Disturbia

I have read of people believing in black magic and sorcery, witchcraft even, and putting their trust in charlatan and shaman and all that hogwash nonsense ‘practitioners’ but had never met or known anyone who actually visits these practitioners. But very recently, I learnt that someone I just knew is a firm believer in all the black magic voodoo nonsense and I was very shocked, to say the least. To read about it is one thing, to actually know someone who believes in it is another. Especially since the person in question is supposed to be a Muslim. OK, we all know that not all Muslims are practising Muslims but still surely to believe and place one’s trust in other ‘powers’ besides God would tantamount that person to be syirik, to be a polytheist. In case you’re wondering, this person has been trying very hard to make our lives miserable.

There have also been many instances of irregularities ranging from the recruitment of people from questionable background, the extravagant purchase of non-value adding merchandises, the focus on minor unimportant things, the extra hours put in at the office by certain characters until ungodly hours to do only God knows what, the covert closed-door meetings, to lies and lack of transparency.

As if those are not enough, my colleagues and I just found yesterday afternoon that our PCs had been hacked into. All our personal emails, file documents, even online banking transactions and pay slips were on the World Wide Web for the world to see*. We have a good suspicion as to who the perpetrators are but we have no proof as there is no CCTV in the office and, in our panic, we had immediately reprogrammed our PCs so now we probably could not trace any activity or illegal transaction (so you don’t have to start googling for us) nor make a police report because we had wiped off the evidence ourselves.

When I found out about the hacking, I was strangely devoid of emotions and feelings. I just concentrated on removing all the files that had been made available online. Then as my PC was being reprogrammed, I felt my knees turn weak. And I felt so drained and strangely famished later as I told my mates what had happened. When I got home and thought about it, I felt angry and outraged.

Oh, we’ve had our suspicions that our PCs had been hacked into for about a fortnight now after some new blood joined in but we didn’t know that hackers could still retrieve documents saved on thumb and external drives and emails sent to the management. And call me foolish, call me naïve, but I never knew anyone who could and would stoop that low to commit such a blatant invasion of privacy. A vile act like that could only be done by despicable, diabolical, sick, mental people.

I used to think that people are born good and they are shaped by their environment. That people basically have well intentions but they may be tempted by lust, desire, pride, envy, jealousy, power and greed. I want to think that people are honest and trustworthy with no hidden agenda but I have been proven wrong again and again. Because the past couple of months have shown me the darker side of human nature – deceit, malice, spite and ill will.

It will take some time before I can trust properly again.

* I was just informed that the online files were only available for viewing within the office and not outside, no thanks to Google Desktop. But still... I can’t help feeling a part of me have been exposed without my consent (and while I am google-able, that google-able information is given with my consent).