Page 106 - The Religion Of The Ignorant

THE RELIGION OF THE IGNORANT

able to show off and to strike a good deal in the bargain. The bride
and groom are tired and stressed. The ceremony of moving from
table to table, kissing or shaking hands is now performed.
Everyone's eyes are on the couple, who must behave with the great-
est care.
Just about everyone at a wedding of the kind described above
has similar goals in mind: showing off to others, material calcula-
tions and far from sincere behavior requiring everyone's eyes to be
on them. Yet very few think about Allah. None of them think of free-
ing themselves from their preoccupations and remembering Allah,
or giving thanks to Him. They do not consider whether their actions
will meet with His approval. They are unaware that the money they
have spent unnecessarily may be a waste.
The classic attitudes and behavior that Ignorantist society dis-
plays at the wedding of a standard-level individual depict their psy-
chology. Of course, some get married in a very different mindset
and environment. Various segments of society may have different
attitudes towards introductions, preparations for marriage and the
ceremonies themselves. Some people meet through the auspices of
intermediaries or their families, and others meet their future
spouses at university, at work, or through friends. Some marry at
ordinary special-purpose halls, while other weddings are held at
five-star hotels and are much more showy and magnificent. Some
people adopt a more classical and traditional style, and others a
more modern European one. To attract attention, some people are
careful to do very different and original things.
Yet it's only the location, the décor or the way the couple meets
that changes. The important point is that in the society of the igno-
rant, marriage is practiced with a most distorted logic. Marriage is
not the formal joining of two people who love and respect one an-

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