Hanan Khalfan
On November 11th of every year, time stops for a while, but for different reasons. There are those who raise their eyes to the clock and see the numbers lined up in a strange way: 11:11, and they whisper to themselves, “Make a wish,” as if the universe opened a small window of luck for them. At the same moment, there are those who are staring at their phone expectantly, waiting for the awaited notification: “The 11.11 sale has begun – hurry before the stock runs out!” They are both waiting for something, one is waiting for a miracle, the other is waiting for a deal.
The story began far away, in a Chinese university in 1993, when a group of students decided to celebrate a special day for singles, on a date symbolized by numbers:
11-11. The idea was simple: for a person to celebrate by himself, away from the noise of couples and lovers. Years later, shopping companies picked up the idea and turned it into a global festival of discounts. Since 2009, “Singles’ Day” has become the largest commercial event in the world, in which millions participate to buy what they need and what they do not need. Thus, the Day of Loneliness has turned into a busy season, and the Day of the Self into a frantic race toward the full baskets.
On the other hand, another meaning for the same number appeared in the West, but with a calmer tone.
11:11 make a wish — a phrase that has been repeated for decades as a small cosmic signal. When the four numbers repeat on the clock, it is said that you have a rare moment to make a wish. No one knows its origin, and no one proves its authenticity, but it is one of those small rituals that give people a sense of connection to something larger than reality. A silent moment of wishing in the middle of a noisy day.
The irony is that the number itself has become a symbol of two contradictory meanings: in the East, a gateway to purchase; And in the west, a window towards hope. There are those who seek happiness with a discount of up to 70%, and there are those who seek happiness that cannot be bought. Between the electronic dream and the internal dream, the modern person remains standing in the middle of the road, not knowing whether he is filling the shopping cart or filling his empty space. What is even more astonishing is that this madness does not stop at “11.11.” Rather, it doubles a few weeks later with Black Friday, when the same scene is repeated in a larger size, and desire is rephrased under different names. Offers, discounts, free shipping, coupons, a promise of happiness with every click. It is as if the world is experiencing a long season of panting after the same illusion, a season in which a person’s joy is measured by the number of awaited packages, not by the number of real moments he lives.
Frankly, the difference between a wish and an opponent is no longer as great as we imagine. Both are temporary promises. One of them shines on the phone screen, the other in the imagination of the heart. They both make us wait for something that will change our day, and perhaps our lives. But the truth that no one announces is that a wish does not come true with the click of a button, nor does happiness ship to your address within three working days.
Modern man has come to live between two numbers: 11:11 and 11.11 — a number that links his soul to heaven, and a number that links his bank card to earth. Between the first, which prepares him with meaning, and the second, which tempts him with material. In both cases, he continues to search for himself in unspeakable numbers, in a time when the noise increases and satisfaction decreases.
Frankly speaking, there is nothing wrong with wishing, and there is nothing wrong with buying, but the worst thing is to live a lifetime waiting for no wish to come true, and no opponent to suffice.
