By Prof. Dr. Ali Hyasat. We have long harbored the belief that man is the master of his own fate, choosing his path with absolute freedom and controlling his decisions and his future. However, reality is far more complex. Within each of us lies a hidden force that shapes our behavior and directs our choices without our full awareness: the subconscious. It stores deep-seated desires, rooted fears, and what we have absorbed from our social environment far more than what we have chosen through our own free will. In a broad segment of Jordanian society, this gap between the outward appearance and the hidden reality manifests with striking clarity. We have become, in many instances, the children of an 'Image Society,' where value is measured by what is visible to the eye rather than by what the core holds of truth. We master the performance of social roles and excel at concealing what does not conform to prevailing standards, even if it is an authentic part of our being. The paradox is that we do not practice this on the sidelines, but at the very heart of our daily lives. In social gatherings, we may shower praise upon individuals whom we criticize the moment they leave. In the work environment, we raise slogans of competence and achievement, while some decisions are managed through the logic of relationships rather than merit. On social media, we export images of a cohesive and successful life, while many live with an anxiety and pressure that never appears in any post. This contradiction cannot be reduced to individual hypocrisy as much as it is a reflection of a social structure that rewards appearance and punishes honesty. Over time, the boundaries between who we actually are and what we erode until the performance itself becomes part of our identity. This duality is not a product of chance, but the result of a long accumulation of cultural heritages that have shaped our consciousness across generations. When thinking turns into repetition, faith into slogans, and behavior into a response to group pressure, the individual becomes less free than they believe—not because they do not want freedom, but because they have not been given the space to be honest without paying a price. The problem is that this condition, over time, is no longer just a flaw but has occasionally transformed into a survival mechanism. We offer pleasantries to be accepted, we hide to belong, and we avoid honesty because it might exclude us. Here lies the most dangerous paradox: a society that demands harmony but produces contradiction. Therefore, it is impossible to speak of a true societal renaissance in the light of this internal division. Change does not begin with grand speeches, but by breaking this silent pattern—from the moment an individual chooses to be less counterfeit, even if that is less comfortable. Only then can we approach a society that does not merely settle for appearing cohesive, but actually is. We want a society that is critical rather than repetitive, clear rather than hidden, and harmonious with itself and reconciled with its own nature. The core of our crisis is not only in what governs us, but in the way we think and see ourselves.
By Prof. Dr. Ali Hyasat. We have long harbored the belief that man is the master of his own fate, choosing his path with absolute freedom and controlling his decisions and his future. However, reality is far more complex. Within each of us lies a hidden force that shapes our behavior and directs our choices without our full awareness: the subconscious. It stores deep-seated desires, rooted fears, and what we have absorbed from our social environment far more than what we have chosen through our own free will. In a broad segment of Jordanian society, this gap between the outward appearance and the hidden reality manifests with striking clarity. We have become, in many instances, the children of an 'Image Society,' where value is measured by what is visible to the eye rather than by what the core holds of truth. We master the performance of social roles and excel at concealing what does not conform to prevailing standards, even if it is an authentic part of our being. The paradox is that we do not practice this on the sidelines, but at the very heart of our daily lives. In social gatherings, we may shower praise upon individuals whom we criticize the moment they leave. In the work environment, we raise slogans of competence and achievement, while some decisions are managed through the logic of relationships rather than merit. On social media, we export images of a cohesive and successful life, while many live with an anxiety and pressure that never appears in any post. This contradiction cannot be reduced to individual hypocrisy as much as it is a reflection of a social structure that rewards appearance and punishes honesty. Over time, the boundaries between who we actually are and what we erode until the performance itself becomes part of our identity. This duality is not a product of chance, but the result of a long accumulation of cultural heritages that have shaped our consciousness across generations. When thinking turns into repetition, faith into slogans, and behavior into a response to group pressure, the individual becomes less free than they believe—not because they do not want freedom, but because they have not been given the space to be honest without paying a price. The problem is that this condition, over time, is no longer just a flaw but has occasionally transformed into a survival mechanism. We offer pleasantries to be accepted, we hide to belong, and we avoid honesty because it might exclude us. Here lies the most dangerous paradox: a society that demands harmony but produces contradiction. Therefore, it is impossible to speak of a true societal renaissance in the light of this internal division. Change does not begin with grand speeches, but by breaking this silent pattern—from the moment an individual chooses to be less counterfeit, even if that is less comfortable. Only then can we approach a society that does not merely settle for appearing cohesive, but actually is. We want a society that is critical rather than repetitive, clear rather than hidden, and harmonious with itself and reconciled with its own nature. The core of our crisis is not only in what governs us, but in the way we think and see ourselves.
By Prof. Dr. Ali Hyasat. We have long harbored the belief that man is the master of his own fate, choosing his path with absolute freedom and controlling his decisions and his future. However, reality is far more complex. Within each of us lies a hidden force that shapes our behavior and directs our choices without our full awareness: the subconscious. It stores deep-seated desires, rooted fears, and what we have absorbed from our social environment far more than what we have chosen through our own free will. In a broad segment of Jordanian society, this gap between the outward appearance and the hidden reality manifests with striking clarity. We have become, in many instances, the children of an 'Image Society,' where value is measured by what is visible to the eye rather than by what the core holds of truth. We master the performance of social roles and excel at concealing what does not conform to prevailing standards, even if it is an authentic part of our being. The paradox is that we do not practice this on the sidelines, but at the very heart of our daily lives. In social gatherings, we may shower praise upon individuals whom we criticize the moment they leave. In the work environment, we raise slogans of competence and achievement, while some decisions are managed through the logic of relationships rather than merit. On social media, we export images of a cohesive and successful life, while many live with an anxiety and pressure that never appears in any post. This contradiction cannot be reduced to individual hypocrisy as much as it is a reflection of a social structure that rewards appearance and punishes honesty. Over time, the boundaries between who we actually are and what we erode until the performance itself becomes part of our identity. This duality is not a product of chance, but the result of a long accumulation of cultural heritages that have shaped our consciousness across generations. When thinking turns into repetition, faith into slogans, and behavior into a response to group pressure, the individual becomes less free than they believe—not because they do not want freedom, but because they have not been given the space to be honest without paying a price. The problem is that this condition, over time, is no longer just a flaw but has occasionally transformed into a survival mechanism. We offer pleasantries to be accepted, we hide to belong, and we avoid honesty because it might exclude us. Here lies the most dangerous paradox: a society that demands harmony but produces contradiction. Therefore, it is impossible to speak of a true societal renaissance in the light of this internal division. Change does not begin with grand speeches, but by breaking this silent pattern—from the moment an individual chooses to be less counterfeit, even if that is less comfortable. Only then can we approach a society that does not merely settle for appearing cohesive, but actually is. We want a society that is critical rather than repetitive, clear rather than hidden, and harmonious with itself and reconciled with its own nature. The core of our crisis is not only in what governs us, but in the way we think and see ourselves.
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