Reality and illusion
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When the Pharoah challenged Prophet Moses (AS) to a contest of power with his best magicians Allah actually revealed to humanity the reality of deception and the fallibility of human vision and perception.
He assured Moses (AS):
(20:68) We said to him: "Have no fear; for it is you who will prevail.
(20:69) And throw down what is in your right hand; it will swallow up all that they have wrought. They have wrought only a magician's stratagem. A magician cannot come to any good, come whence he may.”
In the dicipline of psychology there is a phenemenon labelled as the “phi phenomenon” or simply put a visual closure. It explains the natural response of human vision to a visual stimuli. The response lasts longer than the stimulus thus extending the actual experience. The co ordinated movment of lights on a dance floor or the continuous flicker of bulbs in a string of decoration lights often gives us this illusion of movement. This phenemnon adheres to the formula that the sum of the whole is more than the parts(Gestalt school of thought 1912).
This simple neural response of our brain to visual stimuli was capitalised upon with the advent of motion pictures. Our century has seen an unprecedented leap in the industry of special visual effects and hollography (3d to 8d). So much so that such expreinces are now on sale in 8D amusment parks at vacationing spots around the world.
The magicians competeing with Moses (AS) created a visual deception but Allah taught Moses to hold on tight to the truth and fight it with the truth. Teaching all of us that the truth will shape the boundaries of our reality. As soon as the reality of our boundaries dawns upon us we are enabled to understand the truth.
There has been a rise in supposedly independent media with the increase in social media platforms. Most of these independent analysts use the same mudslinging tactics they crticise. As soon as a news is out. These independent analysts start flickering one by one with an amazing harmony and synchrosinisation and within no time an audio visual deception of a magnitude so great is created that by the time it subsides and the truth revealed another deceptive wave has started its journey. This local trend is not a mere coincidence but a part of a bigger information war going on around the globe where these independent platforms are claiming a voice. The seemingly independent nature of these voices becomes extremely doubtful when the pattern which emerges ultimately is of the same divisive 'us' vs 'them' nature. Feeding more to a destructive authoritarian narrative than a peaceful democratic one.
If the press and the government is serious in discussing press freedom and regulating the laws pertaining to media it has to choose the truth. The truthful path of education and democratic freedom. Using oppressive propoganda tactics to win over popular sentiment will not benifit the ruling party for long. The very same people now being used to sling mud on the opposition will do the same to their own people whenever they get a chance because those who are not aware of their own boundaries will never be enabled to reach the truth.
Saima Sher Fazal
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