Flirting with moral nihilism

In Richard Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries, the crescendo builds to a grand finale. We can hear the orchestra playing in the background as drama unfolds on Pakistan’s tempestuous political stage. There is noise and confusion, stampede and mayhem, allegations and counter-allegations, mudslinging, secret agendas and conspiracies. There are plots and subplots. What is it all about? Power! Control! Money! No, not just power, but power to overpower!

We are glued to TV screens. But this is not a cricket match. This is about our future. And here lies the crux of the problem: we know who “they” are, but do we know who “we” are? Are we all in this together?

Lounging on a sofa in our cozy drawing rooms with friends and families, sipping on chai, we often share stories of Sufis and saints, of goodness and virtue, of a simple life and an honest life. But, every day, our actions betray our moral convictions.

It was shocking for me to discover that “illegal wealth in Pakistan is estimated to be as large as 56% of the $278 billion economy, according to Bloomberg.” (Arab News, August 1, 2020). Even more morally confounding was the revelation that our government provided incentives for Pakistanis to invest their “black money” in the real estate sector – no questions asked – turning a blind eye to crime to boost the economy.

Our failures are not an exclusive hallmark of our political illuminati, past or present. There are other stakeholders with deep pockets: the big business, the cadres of the state bureaucracy, the powers that be. Corruption in our society is much more pervasive and involves people from all walks of life.

White-Collar Crime: White-collar crime – like tax evasion, corporate fraud, money laundering, kickbacks, bribery, and embezzlement – happens on the sly. While the blue-collar criminals are seen being apprehended and handcuffed on TV, most white-collar criminals get away with murder as they schmooze and splurge in their mansions.

It is not the commission of a crime but the absence of guilt that bothers me more. Have we become so callous and shameless that we are unable to do the right thing? Have we sinned so often that our capacity to self-reproach has deflated over time, that we are no longer bothered by our conscience when indulging in something we know to be simply wrong and reprehensible?

And this begs the question – are we flirting with moral nihilism?

Whether we are the filthy rich plundering the coffers of our nation or a poor administrative clerk taking bribes, we remain untouched by penitence. Pakistan ranks 140/180 countries in corruption perception index. But we don’t need CPI to tell us where we stand. All we have to do is look in the mirror.

I can hear you mutter under your breath: “But not everybody is a culprit or a crook.” And you’re absolutely right.

What is moral nihilism: Moral nihilism is a condition in which all moral values lose their value. To understand it better, let’s visit Gotham City from the Batman movie – the Dark Knight. It doesn’t take us long to find out that Gotham City is infested with political corruption and organised crime. Sounds familiar? Villains and supervillains in cahoots with those in power. Cops on their payroll. Gangs, cartels, and mafias. The criminal underworld. The usual suspects. Is money the root of all evil?

But what about Joker? He is not your typical villain. He is a clown who epitomises nihilism. He kills people just for practice, blows up a hospital, gives poisoned cotton candy to kids. He cuts off his own face. What makes the Joker a psychopath is his lack of remorse. He has no conscience. “The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules.”

Let’s leave Gotham City behind.

Imagine yourself to be a law student. You are so poor that you are unable to pay your final year tuition and fees. You are about to be expelled from the law college for lack of payment. You are devastated and depressed. But you know this very old lady who owns a pawn shop. She has no relatives or friends. She is immensely rich, cunning and manipulative. She refuses to help anyone. No wonder everyone hates her. Now here’s the plan: what if you kill her and get your hands on her money? That way, you can pay your tuition and fees and complete your education, and you can give away the rest of the money to all the poor people who need it so badly.

Meet Rodion Raskolnikov, the protagonist in Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment. He’s the poor law student. He uses poverty to justify his crime. Unlike Joker, he’s not a nihilist but adopts nihilism to conceal his guilt. He tries to detach himself from emotion, but continues to suffer mental anguish. He is torn between his self-righteousness and his guilt. The thought of suicide crosses his mind. He ultimately turns himself in. “The man who has a conscience suffers while acknowledging his sin. That is his punishment.”

So… what now?

Granted, I don’t know anyone who is as cold-blooded as the Joker or as remorseful as Raskolnikov on the verge of suicide, but no one is flawless, at least not as flawless as the sloping meadows of Nathia Gali on a quiet morning in December. The point is: it’s time for introspection.

We can no longer wait for a comprehensive social reform that will magically transform our society. The first step in tackling a problem is to admit that we have a problem. It is time for us to recalibrate our moral compass. Let’s start by raising the standard of decency. Let’s do it for our children. Let’s do it for Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 9^th, 2022.

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