It’s Eid and I am reading my texts — boring, uninspiring and endless.

Some simply read ‘Eid Mubarak’. One reads ‘Don’t eat too much’ another says ‘live long and prosper’ sent by a friend who I often accuse of sending an AST — Attention Seeking Text — a text equivalent of purple hair in the normal world.

Call me, please, don’t text! Texting makes me feel damned — a faceless group member marginally important to be included but not important enough to be called personally.

It accentuates my existential crisis — especially with so many unlimited minutes floating around.

Perhaps this is the state of the Ummah (the collective name for the Muslim community) at the moment where quantity trumps quality.

Perhaps it is society in general. We seem to greet each other from fast-moving cars.

Perhaps I am just bitter (and I don’t have a fast-moving car).

It could be that we take the mobile phone for granted now.

There was a time — when they were a novelty — you received a ‘love’ hearts text made of stars or a picture of a masjid dome made from dashes and full stops.

At the very least it seemed someone along the chain had spent time designing the messages.

Eid cards used to be popular once — distant relatives would send a card with enough tinsel powder to cake the whole family, but at least someone had you in mind BEFORE the event and made an effort. As a side note, neighbours dropping cards off — scattering them like Christmas cards — always confused me. Why not just knock?

Complacency has set in other spheres associated with Eid.

We are not reminded to visit the infirm or the old. Fewer friends gather in the evening and, of course, the customary game of football in the evening rarely takes off beyond the initial discussion.

What do we mean by Eid Mubarak anyway? Is it the past, the future or both being acknowledged? Are we wishing the other person a successful completion of a month of fasts, are we wishing them a continuation of the peace they found or is it like a medal after the race saying well done?

In fact my standard reply to ‘Eid Mubarak’ may be a text saying ‘Why? This way I can pass my crisis around.