Competence and complacency

Equality lies in the very nature, creation and existence of human beings. Identical biological and biochemical features, and commonality in the survival needs, among many other things, manifest this. Despite all commonalities, humans hardly behave and perform as such in social settings. This difference in roles results from cultural, socioeconomic, historical, political and ideological differences existing even within a society. Of all the considerable differences, the one that stands prominent and predominantly influences all other distinctions is that of human intelligence and competence. Is this difference rooted in nature, or is it the outcome of nurture, or both?

Though genetic factors hold a predisposing influence on one’s intelligence, unlocking it demands a stimulating socialisation milieu. In other words, the genetic potential remains frozen unless accompanied by conscious efforts to realise it. This shows that nurture has an overwhelming and overriding impact on one’s intelligence and social productivity. Therefore, realising one’s potential isn’t hard in societies that recognise the vitality of investing and capitalising on human resources to earn a distinguished and prospered status among the rest of the societies.

However, societies that carefully cultivate a culture characterised by cultism, tribal, political, ethical and ideological loyalty, and courtier tendencies suffer in all aspects of their life. These objectives are achieved by depriving the public of an enabling intellectual environment and subjecting them to the degenerative forces of the status quo. Unfortunately, our society is such a society.

The chronic status quo has transformed Pakistan into a graveyard of talent and no-go area for integrity, honesty and meritocracy. The governments, whether democratically elected or selected, deprived the public of an enabling intellectual environment and made them subjected and subordinate to the status quo. This has been achieved mainly in three ways: by denying a stimulating educational and academic environment; by idealising blind compliance; and, by disregarding altogether the hard-earned competence of people.

Most educational and national institutions are manned by those who made it not by merit but by catering to vested interest groups. More worrying, however, is the practice of portraying the gluttonous stakeholders as the ideal for pupils and the public. When corrupt politicians, pliant bureaucrats, misguided clergy, sold-out judges and partisan media-persons are treated by the state as the ideal breed worth emulating, the existence of upright intelligentsia becomes a rarity. Where intellect, integrity and honesty are made subordinate to corrupt, megalomaniacs and mindless elite, complacency turns out to be the reigning norm.

By doing so, the system absorbs complacent and courtier people who, instead of daring challenge the forces of the status quo, choose to complement it. One of the greatest ironies is that even many competent and intellectual people love to trade their integrity and hard-earned talent for a patronised absorption in the system. Once they are in, they go two steps ahead in kleptocracy. This way, intellectuals with selfish, megalomaniac and courtier tendencies keep the castle of the elite-owned status quo afloat.

As a result, the country is being reigned by the laws of lawlessness characterised by cultism, blind compliance and hypocrisy of the finest type. All promulgated laws, rules, religious principles and lectures of morality exist but only in theory. Instead, the dictations and interests of the capitalist elite flowing through and executed by a complacent lot run and ruin the society.

Against this backdrop, the fewer upright intellectuals choose to stay out of the system that their minds reject as rooted in deception. This is because any of such people daring to get in with the promises of upholding integrity ultimately get their legitimate authorities clipped or sidelined. And the rest of the self-made intellectual and skilled individuals who decide against trading their conscience for selfish ends reluctantly bid adieu to their motherland, leaving behind worshipers of money and power ruthlessly feeding on the public resources for decades now.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 15^th, 2023.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.