By Dr. Adnan Bouzan
Revolution and wealth are parallel lines that never meet; for revolution is the daughter of noble poverty, born from the womb of hunger and injustice, drawn in the blood of the oppressed and the cries of throats shouting through a long night: Enough! Wealth, by contrast, is often a false accumulation, a plundered prize, or a privilege inherited from ages of tyranny. And when the hand of revolution reaches out to clasp the hand of wealth, blood mixes with mud, the cry loses its purity, and the square turns into a marketplace of bargains.
A revolution not guided by consciousness is no revolution at all, but a blind storm that sweeps away stones and houses, leaving the earth barren and without green. Consciousness is the compass that preserves the dream from being lost, the roof that shields the poor from becoming fuel for warlords. Without consciousness, revolution turns into blind terrorism, into a naked sword raised against innocent necks, into chaos thirsty for blood in order to justify its existence. A revolution without consciousness is a body without a head, marching toward the abyss while imagining it walks toward freedom.
On the other hand, a revolution showered with money quickly descends into a dubious deal. When money enters the square, it paints slogans in the color of gold, and turns leaders into brokers selling the blood of martyrs in the markets of politics. Money builds private armies and towering palaces, planting in minds the seeds of greed instead of the seeds of sacrifice. And when bank accounts swell, principles shrink; the leader who once cried out in the name of the people becomes the guardian of his own fortune, building walls around his palace and forgetting the alleys from which he came.
The revolution that survives both the trap of terrorism and the snare of money is the revolution that embraces consciousness. Consciousness shields it from slipping, gives it the power to distinguish between right and wrong, between freedom and chaos, between justice and revenge. For revolution does not need gold, but sincere faith and a living conscience. It does not need treasuries, but hearts filled with justice and minds illuminated by knowledge.
How many great revolutions have been aborted because they fell into the hands of thieves disguised as leaders! How many revolutions turned into ravenous beasts once their consciousness disappeared, becoming tools of slaughter! How many revolutions were dashed upon the rock of wealth when money infiltrated their ranks, turning militants into merchants, and dreams into papers stamped with the seals of banks!
A true revolution is not measured by the number of rifles nor by the abundance of funds, but by its ability to plant a tree of justice in hearts that cannot be uprooted. Revolution is a fire that illuminates without burning, a voice that liberates without humiliating, an act that rescues human beings from the bondage of other human beings. A revolution without consciousness is an open grave; a funded revolution is a marketplace for mercenaries; but a conscious revolution is the dawn born from the womb of night, leaving no darkness behind but opening to humanity the doors of day.
Revolution is not an end in itself, but a path toward a new human being. When it mixes with wealth, it aborts itself before it sees the light; when it is severed from consciousness, it mutates into a bloody nightmare. But when it is joined with consciousness, it becomes a school of history, from which future generations draw lessons in dignity, writing on its walls:
Revolution and wealth never meet, and whoever seeks freedom must carry consciousness in his heart, not money in his pocket.