Society – The Whole Spectrum

Christopher McCandless: Society, man! You know, society! Cause, you know what I don’t understand? I don’t understand why people, why every friggin’ person is so bad to each other so friggin’ often. It doesn’t make sense to me. Judgment. Control. All that, the whole spectrum. Well, it just…

Wayne Westerberg: What ‘people’ we talking about?

Christopher McCandless: You know, parents, hypocrites, politicians, pricks.

Wayne Westerberg: [taps Chris’ head] This is a mistake. It’s a mistake to get too deep into all that kind of stuff. Alex, you’re a hell of a young guy, a hell of a young guy. But I promise you this. You’re a young guy! Can’t be juggling blood and fire all the time!

– Into The Wild [2007]

When I was a child, my teacher taught me the difference between black and white. Playing with my siblings, I learnt how unlike blood and water are. In school, I saw gender forming the basis for judgment. A few more years, and I was aware of the divisions of Sindhi, Punjabi, Muhajir, Baloch and Pathan. What was once just a color, now defined men! Blood felt thicker and human beings apparently had types. I learnt that borders are made to keep aliens out and in the history class, we were reminded of how we had defended the lives of our countrymen by taking the lives of others.

Time passed by and I made several friends; some Shia, others Sunni, and a few Bohris. Religion morphed into sects, and its meaning changed from ultimate submission to One Lord to inviting regular arguments against friends and strangers. Faith and belief turned to superficiality and hatred, and I, being the impressionable child that I was, went with the flow.

Soon, I turned eighteen, and I was made aware of my duty to vote. But who for? I only saw scandalous politicians, atrocious murderers and greedy diplomats all around! The spirit which, once upon a time, had sparked the formation of a whole new country was barely alive, no longer burning in the hearts or souls of the nation, but as a mere memory, or to some, even as a regret.

I kept learning new words, and ‘society’ was amongst them. I got confused. The dictionary defined it as ‘mankind as a whole’, but in all my years, I had never come across such a bogus myth! Wherever I looked, it was ‘every man for himself’. Weird, I thought. Maybe I wasn’t looking hard enough. As I wondered where this society exists in our world, my gaze hovered over the clock. Two needles; one short, the other long. I shook my head. Too much philosophy for the day. I had some studying to do. With exams just around the corner, this series of unfortunate events didn’t seem to be too important. So what if the television relayed my city was on fire. I, and my family, was safe. Sure, there had been a few casualties but that is rather customary nowadays, isn’t it?

‘Mankind as a whole’. I giggled. ‘This is reality, my dear, not some Disney fantasy’, said the voices inside my head. Survival of the fittest, as they call it. Masculinity, power, discrimination and treachery are the virtues of men today. Morality, vision, faith and love are long forgotten. Perhaps that’s what society actually means. The dictionary talks stupid. Yes, that’s it! I am right, for I can in no way be wrong. That’s what I have been taught. A white globe does not exist!