Article appeared Friday, January 10th, 2014 in The News Today, Bangladesh

The Revelation !10"

yousu# $ah%u%ul &sla$, 'h(

)an the art o# deceiving people %e developed into a science* &ndeed, a strange +uestion to as,There could %e $any +uestions that one $ay as, in return to understand the +uestion itsel#. For e/a$ple, what deception is, why one should want to deceive others, how deceiving can %eco$e a science or worse, why one should want to develop how to deceive people into a science* To co$plete the set, one $ay as, a #urther +uestion. &s it possi%le to deceive the hu$an $ind* 0ow- 1uite a $outh#ul o# +uestions- 2uch +uestions $ay see$ irrelevant, till one considers whether it is possi%le #or others to deceive one3sel#. That is, one should as,, )an & %e deceived or even, a$ & %eing deceived* The answer to this +uestion would nor$ally %e, 4# course not, & a$ an intelligent hu$an %eing with sane and sound logic and as such, it is not possi%le to deceive $e- 2uch a response would %e considered nor$al. 5owever, what i# the #acts showed otherwise 6 %ecause o# the inward3loo,ing nature o# the personal $ind, apparently it is +uite easy to deceive the hu$an $ind. The #ollowing rando$ +uotes atte$pt to %ring this #act out. To understand the human mind, understand self-deception. {1} You can fool yourself, you know. You'd think it's impossible, but it turns out it's the easiest thing of all. {2} 7et8s %ac,trac, and loo, at the de#inition o# deceit or sel#3deception. (eceit is de#ined as the act or process o# ,eeping the truth hidden to gain an advantage. 2el#3deception is when one hides the truth #ro$ one3sel#. &s it advantageous to hide the truth #ro$ one3sel#* 0hat is the $ost co$$on sel#3deception* The A$erican preacher turned novelist and social critic Ja$es Arthur Baldwin 1924 6 19:;" {3} points out the $ost co$$on hu$an sel#3deception< People who believe that they are strong-willed and the masters of their destiny can only continue to believe this by becoming specialists in self-deception. {2} &s it wrong to #eel sel#3$ade or sel#3su##icient* 5oly 2criptures point out that #eelings o# sel#3 su##iciency are proo# o# dis%elie# in the #act that as created %eings we are in constant need o# support #ro$ the )reator. The #ollowing =erse #ro$ $ost recent Revelation, the 1ur8an, $a,es this clear< Nay %ut $an transgresses all %ounds in that he loo,s upon himself as sel#3su##icient. >9?.? 6 9?.;@ 2uch thoughts o# sel#3su##iciency lead to other conse+uential evils, e.g. that one is not accounta%le. As 'aul and Alder 2004" point out in the pre#ace o# their %oo,, The Art of ental Trickery and anipulation< 0hen we loo, closely at hu$an decisions and hu$an %ehavior, we can easily see that what counts in hu$an li#e is not who is right, but who is winning. Those who possess power in the #or$ o# wealth, property, and weaponry are those who decide what truths will %e tru$peted around the world and what truths will %e ridiculed, silenced, or suppressed. The $ass $edia o# the world generate an unending glut of messages that continually sacri#ice truth to Bspin.C 0hen we reach %eneath the sur#ace o# things, we #ind a world in which the word Dco$$unication8 and the word D$anipulation8 collapse into virtual synony$s. {1} 5ow does the $ass $edia pro$ote the $ost co$$on sel#3deception* Any concept, the$e, %oo,, story, article, $ovie, video, artwor,, poe$, song, report, saying or thought that suggests that $an is sel#3su##icient pro$otes and perpetuates this sel#3deception. The %oo, and $ovie !onderful !i"ard of #" is a classic e/a$ple {4, 5} o# how sel#3deception can %e silently induced. The $ovie shows that the All-Powerful #", who is #irst o# all di##icult to reach, is actually not powerful a#ter all and that self-belief ultimately triumphs. Eoungsters and teenagers love the $ovie which indoctrinates these two $essages at an early age. This $ega popular $ovie thus

pro$otes dis%elie# in our $inds without our conscious realiFation. The art o# deceit has e##ectively %een turned into a success#ul scienceThere are people who would challenge the concept o# sel#3%elie# and say that it is i$portant, otherwise how would one get anything done. The concept o# the right and the wrong type o# sel#3%elie# can %e understood %y considering an analogy. 7et8s ta,e the e/a$ple o# a Gercedes3 BenF car 6 a prestige car. The car visi%ly displays the three3pointed star logo o# the co$pany which indicates proudly made-by- ercedes-$en". 2howing o## the logo does not di$inish the +ualities o# the carH rather people %elieve that the car will per#or$ well since it is $ade %y Gercedes BenF. &# the car itsel# were a%le to thin,, would it, at any point deceive itsel# into thin,ing that the credit for the superlative %ualities would go to itsel# rather than the $anu#acturer* 7i,ewise, i# a hu$an %eing has %een made by the &reator, should it per#or$ well* The credit #or all superlative +ualities o%viously %elongs to the )reator and that it is 5is 1ualities that one needs to rely on when atte$pting anything. As a $anu#acturer or $a,er, who is superior, $a,ers o# Gercedes3BenF or the )reator* Those who do not %elieve that all credit %elongs to the )reator pro#ess and pro$ote dis%elie# and there#ore are adversaries to %elievers. The )reator warns in the 1ur8an< 4, children o# Ada$- 7et not 2atan seduce you in the sa$e $anner as he got your parents out o# the gardenI#or he and his tri%e watch you #ro$ a position where you cannot see the$< !e made the evil ones friends 'only( to those without faith. >;.2;@ Believers $ust there#ore wor, hard to esta%lish the truth o# the )reator and #ight those who pro$ote dis%elie# in our co$$unities. Believers $ust use all resources availa%le to the$ and #ight while placing trust the )reator. 5owever,

8.61 But if the enemy inclines towar s !eace o also incline towar s !eace an trust in "llah# for $e is the %ne that hears an &nows 'all thin(s).
&nclination towards peace $ay itsel# %e a #or$ o# deception. There#ore, 8.62 *houl they howe+er inten to ecei+e you +erily "llah is *ufficient for you# $e it is that has stren(thene you with $is "i an with 'the com!any of) the ,elie+ers# 'art o# the strength is collective strength, as 5e has put a##ection %etween %elievers.

8.63 "n 'moreo+er) $e has !ut affection ,etween their hearts# e+en if you ha s!ent all that is in the earth you coul not ha+e !ro uce that affection ,ut "llah has one it# for $e is -.alte in /i(ht, 0ise.
Believers should there#ore support and help each other.

8.64 % "!ostle1 *ufficient for you is "llah an for those who follow you amon( the ,elie+ers.
There#ore, Allah assures,

8.65 % a!ostle1 2ouse the ,elie+ers to the fi(ht. 3f there are twenty amon(st you !atient an !erse+erin( they will +an4uish two hun re # if a hun re they will +an4uish a thousan of the un,elie+ers# for these are a !eo!le without un erstan in(.
333333 {5otes}< {1} www.criticalthin,ing.orgJstoreJgetK#ile.php*inventoriesKidL1M9... {2} http<JJwww.goodreads.co$J+uotesJtagJsel#3deception {3} http<JJwww.goodreads.co$JauthorJshowJ1042;.Ja$esKBaldwin {4} http<JJen.wi,ipedia.orgJwi,iJTheK0onder#ulK0iFardKo#K4F {5} http<JJwww.whale.toJ%JspJsprM.ht$l