The waters swell before a boisterous storm.
— William Shakespeare, King Richard III
These iffy times make one feel that a mad malady has gripped this nation. And this disease has a name too — ‘fear of the future’. There is nothing new about it. We mortals abjure change unless it directly and quite unashamedly gratifies us. So has been the way of the world for eons. Some recent examples are instructive. When the Taliban took over Kabul in the mid-1990s, the only use they had for the city’s dish antennas was to use them for decoration. The fact that those devices could bring the entire world’s knowledge to them was simply lost in this fear of losing the known world to the currents of change. And auxiliary to this fear are the fears of women gaining freedom, new knowledge, civil liberties and even open talk of things like sexuality.
And evidence supports the conclusion that this disease is spreading and growing in strength. It starts with the intellectual exercise of defining and discouraging obscenity and heresy and ends with burning women at stake. Already an underage Christian girl with Down’s syndrome is behind bars for allegedly burning a Noorani Qaeda and by so doing blaspheming the good name of Islam. And a governor is dead, killed by his own guard, for speaking in defence of a woman against whom a blasphemy case is so weak that it cannot stand the test of trial in an objective court of law. And so frightened our interior minister is by the example of the slain governor that instead of siding with the girl mentioned above, his ministry is advised repeatedly to oppose the release of the poor soul. Meanwhile, our homegrown Taliban keep burning books and CDs in Fata and adjacent areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
But even if you ban all objects of change, the eddies of marauding time have seldom been stopped by such cheap ploys. The world around us is transforming fast and beyond recognition and yet, we have not been able to benefit from it partly because of our parochialism and partly because we lack the necessary capacity and education. In order to understand how much the world has changed in the last century and will change further in another, you just have to read two books by Dr Michio Kaku — Physics of the Impossible and Physics of the Future (Knopf Doubleday, 2008). Only 10 years ago, it was difficult for me to buy and store Will and Ariel Durant’s 11-volume Story of Civilisation. Now I carry all volumes in my cell phone and its audio version in a tiny iPod. Things will change and we cannot stop changing. However, we can stop fearing that what is inevitable.
If only our intellectual class was ready to help in ending this fear. But no sir, it has become so complacent that everyone now dreads the fate that met the aforementioned governor before opening their mouth. Otherwise, it doesn’t take an Alvin Toffler to figure out that these changes cannot rob us of our faith, for that is an emotional matter, nor harm our country in any respect. Only remaining oblivious to the march of the future can. All we need is to take it easy and prepare ourselves. But alas, no one is ready to do even that much.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 7th, 2012.
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The majority of Pakistanis are brainwashed. The majority is a fast-flowing river going over a waterfall and the liberals are a small boat in the river. Don't fight the river, make peace with yourself and accept your eventual demise.
The challenge is not to change with the times, but to change the times according to our Will. Wherever a momin has stool tall with total faith and discipline in his body, he has more than met the challenge and turmoil created by his enemies.
@Mirza: That's an universal issue with intellectually and emotionally challenged people. They know everything, they have answers(not solutions, but answers) for everything, and all solutions lies outside.
Pakistanis , and others as well, should know that "Change is the only thing that does not change"
@ Readers Comments
You guys make my day great by reading comments which interestingly not relevant to the Columnist opinion but rather the rivalry b/w India and Pakistan. The columnist make confusion with the topic instead of "Fear of Future" the appropriate topic would be "Fear of Change". If we want to make Pakistan a better country the first and foremost unprecedented change we need in to be out of fear of change, the change of life style, culture, relations, habits and off course attitudes. Other wise we would remain the same in dark tunnel. The change from individual to masses thinking is utmost necessary. How it could be possible and who will take the lead to show the direction. Can our politician, generals, judges, businessman, media personnel, civil officers and common masses will make sacrifice to change their attitude. At any level, if we just stop our self in the race "who will die will more toys is the winner" many problems will be resolve within the communities it self. Is it true the Islam teaches simplicity and there is benefits in patience what you have or it is just manipulated. If it is so than why we are in race.
Sir, fears you mentioned were and will remain deep-seeded in our psychological and social fabric. Out of these fears that we planted custodians of so-called honor '"Izat" at universities and quite complacent with their performance. To us these fears are bigger than life supplemented by many other obsessions including conspiracies against Islam, Pakistan etc.If many among us have praise and reverence for Talibans, reasons are none other than these fears we proudly cherish.
@Vikas As an Indian, you embarrass me, plain and simple.
@Feroz He who helps another when he is down will be remembered, those who spit venom are quickly forgotten.
If you try to help a snake when it is down, it will bite the hand that feeds it.
@Vikas: Vikas ,you r absolutely great man.....your thought is just conquering my views.
A good attempt at building consensus. If only trolls on both sides of the divide could understand what you are saying.
Agree, fear of future and turning blind eye to the changes happening can bring short term benefit to the proponents of this idea. writer rightly said, intellectuals and leaders in all spheres of life will have to get their act together. Only the intellectuals and leaders having tolerant view can take the people ahead..so lets hope for the best.
physics of the impossible. This is one subject Pakistanis will be familiar.
@Vikas: He who helps another when he is down will be remembered, those who spit venom are quickly forgotten.
Fear of the future exists not among nations but resides in individuals, this should be clearly understood. It is prevalent across societies and the globe. In Islamic countries the paranoia to change is higher because many sections believe FAITH needs crutches to survive or else will be obliterated. Many including among the educated believe the faithful must guard their Religion and their God from defilement forgetting altogether that it is HE who creates, guides and destroys us. This is called narrow mindedness or tunnel vision.
Secondly, to be rigid about beliefs that cannot hold up to scientific scrutiny is pointless as the World is very competitive and time and tide waits for no man. So far the World has discovered about a dozen Religions across the time span, over the next few centuries many more Religions will sprout. They should not be feared but welcomed because every one of them will have something to offer and take solace from. For anyone to believe that my God is better than yours is better than your neighbors, is an exercise in fantasy. Once the realization dawns that no God is superior or inferior to another and it is merely the Human mind that differs in its mental capabilities, things will improve by leaps and bounds and life will become a pleasure.
In Pakistan we have an answer (excuse) to every problem in the society. We have been dreaming that somebody would descend and improve our plight. Imran Khan is going to make the country free of corruption in 90 days even though he has no magic wand and people have no intention of changing their character. Water free milk, genuine medicines and pure food would be available all of a sudden just because of one man. Why are the followers waitinig to change their habits if they are really serious what is stopping them?
@Vikas: One of the most annoying comments...why am I surprised?
Only freedom from fears of faith will help the faith-full get rid of fear of future.
@Kafir:
That is just your wish and hope out of your jealosy, my friend!
This is all false. Pakistan is a world leader in producing CDs. Even before a film is shown in India, the CD is available at Qaid market around Islamabad.
"If only our intellectual class was ready to help in ending this fear. But no sir, it has become so complacent that everyone now dreads the fate that met the aforementioned governor before opening their mouth. Otherwise, it doesn’t take an Alvin Toffler to figure out that these changes cannot rob us of our faith, for that is an emotional matter, nor harm our country in any respect."
Farrukh sahib, 'complacent' is not the right word for the sensible fear of getting beheaded or shot to smithereens for something one does not fully understand. And the change that you see around you is likely to not only rob us of our faith but perhaps will rob us of who we are including our faith, and that is much more than an emotional matter. The fact is that the change is upon us, as it is upon everyone else in the world. It is unlikely that we can stop the change. We may be able to barricade ourselves in and try to hold the changing world outside but then it will need giving up the modern communication technologies. Science is now marching into the domain of faith and religion with confidence and starting to redefine how we humans think of our species, and beginning to challenge concepts at the core of all faiths. We are not going to be immune to this examination and whether we like it or not, it is going to happen faster than nearly all of us in Pakistan can envision.
Farrukh - Concise and to the point. Fear of change is a problem that has gripped Muslims for centuries and has gotten worst for us Pakistanis since somehow we chose to stay behind the world by not investing in our education but instead in war machinery (which itself is manifestation of exaggerated fears). The only solution is to break the cycle. We need to believe in and work hard for a better future by making a place for ourselves in the world rather than complaining about the rest of the world or fighting it every breathing moment of our lives.
Future of the Future: Yes this is one of the most difficult to accept and where we have to show conscious and continuous mental bravery.
Pakistan is a sinking ship. That's why even the PM of Pakistan told his countrymen to leave. I'm loving it. Pakistanis, please don't come to India. For God's sake.