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Mohammad Farooq

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Mohammad Farooq

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The Merchants of Death

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Posted by Mohammad Farooq in Opinion

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Coronavirus, Covid-19, Exploitation, Feelings, Health, Life, Opinion, Pakistan

In a world stricken by a pandemic that has left millions sick, displaced and dead, life has become a conundrum. As the vacillation between life and death continues, the clock keeps ticking as the merchants of death fleece and exploit desperate families looking to save their loved ones.

It is ironic that life and death have always remained a tradeable commodity since the proliferation of healthcare services and hospitals. Due to this pandemic, the sham we have believed ourselves to be living in the guise of the citadel of faith is all illusionary. Deep within, despite all the faith and belief, we advocate, human avarice remains a distinct reality that we cannot avoid.

We always talk about optimism and hope, to remain positive and have faith in the divine but for what? As people struck by the virus end up hospitalized fighting with life and death, those at the forefront of this battle, doctors, nurses, ward boys and all other medical staff who are putting their lives in danger.

It is heart-wrenching to see the family of patients running from pillar to post to arrange life-saving medications and injections to save their lives. This is where the merchants of death masked as the saviours of humanity appear with a magic wand promising the availability of all those medications those families are seeking. They act angelic in the disguise of a devil hoping to deliver life in exchange for tons of cash to line their pockets.

Hoarding and black marketing have existed since aeons, there is no doubt about it. However, these merchants of death have no qualms in exploiting the desperation and misery of those families by which they would somehow be able to save the life of their loved ones.They wield influence and power and are the fortune holders who hold the elixir of life for those patients who need those life-saving medications or injections for their very survival.

Everything sells, the desperation of families compels them to go to any length to act and do anything they can. In such situations, morality or ethics get thrown out of the window, humanity in its very essence becomes folklore. We talk about deeds, goodness, kindness and empathy but amid this pandemic that has swept away everyone across the globe all these aforementioned things are just mere formalities. There is not an instant where humans will not resort to such practices and try to make the most out of such situations.

The sadistic tendencies of such souls are not surprising. They possess no fear of life or death, their greed fuels their desire and lust for money. Life is like a pendulum; it must stop swinging at some point in time. Life and death indeed are the domain of the divine and us mere mortals can just cease to exist at a snap. However, such things do not instil fear in the merchants of death, but such individuals are soulless and beyond reasoning. Even at the risk of being eternally damned, they would much akin to the Pharaohs of Egypt take their earthly belongings with them to the next world.

How ironic that these merchants of death are not only prosperous but are able to live and sleep peacefully in the wake of this exploitation. For them, life and death are like a roulette table where they keep gambling till they win or lose. But in existential circumstances, they are the ones who hold total command and control which allows them to execute their victory in whatever direction they deem feasible. Opportunities have arisen in the most unlikely of circumstances and the merchants of death have been activated to enrich themselves.

As convoluted, it may seem, but the only way to thrive in the real world, the world of sin is to be a ruthless sinner than your enemy. This is the mantra followed by the merchants of death, who defy all decencies to act in this in manner. They are no less than auctioneers who would sell anything to the highest bidder without having an inch of remorse or shame. Their actions as pretentious they seem are borne out of desperation to maximize exploitation and miseries of others.

As for those in agony and facing death at the hands of this pandemic, prayers are the only solace for families to hope God provides a miracle. As for the merchants of death, their business will thrive irrespective of the situation, their sins and road to perdition will be for God to decide.

Demons of Depression

25 Sunday Sep 2016

Posted by Mohammad Farooq in Depression, Disorders, General, Health, Life, Psychological Issues

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Depression, Disclosures, Disorders, Facts, Health, Life, Mental Torture, Musings, Personality Trait, Psychological Issues

Depression is realistic, annihilating and oppressive. In a society like ours, it has mostly been considered a mentally terminal disease or something that has been linked to madness. The apparent state of denial in regards to it’s existence, is appalling to say the least. The impact of it is as devastating and bound to leave the person in a state of vulnerability as any physical injury would. The irony is external wounds can get healed with the passage of time, but the internal mental discords can cause miseries abound which are unquantifiable. It confines those suffering from it into deep pits of anarchy and delusion, where hope doesn’t tend to reside anymore. The fallacy of depression is complex and unmistakable in context of the indelible impact it leaves.

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For me, it is difficult to be describing it all and what have I got to do with all this, is a question which I intend to address now. Sometimes, admittance of an issue can help you alleviate your painful occurrences to a great extent. For me, the journey of dealing with partial depression, anxiety and panic stricken disorders has been a difficult one. The point is to share my experiences, not to gain a wave of sympathy and empathy of anyone. There are millions out there, who are far worse than me in terms of depression and other disorders mentioned above, which I am fully aware off. I have been culpable all these years, diagnosis of Rheumatoid arthritis in early 2011 led me astray to the devastation of self-ruin, negativity and persistent bouts of unfettered/unwanted anger along with rage driven incidents with family members became a provocation. I do rue my actions, no doubt but in the heat of the moment the element of self-control has never been there when I needed it. The awareness of it, had always been there and still exists. A lot has to be linked to my own failures, that have overshadowed and ensured that the process of overthinking continues unabated. The inner conflict, laced with a tinge of self-induced doubts and lack of belief has embroiled me into a state of utter confusion. Now, this is something that has defined my existence since evolving from my early childhood to my adolescence. The robustness in decision making, that is something normal for others has always remained elusive to me. The feeling of being unwanted and a state of helplessness/hopelessness always tended to besiege me, never understanding the actual reasons behind it. As I reminisce about my past now, especially the turbulent period of my school life spent from Grade 6th to A-Levels, was a mix of ending up being bullied by fellow students, my regressive and volatile tendency to over-react to certain situations courtesy being of serious nature didn’t also help my cause.

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After starting my ACCA in 2003 and before it as well, I had never been a friendly and outgoing kind of a person. I never found fancy in venturing out like boys my age did, enjoying themselves thoroughly and living the life to the fullest as it is supposed to be. I found it to be a waste of time and pointless, to say the least. This was the time, when I started getting “internalized” into a parallel existence of virtual life, courtesy of the internet and computer opening up avenues that had never been available to any of our predecessors. I took an instant liking to it, submerging quickly and disintegrating into the charms of this enchanted world as per my supposed imagination. In hindsight, one thing that I was fully aware off, were the negative connotations associated with it very early on. But, as they say addiction gets the better of you and I knowingly got subdued by the “charms” the internet offered irrespective of the fact that it was nothing but an illusion or fantasy. Slowly and steadily, the process of addiction became dangerous to the point, I spent all nights using the computer, communicating with virtual personalities spanning across the globe on mIRC, an internet relay chat service that predated MSN Messenger, AOL, ICQ etc. I was always on the lookout for downloading software/games, a favorite past-time of any youngster in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. My friendship was with my computer only, an absence of any human relationship was indeed something very rare in my life during that period. My restlessness, a lack of concentration issues coupled with bouts of anger became more evident as time passed by, never paying any significant heed to it. Besides me going for my ACCA classes and the limited interaction I had there was my only way of remaining connected with humanity. Pessimism had always been a part of my system, irrespective of how good things may have been happening around me, I would find a flaw in always negating it and still do. Mood swings have been prevalent since my adolescence, along with persistent irritability that has plagued me since ages. This has culminated in me behaving provocatively mostly, undeniably the potency of its toxicity is undeniable on my part. The persistent leveraging of this sort of behavior, has left me in the lurch mostly, seeking solitude in distancing myself as much I can. It’s inexplicable to say the least, but the feeling of protracted helplessness in this state can be devastating for any individual who suffers from it.

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Also, the element of ranting and riling about my pain has indeed been a bane of my existence. Probably, I have indulged in too much self-governance and ridiculing simultaneously, that it has hampered my development to a point where the feeling of being redundant has become a very realistic nightmare. To the contrary, there is no doubt that I am one of those lucky people who have the benefits of a decently luxurious lifestyle and comfort, which is not affordable to the majority out there. The emotional outburst of tears on a random basis and vulnerability episodes associated with depression are something which I have never been able to understand myself. I am not qualified enough in any given regard, but my personal experiences battling partial depression, panic & anxiety driven disorders has taught me that all of us seek is to be understood and treated in a transparent manner. For at least thirteen years, I have encountered persistent issues of sleep deprivation and insomnia that has hampered my energy levels, made me lethargic and I won’t deny the use of various tranquilizers. I have never indulged in outright abuse of using sleep inducing medications, but the urge has always overcome my conscience in some way or the other. Besides, the side effects of these kind of medications over a long period of time can have due repercussions depending on how it ends up being administered. In all these episodes of partial depression, anxiety and panic disorders I have experienced, the only positive thing is my persistence in fighting it and staying alive. In all these years, the element of self-harm has never been evident, which I am glad about actually. I only appeal to those out there battling the demons of depression to remain steadfast and the ones around them NEED to understand and support at all costs.

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Image Credits: Pinterest, EverydayHealth 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Me

Mohammad Farooq

Mohammad Farooq

Busines Journalist and ex-Senior Sub-Editor at Profit by Pakistan Today. Bylines in Dawn, Livemint India, Huffington Post, Express Tribune, MIT Techreview Pakistan,IGN Pakistan, . Interested in Technology affairs, history buff and Part qualified accountant.

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A lot has been going on…

  • My Angelic Grandmother December 14, 2021
  • A man for all seasons: Shahid Jalal August 19, 2020
  • The Merchants of Death June 18, 2020
  • The renaissance of reading books again September 25, 2019
  • Privilege is abusive July 31, 2019

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