Modern day slavery

Fri, 16 Jun 2006 18:01:00 GMT

I take a taxi to work most of the time, so I have to put up with a lot of inconveniences like loud music, hearing the driver go on an on about his problems, and often times, hearing him curse at other drivers and then telling me how he is way above this job and that he's doing it as part time while he's on vacation in Jordan from his real job in "Amreeka" (USA).

All that is a part of life and it can actually be amusing sometimes. However, one inconvenience is totally not acceptable to me; Smoking.

Smoking is the kind of habit that everyone agrees is harmful to those doing it and to people around them. Health, hygiene, money, .etc it's bad for everything.

Today I took a taxi to the office, and as soon as I got in, the driver took out a cigarette and was about to light it. I asked him politely if he can postpone it will I got out –my ride is no more than 5-7 minutes on a work day depending on traffic- and today being a weekend, it meant he'd have to wait less than 5 minutes .The guy smiled and started to mumble. We had already started moving and this conversation took place:

Taxi:
"well, I already took it out…"

LZ:
"My ride is very short. You'll only have to wait 5 minutes.

T:
"I'm trying to quit and I take only a few cigarettes a day at specific times."

LZ:
"If you're trying to quit, then you should be happy I'm asking you not to smoke."

T:
"No, this way my schedule gets messed up and I smoke more."

LZ:
"Ok then I don’t mind getting out right here if you still insist on smoking it."

T:
"I really set my mind on smoking it now so it will be hard not to."

I paid him 25 piasters for the ride and got out. It took me a minute to catch another taxi. On the way I started thinking… How can a man who is in his 40's behave that way? If only for the sake of preserving his dignity, he should have forced himself not to smoke.

Normally I don't look down at people whom are not as fortunate in life –Mostly taxi drivers are looked down at in Jordan- because the reasons may not be something that they can control. But this guy, I could totally understand why he will never amount to anything more than what he is right now.

I look at smoking as a form of slavery which is fooling people into thinking that it will give them something positive. Just like hundreds of years ago the African people were promised a better life in the new world, not knowing they would be sold as slaves once they go there.

Those slaves were forced to work in exchange for nothing. Their actions and behavior were subject to their masters' wishes. Even their lives could be ended if their master wished.

Being forced to give your life's earnings to the tobacco companies, restricting your freedom, not having enough control and needing expert assistance in order to break free of tobacco addiction, and having your life and the lives of people around you at the mercy of your toxic habit,… all these add up to a form of slavery.

Slavery of the body has been abolished in almost all parts of the world, but it the slavery of the mind which we must abolish now.

We have laws that ban smoking in public places and in public transportation, but they are not applied. I hope there comes a time when tobacco trading is outlawed altogether… maybe not soon, but it has to start somewhere.

Finally, in the words of Mr. T: "I pity the fool"

Laith Zraikat: smoking

Modern day slavery