While social media has a negative image, Blogger Shaheena Meer said it is a portal of communication, which she uses to heal people, in an interview on Radio Al Ansaar’s talk show, 90 Minutes. Blogger, humanitarian, motivational speaker, craft and life skills expert, Ms Meer said that she has been able to reach out to people, many of whom have thanked her for the comfort she has brought into their respective lives. “I write without any inhabitation and from my innermost self. I feel that what I write is a clean energy and there are people who respond to me daily with gratitude. They identify with the issues which I highlight and that they draw comfort,” said Ms Meer.
Social media is a tool which when used properly has many advantages and could be reach people who might be isolated. and that it could bring hope to those who might believe that they do not have a future. More than anything else, it could save lives.
Many people use it to slander, create suspicion, divisions and pry on people who are weak, dismayed and those who have lost faith in the human element. “Every tear washes a wound. Every one is a spiritual being living a human experience. We need more humility in our lives. Respect and trust must be cultivated. It need not be this way and it could also be used to educate the youth, inculcate in them a culture of respect, caring, love, inspiration and confidence. More good can be nurtured through social media than the evil it is purported to spread.”
She said that there were many women and men who are suffering in silence who do not know how to cope with their tribulations and do not have anyone whom they could talk to express themselves. “I have found a portal of communication in social media and while here is much negativity, I have been able to carve out a very positive channel in which I have been able to reach many people. I tell my readers that they must be grateful for each day when they rise in the morning and that all of us are blessed with at least five gifts daily. Just getting up in the morning is a gift for which we must be grateful. Opening your eyes in the morning and have vision is another gift. The fact that you can get out of bed and stand unattended is yet another gift followed by going to the bathroom and finding that your vital organs are functioning properly.”
Now she is working on a book, which is a collection of her writings on social media. But she said that she would like to concentrate on parent-children relationships, which she said was being eroded by disrespect. Children in the present era seem to take their parents for granted and that one of the best avenues to get to the youngsters is through social media. “Our society have emotional problems and they use materialism to find a cure for the crisis which is besetting many homes. Plying their off springs with material comforts is certainly not going to improve conditions in the home, ” she said.
Speaking about her crafts and life skills programmes which she runs on the beachfront, Ms Meer pointed out that classes are held for various groups and one of the most popular was courses which she hosts for women. “Many of them do not have any idea of changing a flat tyre, others cannot unblock a drain. Then there are those who do not know how to knit or sew. These are simple things, yet there is such a huge gap. Often these issues cause a great deal of tension in the home. I do things that fulfill me and this is true of other people as well.”
Her fine art classes are also a big hit, not only by adults, but also among the youth who want to be able to acquire skills, which will stimulate them. A computer game has its limitations too. “I find these class in which I accommodate between 15 and 20 people to be very fulfilling and gives me a sense of satisfaction when people tell me that they have been able to put the skills that they have learnt to good use.”
She said that there was a wide range of skills which many women were now acquiring, especially since there is a growing number of single mothers who carry the responsibility of providing shelter, food, clothing and medical care for children and the elderly.
While at one time, holding an academic qualification was the only education, which was sought after, now it is skills, which are in demand. She has had plumbers; motor mechanics and electricians who have featured in her classes and with them came knowledge, which has added independence in the lives of many people.
Ms Meer is planning a series of lectures, workshops and classes, which she hopes will offer solutions to people who are isolated, who lack basic skills and those who know that they desperately need to acquire the ability to ensure the sustainability of their respective families.
Farook Khan – 90 Minutes on Radio Al Ansaar – 10 March 2018