stupor and leave the matters of rule and politics to me alone. Please, do not awaken.
Alienation in the Age of Trivial Interests
This collective redirection of entire societies—to spend their lives absorbed in fashion brands, celebrity gossip, the lives of dancers and entertainers, the latest global food trends and ice cream flavors, mobile apps, and sports games—is executed through television programs, festivals, celebrity social media, and modern mass media.
As a result, the average moderate person now appears, by comparison, to be unusually conservative.
At times, being labeled merely “conservative” is not enough—one is further branded as backward, regressive, extremist, even Daesh-like, out of step with public taste, popular opinion, and political correctness.
It is as if there are only two options: either submit to this daily tide of frivolity and simplification, or join the ranks of extremists who sever heads in the name of religion.
But what about the moral middle ground? What about a natural, healthy life where a person sensibly balances earnestness with lightness?
Because this deluge of entertainment that seeks to turn us into animated dolls is, by no means, a healthy or human condition.
