The world in flux

Our world today is in an unprecedented flux. The flux is not only a physical one, with massive changes in climate and global warming, but also a flux in terms of human experience. Traditional modes of thought and organisation are being swept aside. Pressures of rising populations and international migrations are enormous. The nature of conflicts and warfare is also changing. How mankind copes with this swirl is quite uncertain. The world is split into several intractably opposed camps, with no leeway in between.

New policies need to be worked out to cope with it. Such policies have to be on a global, regional and a national scale. Arriving at agreements will be difficult. Yet such efforts are imperative. They can be facilitated by new approaches.

When everything is in a flux, some semblance of constancy is required to anchor our being. In this dialectic between change and constancy, the unsurpassed thought of Plato offers some guidance to our troubled world. An assessment of the directions of the flux is necessary. Such an assessment must not only be a factual one but also a normative one. Our vision must not only be confined to what is but also to what ought to be — on how the world can be made better. The consideration must not just be of the world at large but also of our society, and of we ourselves as individuals.

Our neighbourhood is dangerous and hostile. It is to our credit that we have so far withstood a ten times stronger enemy. Was it our historical fate to be juxtaposed against such a lethal enemy and such a malignant mindset? Although there are some principled voices in India critical of militant Hinduism, they are submerged in a sea of hatred. Since another war would be catastrophic, the present policy adopted by our leadership towards India is eminently sensible.

The spread of terror and militancy by small units makes the task we face extremely difficult. Traditional armed forces have yet to find a proper answer to the lone suicide bomber. A small terrorist group can wreak immense and disproportionate havoc. The seminaries, many of which are the breeding grounds of fanaticism, have already spawned innumerable diehard terrorists. Tackling the menace is now a foremost task.

Among the major trends mentioned in the beginning, two main ones stand out for Pakistan. These are pressures of overpopulation and climate change with global warming. Overpopulation is inducing pressures on our limited natural resources. There is rising unemployment and an exodus to other countries. Climate change is having effects in the form of floods, interspersed with drought, extremes of temperatures and freak weather patterns.

To cast a passing glance at the flux in global economics, mention may only be made of the large-scale movements of trillions of dollars across borders in the form of speculative hot money, causing destabilisation.

On the positive side, modern technology is now making it possible for backward countries to leapfrog the various stages of development. Since technology can be used either for good or for ill, it should be harnessed for the betterment of society and not for destructive purposes. This requires political determination and foresight. The tide of technology cannot be turned back by administrative regulation but it can perhaps be channelled in a salutary direction. The internet is a vast new flux in itself, opening up untold avenues. Short-sighted attempts to control it, as in the case of the ill-conceived ban on YouTube in Pakistan, are bound to fail. At the same time, ways and means can be found to deal with its harmful aspects, in cooperation with the rest of the world.

The pressing need for our own country is to be freed from dogmatism, intolerance and obscurantism. We should embrace a modern and progressive future. Globalisation is not necessarily pernicious. We should move in tandem with the progressive forces of the world and not in opposition to them. We must also shatter the evil designs of those who wish our disintegration. This can best be done through democracy, the rule of law and regular elections.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 5^th, 2016.

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