Change is the enemy of the past

According to German historian Karl Von Rotteck, there were three important events in the history of the world: the spread of Christianity; the invention of the printing press; and the French Revolution. While the first two changed the world slowly and step-wise, the third one did it suddenly and rapidly, not only bringing political changes, but social and economic also.

Majority of the historians agree that the French Revolution had, in its background, centuries of accumulated problems. Not only France, but the whole of Europe was suffering from this situation. It becomes difficult to breathe in a society where problems start piling up. Same was the case with the European society where a pile of problems had been raised. And then, from those problems emerged calls for freedom, equality and brotherhood. There were two methods to deal with the situation. One, reforms; and two, revolution.

European countries, save for Britain, tried to stop the French revolution by force and coercion. But the revolutionary wave in 1830 and 1844 forced the ruling class not only to change their laws and ways, but also give representation to the people. Russia, which remained separate from these reforms, finally faced revolution in 1917. The ruling classes across Europe had realised that if their societies were not reformed, they too would have to face the same situation as in France.

When Benjamin Disraeli became the Prime Minister of Britain in 1874, he also understood the importance of reforms. In a novel, he wrote that there are two nations living in Britain — one rich and the other poor. In a speech in parliament in 1874, he said: “Pure air, clean water, maintenance of unsanitary residential areas and blended food are the things that need to be considered. The government’s first responsibility is the health of the people. The palace is unsafe if the resident of the cottage is unhappy.”

In 1836, English thinker James Mill wrote: “The rich only care about their lands and earn money without doing any work. There is no moral justification for the way they acquire wealth.”

We see how people’s ideas were changing over time. In 1847, a Paris newspaper wrote: “Bourgeois is not a class; it is the name of a status or rank. So anyone can achieve this position and status and can lose. This status is achieved through hard work, ability and thrift, when corruption, sinfulness and laziness come, so its ends.”

French writer Honore de Balzac wrote in 1850: “They kill each other, like spiders in a jar kill each other.”

In fact, all such souls fear that the rank and status they enjoy in society will be lost. This fear makes them hollow from inside and they lose all their ability to think and understand.

A study of human history reveals that no society or social class ever stays in one place or one position. It undergoes a process of change due to internal and external factors. Sometimes this process is very slow and sometimes very fast.

Change is the enemy of the past. It destroys traditional institutions and powerful classes associated with the past. People’s problems never finish forever. Therefore, the doors of thoughts, research and investigation should always be open.

In the Old Testament, it is written: “God created the world, then separated it from His Power. Now its owner is human and it is his responsibility to look after its affairs.”

Today, Pakistan stands on the verge of change or a revolution. Common people are fed up with the deteriorating conditions they are in. They are denied their right to live by the elite. There can be no going down further. A change is waiting in the wings. It is to be seen whether this change will take place peacefully or violently.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 11^th, 2023.

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