In the history of nations, the rise and fall has always been a mystery and historians have thought a lot on: why does a nation develop? Ibn-e-Khaldun, Fernand Braudel, George Logger are among the few thinkers who tried to solve this mystery.
Change is a necessary factor for any state or society to develop because no system has the capacity to solve all human problems for all times to come. The problems of every period are different and their solution is also according to the needs of the times. If the problems are left unsolved, a society becomes backward. But if the doors of thinking and research are kept open, the mind stays awake and solutions to the problems keep coming out.
We also have to consider why new traditions arise and why rebellious ideas and ideologies become popular. It is based on the effectiveness and efficiency of traditions or systems. Every system is established according to its particular environment and time; but needs change over time, and the system in vogue may not cater to the changing needs.
Europe is the most developed and prosperous region in the world today. But there were times when Europe was immersed in the darkness of ignorance and poverty. People were not even familiar with the name of science and philosophy. The Catholic Church was a contractor of religion, with a very strict and narrow interpretation of Christianity. Most of the academic and religious books were written in Latin, which was the language of elite class and the majority could not understand it. It used to be a crime to translate these books into a common public language. If a common man was found reading a book by Socrates, Aristotle, Plato or any other thinker, he was burned alive. Women were treated like animals. Innumerable thinkers were given painful punishments. The whole of Europe was engulfed in fear.
But the situation changed dramatically, and the renaissance began in Europe. It actually started from Florence in Italy. First, it spread gradually throughout Italy and then throughout Europe. The renaissance begins in the 14th century. It was the political, economic, social and cultural rebirth of Europe. People — thus far oppressed by poverty, famine, diseases, epidemics and atrocities — were looking for a solution to all these problems. But in the beginning, they had no hope that they would get rid of these ills, because the European societies were suffering from the worst — both religiously and politically. Severe punishments were given to those who talked about change.
However, the status quo broke, due to a host of reasons. The first reason was that when they travelled by sea, they came into contact with many different cultures and societies and were exposed to new thoughts. They also got to know about different religions. The second reason was the rediscovery of the books of ancient Greek and Roman philosophers, thinkers and intellectuals. Another important reason one was the Black Death, which wiped out half of European population. After this epidemic, people stopped believing the Catholic Church’s claim that the religion has solution to everything. The invention of the printing press also played an important role, due to which new ideas and thoughts started reaching people.
The entire history of mankind is witness to the fact that the nations that become stagnant lose their existence. The great empires of the past now only exist in books, because they did not change with time and had banned new ideas and new thinking.
Now let’s take a look at ourselves. The important reason why our country is failing today is that we are determined to run our country on centuries-old thinking and methods. We have banned research and are not ready to adapt to new ideas. More than half of the country’s population has become physically and mentally ill. We have been completely taken over by ignorance and extremism. Those who could have fled the country have done so. Yet every day, we hear that we are a living nation.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 10th, 2023.
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