M6:225 — تا دمی از هوشیاری وا رهند / ننگ خمر و زمر بر خود می‌نهند

Translation: So that for a moment they may escape from awareness, They bring upon themselves the shame of wine and heedless music. Meaning: This couplet describes how humans, to flee the burden of their own consciousness and responsibility, resort to intoxication and distraction, either through alcohol or by indulging in frivolous music.

This couplet follows Mowlana's central assertion: "The entire world flees from its free will and selfhood, seeking oblivion in intoxication." Indeed, humans consistently escape their inherent freedom (ikhtiyār) and their conscious existence (hastī). This is a profound psychoanalytic observation, one recognized by contemporary psychologists as well: that humans flee their anxieties and weariness, striving to avoid self-awareness and sobriety. This flight stems from the heavy burden of conscious existence and responsibility. As Mowlana elsewhere advises, "Keep the dragon in the snow of separation" – an admonition that excessive power, whether of wealth or free will, invariably carries peril. Humans, unwilling to bear the weight of this dragon, seek to either control it or escape it entirely. Mowlana explicitly details the methods people choose for this escape in this very couplet: "They bring upon themselves the shame of wine (khomr) and heedless music (zomr)." Khomr refers to actual wine, and zomr denotes music that induces heedlessness and intoxication. This kind of music stands in stark contrast to the spiritual sama'—the rabāb or ney (reed flute)—which Mowlana himself cherished. Those melodies guide the soul back to its true homeland and remind it of its intrinsic poverty; this zomr, however, serves merely as a means of self-evasion. In subsequent verses, Mowlana identifies another escape route: shoghl, or excessive occupation. In modern terms, it is "workaholism," immersing oneself in tasks in the hope of forgetting oneself. These are all mechanisms for "fleeing from selfhood into selflessness," from awareness into unconsciousness. The root of this escape, in Mowlana's view, is a deep but painful realization: "Everyone knows that this existence is a trap; voluntary thought and remembrance are hell." All of us, in our depths, have come to understand that this self-aware, free existence is nothing but a snare, a prison where our conscious thought and remembrance transform into a hell of responsibility and anxiety. It is natural, then, for humans to seek oblivion as a way to escape this "prison"; they forget they are imprisoned so as not to feel its weight. This analysis by Mowlana resonates with what existential psychologists like Irvin Yalom discuss regarding the four fundamental human anxieties (death, loneliness, meaninglessness, and freedom/responsibility). Mowlana, however, offers distinctively deeper solutions. He considers these "futile occupations" to be "the very essence of idleness," believing that people merely busy themselves to avoid confronting their true selves. Mowlana does not see these methods as solutions, but rather as further flights from truth. What, then, is Mowlana's remedy? Contrary to many who advise embracing responsibility or fostering creativity, Mowlana asks us to reduce our "power." This translates into qanā'at (contentment) and sāde-zīstī (simple living). By simplifying life and reducing our options, the need for vast resources diminishes, and consequently, the heavy burden of responsibility and the anxiety of freedom are also reduced. This is a subtle and unique recommendation from Mowlana for liberation from the "snare" of existence.

Key takeaways

• Humans instinctively flee the burden of their own free will and self-awareness.
• This flight manifests in various forms, including intoxication (wine), heedless music (zomr), and excessive occupation (shoghl).
• Mowlana posits that the root of this escape lies in humanity's deep, albeit painful, realization that existence is a "trap" and conscious thought a "hell."
• He considers much ostensibly purposeful busyness as "the very essence of idleness," merely a means to escape the self.
• Mowlana's solution for the anxiety of freedom and responsibility is to reduce one's power and options through contentment (qanā'at) and simple living, thereby lightening the burden of existence.