Sammilogger

I have written a bit on need to reform our society. Came across this clip of Ms Farah Azeem Shah, which touched my heart. Few verses missing at the end are

Khuddee tere rang mein, main nain jo dhall ke dekha

Meray ziker, meray fiker mein, buss tu hee ka kalaam hai

Mujhay maslakon se panah mili mujhay silsalon kee fiker hattee

Buss haq mila, makhlooq kee islaah hee Islam hai

Peer Asim Ali Shah

Allah may guide us

It’s an old adage, “when the going gets tough the tough gets going”. And what to say about people who make the going tough and then get going. Isn’t it marvellous? Team Pakistan which is in fact reflection of our society reminds me, that Pakistan is unique, unpredictable and enigmatic. Some say it’s like coconut, very hard from out side but very soft from inside. These are indeed attributes of a pure, honest and hearty person. Pakistan is enigmatic and so is our cricket team. If we decide we can stand upto a super power but some time we can even capitulate to a small fri. We have mastered super technology but fail on minor technologies. We have very low per capita income but we have very big heart for philanthropy. We shed the blood still we are happiest people in the region. We are Hard Country (Anatol Lieven) and also very fragile from inside. Our stock exchange rebounds on bad news but crashes on good news. We have betrayed all predictions of gloom and doom since creation of Pakistan. We rebound in face of every challenge. Sense of humour of this nation is unique in itself. One word to describe it all is RESILEINCE. I can say Resilience Thy name is Pakistan. Pakistan Zindabad.

It has always been a great challenge to know the future as God confined it to Himself. People of knowledge can predict it where as people with low knowledge, like me can just extrapolate future. My focus is, which way Homo Sapiens are heading? Besides my observations, reflections and brooding, I came across three books by same author ie Yuval Noah Harari. First book Sapeins charts journey of human beings from beginning of life to becoming ruler of planet Earth. Second book, Homo Deus explores long term future of life, how humans might eventually become gods and what may be ultimate destiny of intelligence and consciousness. Third book, 21 Lessons for 21st Century predicts immediate future of human kind. In my observations, I have noticed that on the whole Human Beings are anti nature. What ever worldly knowledge we are implementing adversely affects the nature. Nature created universe in a state of fine balance. Humans are bent upon disturbing this balance in every way. We are fiddling with biology, ecology, cosmology, environment and all other fields. Science which continuously challenges nature is becoming over bearing. Humans are becoming more of machines. Advent of AI, blockchain, infotech and biotech is transforming the way humans will function in the future. Chaos, conflict and disorder is increasing on the planet earth. Occurrences against the logical tide are happening. Brexit, election of Trump and Modi are a few against the tide. In my view, these reflect power of social media. The period of social media is being called as Post Truth Era. Harari says, pilosophy, religion and science are all running out of time. The question is, are humans on the path of self destruction? Stephen Hawking as well as Harari opine that world is in danger due to AI, Brexit and Trump. Another question is, Did God give intelligence to humans to fiddle with His systems and go so far as to cause his own destruction? For sure it is not happening in immediate future, however, apparently humans are heading in that direction. Harari talks about End of History (Farncis Fukuyama also did) and says that ….and if the failure of history to come to its envisioned happy ending can only mean that it is hurtling towards Armageddon. We pray a wise interjection by God or by us humans takes us farther from this apocalyptic route.

Eid Greetings

Pls do play above clip

I have always tried to analyse that once we have the best religion, the best Prophet (PBUH) and the best concept why we are worst as practitioners? I feel the clip attached has greatly answered my query. Once Hasan Nisar also said, “unless we take Maulvi out of Islam we will not be able to progress”. Recently we have witnessed a tussle between a minister and Muftis on use of technology for moon sightings. I appreciate the Minister for calling a spade a spade and detest obscurantism of some Muftis. Today is the day to make a pledge. Let’s get the ball rolling. Allah may bless us to take rituals out of Islam.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1985003/6-empire-court-court-jesters/?amp=1

This article by my friend Ali Ehsan agitated me to write this blog. Seeing the state of governance and governing politicians in Pakistan we always come to the question, what the heck is wrong with us? I am just reading a book by Parag Khanna titled ‘The Future is Asian’. Page 240-251 carry a part on, ‘Singapore: A Technocratic Role Model’. I shall recommend this to all concerned Pakistanis. Its eye opening and magnificent. Once PTI came to power and seeing the devastation done to our institutions, I felt convinced that there was a need to rebuild our broken systems from scratch. To this end, I would have recommended a technocratic government for initial two years to raise the buildings and then handover to politicians. However, prudence didn’t dawn then and PTI has come to that, after wasting 9 months. However, it’s never too late. Parag opens debate with, ‘The idea that too much democracy can be dangerous is not Eastern idea. For Plato, the essential ingredients of a successful polis were an educated and engaged citizenry and a wise ruling class…..democracy with neither of these attributes will lead to free but dangerously anarchic society vulnerable to tyranny. To ward off against such decay, his preferred form of government was a committee of public spirited “gaurdians”. Today we call such a system as technocracy.’ Please relate all this to our governance. Parag has amply explained thoughts of Lee Kuan Yew. Singapore institutionalised its technocracy before allowing democracy to unfold fully. Politics is about positions, policy about decisions; democracies produce compromises, technocracies produce solutions; democracy suffices, technocracy optimizes. Parag says where as western democracies today have wish lists, Asian technocraices have strategies. He quotes Philip Tetlock, who said, ‘full transparency over political deliberations can lead to decisions aimed at being popular rather than correct.’ Please relate to Pakistan. He says in Singapore government is run like a spiral staircase: with each rung a civil servant learns to manage a different portfolio, gaining first hand experience and building a broad knowledge base. By contrast US politics is like an elevator: one can get in on the bottom floor and go straight to top, missing all learning in between. In Pakistan one just needs to be born in blessed family and you are on the top floor from first day, what we call as Parachuted Leadership. Parag has highlighted pitfalls of US and UK democracies. He says, ‘even a meritocratic technocracy like Singapore needs to be careful not to slip into an oligarchy alienated from its people. He says technocracy is well suited to Asia’s more differential cultures.

Once Future is Asian, we should not be left behind in good practices of Asians else we might be banished as so far we continue to be.

Return of Modi is being seen with scepticism as well sanguinity. Once something goes beyond our control best of optimism demands creating of opportunity out of a challenge. Modi is a reality, notwithstanding our preferences. Is he going to be a blessing or a curse for Pakistan, only time will tell. However, certain foreseen dynamics make me believe that he may not turn out to be as bad as being perceived. We should not fear him we should rather grudge him. On two accounts I feel he is going to be a blessing in disguise. Firstly, in strategic terms, centre of gravity of India is perceived to be in Secularism and that of Pakistan in Armed Forces. Coexistence of multi religious communities and exclusion of religion and religious considerations is a sine-qua-non for existence of India in present state. Rise of Hindutva is going to be a Vernichtender Schlag for secularism. By implication Modi is striking at his own centre of gravity. If an enemy hurts his own centre gravity he is in fact doing our job thereby a blessing in disguise for us. Fillip in Kashmir & Khalistan movements and other fissiparous tendencies in India under Modi are visible manifestations. Secondly, BJP Government led by PM Vajpayee turned out to be a blessing in disguise for us. He provided us a casus belli to go nuclear. Had we missed by merely 3 years and 9/11 had happened, global powers would have not let us go nuclear. Besides this through escalations BJP helped us to plug gaps in our defences. Vajpayee government also went very close to resolution of Kashmir dispute. This time again, I believe Modi is going to be a blessing in disguise for Pakistan. There is a greater possibility of resolution of Kashmir dispute. Keeping fingers crossed.

I borrow the title from book of Andrew Small. In the setting of global power shifting from West to East (Parag Khanna) Pakistan chose and was also compelled to tilt towards China. For this tilting Pakistan is facing wrath of US through economic pressure. CPEC goes in interest of Pakistan but gains of China outweigh that of Pakistan. However, the way China is displaying indifference towards Pakistan’s economic woes is mind boggling. I see two possibilities. First, China is not fully sincere to Pakistan and feels that an economically stressed and vulnerable Pakistan will be more amenable and favourable. This possibility leads us to Debt Trap Diplomacy. Second, China is sincere to Pakistan like an elder of a family. It is intentionally letting Pakistan (seen as a bad boy) suffer so that we mend our ways. Earlier I had written that I see China as a bullet train with a vintage bogie (Pakistan) attached to its tail. Bullet train will aim to pull along this vintage bogie. Being optimistic I see second possibility as more likely and hope and pray that China will intervene much before total exploitation of Pakistan. Long Live Pakistan China brotherhood.

1. In any human setup, it’s not people with intelligence who matter, rather it’s people with concern (EHSAAS) who matter. Yet another unfortunate incident which brings me back to the point, that as a society we need to change. Loss of son of Qamar Zaman Qaira along with his friend and many more highlights how misdeed of one person becomes price for another. Road safety, chaotic traffic and non-functioning air bags were not of the making of the young souls we lost but plethora of incompetence and indifference of people being paid for these matters. Whether we see spread of garbage, criminal activities, heinous crimes, loss of lives and plenty of ills of our society – one thing glaringly appears lacking is EHSAAS. Allama Iqbal also mentioned, ESAAS E ZIYAN JATA RAHA (concern for loss is gone). We fail to take corrective measures because we lack empathy. We don’t feel other’s loss as our loss. Our systems protect the culprits. Mafias still continue to be stronger than the government. If I was to say one attribute we must create and nurture in our society, (in us and in our families) I would say EHSAAS. If we don’t change, if we don’t understand then this is what Hazrat Allama Iqbal had projected. “If you don’t understand oh people of Hindustan, (for that matter Pakistan) you will be obliterated and your history will be lost for ever.”

Na samjhoge to mit jaoge ai hindostan walo

Tumhari dastan tak bhe na hogi dastanon men

A picture is worth thousand words. The after Iftaar (breakfast) scene of Faisal Mosque speaks a lot. This is the contradiction I see in my society. Ramzan is the holiest month when religious solemnity is oozing out of every body. However, the picture tells how much we genuinely care for basic injunction of Islam ie Safai Nisf Imaan hai. Allah may help us to shun ritualistic Islam and be true Muslims.

In continuation of my blog on Evolution of Human Personality, I come to focus on Ego. Merely three letter word having tremendous impact on our personalities. The picture above gives a huge message, “we have egos bigger than universe”. I also read, “smaller the man, bigger the ego, bigger the man smaller the ego. Sigmund Freud in his Psychoanalytical Theory has divided human personality into three parts ie id, ego and superego. Our behaviour is determined by interplay of these three components. There are also three levels of Consciousness ie Unconscious: outside our awareness all time, Preconscious: knowledge and memories and Conscious: current awareness. Id, is instinctual and biological component. It remains infantile, does not change and is not affected by reality, logic or outside world. It operates in conscious part. Id seeks pleasure and avoids pain. Id is mostly headstrong. Contrarily, Ego is the structure in our brain that gives a person an identity. It is backward and less developed part of our psyche. It is our psychological component. Like id, ego also seeks pleasure and avoids pain. Ego has no concept of right or wrong. Ego is modifiable and is decision making component which operates according to reality principle. All negative emotions like, envy, anger, lust, greed and sloth are associated with ego. There are 12 functions of ego. Id is like a horse and ego is the horseman. Superego is social components it tells ego what is right and wrong. From this discussion we can conclude that ego is vulnerable in front of headstrong id, it is modifiable and we need to bridle it. I wonder why we are mostly overpowered by our ego. Is it that in my society their is bulk of small people with big ego. Forgiveness, ability to letgo, overlook and ignore is highly wanting here. On TV, I see politicians shooting at each other. Every word spoken by opponent has to be responded in same coin. Silence is the best response but it requires small ego. Let us bridle our ego. Letgo Ego.