I spend most of my time within the confines of my dusty, dimly lit flat. It's not that I have some sort of phobia about the outside world, but the minute I step out, my supposed mental issues become more apparent to me in relation with everyone else. And what's worse, I feel like everyone around me immediately knows this without even speaking to me, complete strangers throw looks and glares that give me the impression I'm walking around in a big yellow chicken costume. When I'm home, I'm in the company of my records, films, books; and all of them reassure me that I am not alone in my bizarre state of mind. And fluffy is here too now, which makes it all the better.
Yet on one of those few times that I had to leave my abode, riding back home down the 6 th of October bridge (off topic, but isn't it odd how many roads and bridges in Egypt are named after wars or arms-dealers? That can't be good...) in a black and white Taxi that smelled of pee and horniness, I saw something that had my mind frantically shifting gears for the whole week ahead; a billboard. No, I'm not about to launch another assault on the advertising industry, the problem I had was with the person in the ad, it was Amr Waked, a young 'revolutionary' actor who appeared in the pages of this very same magazine and was talking about the 'underground' spirit and what not. And there he was, 20 meters high holding a can of Coca Cola and grinning sheepishly, leading me to immediately imagine a speech bubble coming out of his mouth saying "That's right, I sold out."
As trivial a point as it may seem to you, this got me thinking about the concept of honesty, and the absurd lack of it in this world we live in. Now obviously this example of a trusted celebrity getting a bundle just for appearing to like a product and increasing its sales isn't the worst thing in the world. In fact, I'm sure his argument is that he must do things like this to support future underground projects, which is a very valid argument. But the issue in my mind is not the validity of his action, but the dishonesty involved. It leads me to question the impact of a dishonest civilization on the future of that civilization. Politicians, celebrities, corporations, education; all these lie for a reason, but end up surrounding us with dishonesty nonetheless.
"You see that guy, can you believe that he's selling out like that?" I asked the driver in my best Egyptian street accent, pointing up at the billboard. "Who? Amr Waked? Very good actor" he boasted, giving me a big thumbs up. "Yes, yes, but do you think he really likes coke? Don't you think he is being dishonest?" He gave me a long look, trying to decipher what I was saying and eventually replied "No, how do you mean? He is a good actor and Coke is a good drink, that's it" then continued with a confrontational glare, as if to slam his point home. I shrink in my seat and regret speaking. Chicken costume, Chicken Costume, Chicken Costume.
The way I see it, the fact that people lose trust for one another after discovering dishonesty is the least of the problems, the real issue arises from the very fact that we have been misleading each other for long periods, which causes what we have now; a fake world. If I don't really know what you think of me, I can't change the thing that upset you or choose not to be friends with someone like you altogether. If the politicians do not tell us what they really have planned, then all the things they promised us if we support them won't happen. If I don't admit that I have a drinking problem I will die of liver failure. Dishonesty applies to personal relationship, society (in the form of government) and dishonesty to oneself. These three manifestations will end us, because basically, if we don't really know where we are then there's no way to move forward.
After picking up another passenger along the way, he turns the knob on the ancient tape player and a Koran recitation fills the car. "Are you fasting today, brothers?" he asks as he eyes a girl passing in front of us. "Thank Allah, yes" chimes the young, well groomed passenger in the back. "What about you?" he asks me. "No, I'm not. And could you please turn that down a little?" He pauses and then completely ignores my request by asking "why don't you fast?" It really amazes me how people don't understand that this is a highly personal question, especially for a first encounter. If I asked him something like "So how's your wife in bed?" it would not be taken well, would it? I hesitate for a while, arguing with myself about telling a lie just this once to escape an already stifling car ride, but I eventually give in to my own terminal honesty. "I don't fast because I don't believe in God." If looks could kill I would be...well, dead. I hear him mutter something and try to ignore a few mentions of my mother and grandmother as my costume gets bigger and more yellow. Aside from the fact that there is dishonesty everywhere, there is also a surprisingly low tolerance for honesty these days.
For a second, I ponder if, in fact, we need dishonesty to control the masses, whether it's in the form of dogmatic 'religion' (Marx's Opium of the People), 'government' (the illusion of democracy), or just assuring them that if they have the latest cell phone they are better people. Yet why do we draw such distinctions between the few fortunate ones and the 'masses'? All scientific research points to the fact that they share very similar DNA to us...So the only difference must be education, but as someone who has gone through various educational systems around the world, I can tell you that they are all highly flawed, biased, and incredibly dishonest. Then again, if the people who can fix education are the least ones to benefit from an enlightened population that rejects their lies and superficial capitalist system, things are pretty much doomed to remain the same.
After what seemed like eons of uncomfortable silence he finally drops me at my destination. I hand him the agreed upon amount and he looks at it as if I just handed him fake plastic dog poo. "I want 10 pounds more; the road was more crowded than I thought it would be" he sternly declared. I smiled and handed the extra money to the dishonest bastard. "How delightfully relevant" I thought as I walked up to the flat in my big yellow chicken costume.
