How societies are shaped and razed

Let us, draw pictures of two different societies. First, we pick up a society, where the values of life and ethical values are existing; and where the people are aware of the real meanings of life, its purposes and objectives. There every person is enjoying himself off the entire joys of life in society. Because there exists peace. Hunger does not exist at all. Every person is relaxed about his future, as there the livelihood is in excess. The people who live there are free of tension and fear because where education is letting them be aware of the truths of life. People give respect to the rights and self-sufficiency of each other. In such a society, people worship humans, not fortune.

Now we move toward a society where everything is in turmoil, in which the pleasures and joys of life are allowed only to the classes, while the same is forbidden for the masses. Where people are telling lies of every kind for small gains shamelessly because moral values are long dead there. As a result, there is a reign of hunger of every kind in society; people have gone crazy in their lust for money that they are crushing on each other nonchalantly. The institutions, which have been founded to maintain the law and order and serve society, have become dysfunctional. Consequently, an inexplicable fear is ruling the roost, by keeping the people in a siege. How could this cordon be laid off, when the surroundings are exhibiting the wild ways of ignorance? This has not happened overnight because societies prosper and decay over the years.

Italo Calvino, a well-known writer of Italy, in his story The Black Sheep has written a fable, highlighting the descent of its people into the pit of absurdity as such, there was a country, every inhabitant of which was a thief, who would leave his house with tools and lantern of dark glasses every night, for breaking into the house of any one in his neighbourhood. However, upon return with the booty, he would find his house burgled. Thus, without any feud, they were living in peace; and nobody would mind that his neighbour had looted him, and he had him once. This rotation of mutual loot keeps on rolling, because instead of a recess, the players remain engaged in their pursuit of satisfaction.

The entire business in the country was based on deception, and both the seller and the buyer were actively involved in it. The life of everyone in that country was without any difficulty because the people were neither rich nor poor. Then, unexpectedly a different man appeared in that country, who instead of adapting to the nocturnal ways of thievery of his countrymen, would keep himself to his house, where he graciously read stories and puffs on a cigarette. The thieves, having seen the light in his house, would trace back their feet.

This affair could not last for long, and the man was informed, insisting, “You may unwind yourself at home, but you have no right to interfere with the business of others. Every night you have expended inside results in starvation for a family, do you know.” The honestly different man could express nothing in his defence. However, he began to spend his nights out. Still, he could not prepare himself for stealing.

That was only it, he was honest to the hilt, therefore, he would move over to the bridge on the stream, and stare at the flowing water. At dawn upon return, he would know that his house was cleared out by thieves. In a week, the honest man lost everything. Even he had nothing to sustain himself. He could not hold anyone responsible for his circumstances, as what happened to him came about due to his honesty. It was he who had put the system in disarray by refraining from the practice his counterparts were engaged in. For that reason, every night a house stayed unburgled which had to be cleared out by the same honest man.

Soon, the inhabitants, whose houses were saved from every night burglary, found themselves more prosperous than others. Therefore, they did not feel like going out to rob as usual. While those who get to the house of the honest man return empty-handed and gradually became poor, as, after continuing robbing, he was left with nothing. Meanwhile, the people, who had been a little better, also began to go toward the bridge as the man had been doing. From there, they started to gaze at the flowing river and made it their habit. That turned out to be a problem in the given situation, as some people were getting better in terms of possessions while some were becoming poor increasingly.

The well-off realised that if they kept on wasting their nights at the bridge, they would also be among the poorest of the poor one day. Thereafter, they reckoned: should not we hire the poor folks to rob others for us every night. In long huddles, the payment amounts were decided after bartering, because the erstwhile thieves were still hoodlums. Among the rich, many had become so well-off that they did not need to steal from others and hire the services of others for the same. But there was an inherent fear in their psyche that the restraints from thievery would make them poor.

The poor knew the dilemma of the upper class as well; therefore, for keeping their belongings protected from the poorer, they went to hire them as the guard. Moreover, the escorts of police were deployed; and the prisons were started to be built. And after some years and the arrival of the honestly different man, no one would talk of theft and of being robbed. Nevertheless, if a chat would happen, it is only about the status of poverty and riches between the interlocutors. Apart from this, in sum, they still were robbers. While among them, the only one, who was honest perished of impoverishment soon.

I wonder if this is a story or a portrayal of Pakistani society. Let’s come to figure out how our society became so terrible. It is unfortunate but is a fact that the foundations of our society were raised on the bricks of fraud instead of truthfulness; at the outset, a vicious game of claims for owning the evacuee properties was played shamelessly. The landed gentry, who had been allotted expanse of estates, in lieu of its services to the British Raj against their countrymen, got easily transferred to them in the new country. From top to bottom, it was free for all, for looting the spoils of the migration. The sons of the soil were disgraced as much as they could have been. Consequently, two Pakistan came into existence: one of the merrymakers and the other of those who work to assiduously provide comforts to them. Money was declared openly the ultimate truth and benchmark of success. Whereas the real meanings and facts of life were thrown into the dust bins; and the ethical values were disposed of as rubbish. Thus, every person began to rob others, however, those who refused to follow the set patterns became poorer with time and the robbers became richer.

Let’s sit down to fix this ailing society, by founding an ideal one, where love, fraternity, equality, forbearance honesty and respect for each other’s rights should prevail. And people be aware of the fact, and truth; and be conversant with the real purpose of life while putting it into action.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 20^th, 2022.

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