Of water cars and earwax

Let me start with a Nobel story, since it’s the thing everyone has been talking about. Last year, sometime in midsummer, there was an indigenous technology that rallied the country. Some called it Nobel worthy. Not sure in what category or discipline, but that was besides the point. Many in the federal administration were excited and provided their full support. Ministers with an army of cameras followed every move of the inventor. Even some of our esteemed scientists felt that we have finally been able to break all shackles — also known as the laws of Physics — that have held us back for so long. Good riddance! The laws of physics and chemistry are meant to be broken, I was told. But the water car, despite its extensive media coverage, did not create complete energy independence as it promised. It failed to deliver, but it succeeded in exposing our gullible society.

As the discussion of another, and perhaps, more serious Nobel heated up last month, we once again exposed our collective wisdom. Nadeem Farooq Paracha penned an extraordinary satirical piece in Dawn on Malala Yousufzai on October 10 and ‘exposed’ the real story with ‘real pictures’ and facts. The discussion on getting DNA by earwax is a stroke of genius. Overall, it is an exceptional piece of work. It was meant to show, in my opinion, the absurdity of the arguments many have made against the giant conspiracy against Pakistan. Yet, to the shock and horror of many, many in society, including some politicians, used it to strengthen their vitriolic arguments against Malala and all things associated with her. It was stunning to see that the social media was abuzz with people, including some politicians, using it as ‘evidence’ against Malala and in support of the giant conspiracy. The article by NFP was funny, the reaction was terrifyingly sad.

Nobels aside, we have to do some serious introspection here. What, if any, measure of rigour or sanity do we have? In our world of black and white, deep love and extreme hatred, why do we continue to fool ourselves and reach a new low? We have to ask ourselves two basic questions. One, what measure or yardstick do we use to put people on the pedestal of national saviour or dethrone them to the deep hollows of hatred? Second, and perhaps, a more important question is that do we even consider this to be a problem?

While the rupee may have slipped against the dollar, the stock of gossip and conspiracy is doing pretty well. It is at an all-time high. This stock will continue to rise until we ask ourselves some very basic questions based on rationality and reason. In a society where research is considered a luxury, rigour is unnecessary, arguments based not on proofs but emotions, and broad-based higher education equated with pro-West liberalism, we have a long way to go before we can have national discourses that tackle real issues.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 5^th, 2013.

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