"I Don't Read Books"

The colonial educational system left behind by the British Raj was never meant to breed thinkers or researchers; its sole intent was to manufacture loyal clerks and mental slaves. True Education is Rare. We have spent decades forcing our youth into a blind race for grades, turning books into burdens rather than pathways to consciousness. If we want to save the generations to come (Gen Alpha and beyond), we must dismantle our obsolete educational frameworks today. This write up "I Don't Read Books" is a fictional story about the results of educational system enforced for decades.

أَعُوذُ بِاللّٰهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

In the name of ALLAH, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

"I Don't Read Books"

This statement did not come from an uneducated drifter on the streets. It was uttered by a smooth operator who had crawled through the government’s corridors of power for four decades, and who now sat in a spinning leather chair at a high post, scripting the destiny of the nation. Ahmar was not the least bit surprised to hear it. He remembered all too well from his own school, college, and university days that the liveliest spot on any campus was always the cafeteria, while the library resembled a desolate graveyard. The thick dust settling over the bookshelves and the eerie silence of the halls were proof enough that the cultivation of the mind was never the purpose of this system. Nearly four and a half decades ago, this very bureaucrat must have glanced at that abandoned library with disdain before heading toward the cafeteria to devise tricks for securing that coveted "piece of paper"—the degree.

The colonial educational system left behind by the British Raj was never meant to breed thinkers or researchers; its sole intent was to manufacture loyal clerks and mental slaves. This bureaucrat had preserved the honor of that system perfectly. The system became an assembly line for the very breed described in Surah Al-Jumu'ah of the Holy Qur'an—the donkey that carries the physical burden of books but remains utterly devoid of their understanding. Yet, looking at this slick operator, a deep, unsettling wonder stirred in Ahmar's heart: What kind of human being is this? Is this truly the 'Son of Adam' whose grandeur and spiritual heights the Sage of the Ummah, Allama Iqbal, portrayed so profoundly?

If anyone ever understood my lament, it was Rizwan,

Who recognized me as the human being exiled from Paradise.

What a ridiculous, tragic contradiction! The human being whose pain and lamentation were understood by the chief of angels, who recognized him as royalty exiled from heaven, now found his ultimate peak in stamping government files, hoarding real estate papers, and pocketing bribes under the desk. The creature destined to conquer the universe had traded his soul for the sheer pursuit of blind wealth—even though amassing money could never be humanity's true purpose of life.

On that particular day, Ahmar had visited his old comrade upon his invitation. The man had called him specifically because he needed his counsel on a highly sensitive matter. Reclining in his plush chair, the gentleman confidentially revealed that he had been assigned a massive task by the higher-ups: he was to draft a comprehensive master plan to reform and modernize the nation's entire educational system.

During this serious conversation, Ahmar, grasping the weight of the matter, brought up a world-class book written on educational reform.

Before Ahmar could even finish his sentence, the high-ranking officer burst into laughter, shifted his position in his chair, and said with immense pride:

"Oh, come on, Ahmar! You know me—'I don't read books.' My whole life, I've just read short, ready-made notes made by others to get where I am today!"

Ahmar stared at this "high official" sitting in his rotating throne, whose eyes, hidden behind the files, could only recognize the crisp gleam of new currency notes. He thought to himself: as long as these slick operators, raised in drawing rooms and elite clubs, feeding on ready-made notes, remain the saviors and decision-makers of our educational system, this country will never understand the pain of Generation Z, who are parched for true knowledge. How can someone who is entirely blind to the light of a book cultivate the intellect of the next generation?

Suppressing his shock and trying to maintain the decorum of the meeting, Ahmar carefully suggested, "Well, my friend, why don't we form a committee? We can include some wise and sensible people, pool our collective intelligence, and deliberate on this sensitive topic together."

At this suggestion, the gentleman let out an even louder guffaw and replied:

"Oh, Ahmar, my dear brother! Our generation at least read something. The era that followed us has been ruled entirely by nepotism and bribery. What sensible people are you talking about? No one in the civil service likes to read books anymore. Where do they even have the mental capacity left to comprehend such things?"

These are the people who now sit at the helm—devoid of both the intellect and the empathy required to understand a fast-paced generation crushed by the sheer weight of circumstance. How can this bureaucracy comprehend the struggle of Generation Z, who have abandoned the mirage of useless degrees to fight for their survival in the global digital economy? We, as a nation, gave this generation nothing. Yet, the miracle of this new digital world is that earning a livelihood no longer requires the dry, outdated academic intellect of these bureaucrats. If these incompetent decision-makers cannot give this generation anything, the least they can do is get out of their way! Provide them with high-speed internet and the liberty to think freely; they will connect with global avenues and find their own sustenance.

But the real anxiety lies with Generation Alpha and the cohorts that follow. For them, we must uproot this entire educational framework from its very foundation without losing a single second. We must turn the book into a pathway toward true knowledge instead of a tool for rote memorization. In this era, information is available online for free; it does not need to be taught. The urgent need is to pull our children out of the blind war for grades and open up the vistas of perception, comprehension, and intellect. We must do this so they can once again become "human beings exiled from Paradise," rather than thoughtless cogs in bureaucratic machines. Until we remove the physical burden of the book and transform it into the light of intellect, the corridors of power will continue to spit out these "bookless" operators, who will go on turning the entire nation into a book of darkness.