Can we change our ‘hate’ mindset

Every time I type in the above title for a Google search, the credit goes to Ms Siddiqa who used the same title.

Something is amiss in our topsy-turvy world. Almost all recent surveys of repute show an overwhelming majority of Pakistanis strongly supportive of the military (read army) as the most credible entity in the country. Our opinion-makers and the intelligentsia, however, like to make you think otherwise. In fact, having dabbled into this world of academic elites following a few decades of dumb military occupation, I see and sense a certain below- the-surface seething ‘hate-military’ mind-set. Not that the military is a holy cow of any measure. My thoughts still go out to the thousands who plod their way through their daily military jobs, trying to better themselves in their professional pursuits, unaware that while they risk their lives on a daily basis, there are out there, among their brethren, a few who use their finger skills in punching uninhibited abuse and venom against a profession that by all counts, to those who indulge in it, is nothing but a matter of pride and national service.

We as a society need to relearn tolerance. We claim a sacrosanct commitment to virtues of democracy, but cannot stand a difference of opinion. We propound civility but gutter mentality lowers us to the level of abuse and violence almost as soon as debate begins. We have no qualms in shedding blood and smothering it all over in the vigilante goodness that we presume for ourselves; reminds of the cold-blooded killing of the two brothers in Sialkot. We are self-righteous to a fault but are unwilling to grant another his belief. We doubt everyone else and all in our vicinity. Simply, we are a scared people fearful of our own shadows. We work ourselves to a frenzy, and psyche ourselves into aggression at the first sign of discomfort. This is a serious ailment. And, it hasn’t spared anyone in our midst, educated or not.

Tailpiece: My article on Bangladesh’s impressive socio-economic turn-around in the October 21 issue of The Express Tribune, got titled “Can we change our ‘hate-India’ mindset?” through some editorial wizardry and became a source of some entirely unnecessary ruckus, roping in responses from some of our journalist luminaries. Had the original title to the article, “Bangladesh model? Which one?” been retained, it would have appeased all quarters who would have noted that I was actually urging us to take on the Bangladesh model II. My only refrain is that every time I now type in the above title for a Google search, the credit goes to Ms Ayesha Siddiqa who used the same title for her piece. So someone stole my credit. I must, though, commend Ejaz Haider for standing up in support of free expression and independent opinion. As for rambling, all I can say is, “flip-over the page and move on”. There is always good sense in letting be.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 1^st, 2010.