“A man is but the product of his thoughts what he thinks, he becomes.” Mahatma Ghandi.
Casablanca – Morocco’s High Planning Commission recently released a study in which it is stated that 70.3 percent of Moroccan families expect a rise in the number of the unemployed over the next twelve months.
Having learned of the research findings, I almost come to a conclusion that positive thinking has no room in the minds of many Moroccans. In fact, this has been the impression I got from my modest experience resulting from daily contact with my fellow citizens.
Further, this can also be easily detected from the dominant discourse of Moroccans on social networks. It is all about crying over a “bleak” picture of the country, in a virtual world where “Bouzebal” has become a living legend.
I can imagine the psychological state of mind of the young who belong to this huge number of families. Thousands, if not millions, of our young share the same roof with people who have but little faith in their sons and daughters’ capability to get a job. This is as serious as the economic crisis itself.
This lack of faith will certainly have some unpleasant impact on job searchers as they struggle to find a source of income. The aforementioned expectation is likely to be met, but not due to the economy. It is because the thought of unemployment is reinforced in the subconscious of young people’s minds until it becomes a tangible reality, and so it is in the case of many.
Here I recall a story of a boy whose parents used to insult him over slightest misbehavior, calling him “a dog.” He heard the word on daily basis, to the extent that he was about to forget his name. One day, he was astonished that a teacher called him “a dog,” when he misbehaved in the classroom.
The boy wondered, “how is it that the teacher knows my name?” Coming back home, he found a dog lying in a corner. He approached and hugged it. “You are my brother!,” the boy said. And so goes the story of the unemployed and their families.
Families’ lack of faith in the young’s ability to find a job is not an Islamic value, taking into account that Islam is the religion of the absolute majority of Moroccans. It is reported that the prophet Muhammed (P.B.U.H) said, “be optimistic and good shall be found.” Based on this great saying, I would add, “be pessimistic and bad shall be found.”
Thoughts are manifested on the ground. The way one perceives the world is a double-edged sword. The good news is that the choice remains ours. In a sacred Hadith, God said, “I treat my servant in accordance with his opinion of me, so let him have whatever opinion he has.” God is great and he loves us, but to hold a pessimistic view is a form of distrust in his generosity and justice.
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