This nation needs to grow up. We have a tendency of equating our favored leaders with saints. All their faults or shortcomings, or any incriminating(to us) habits, are white-washed and/or overlooked. This is ingrained into us from early years. It is beyond our mental grasp to envision that great men are human. For instance, hardly ever does a history book by a Pakistani author ever mention the fact that Muhammad Ali Jinnah used to drink. One understands how it may, in younger children encourage the habit of drinking, but what is surprising is that fully grown men are fed the same. Why is it so inconceivable that the man’s personal life or shortcomings may actually not take away from his “glory”, his achievements and the country he gave us? After the O level/ Matric and A level/Intermediate levels of education in this country, very few institutes actually emphasize study of the subcontinents history. Many of our derivations from our history are thus limited to the view of XYZ author with very little critical analysis on the reader/students part. I personally remember a History class where I was taught that the day in 1974 when Ahmedis were branded non Muslims by the constitution was a great victory for the Muslims/ Muslim clergy. I remember thinking of it as an awesome occurrence. Much later I realized how misplaced it was for me to feel glee where a constitution or law dictates something as personal as religion and whether someone is a believer or not.
The amazingly slanted version of history fed to us during our school and college years needs to be re-written, Muslim rulers were not saints, there were major imperfections there too. Mughals were not paragons of virtue, Ghazni demolishing Hindu temples not an act of bravery (or even ethical) and Gandhi wasn’t the anti-Christ. Please accept it, or atleast analyze tradition and narration with a modicum of common sense. Yes history is written by the victors, or the natives, but it serves a purpose other than self glorification. The altered version of history fed only breeds further the self superiority complex, which in turn leads us to cling on to our past achievements more than we should. On a related note, we need to get over our past too. It is not enough that our ancestors did great things; it’s about time we did some ourselves or built upon and furthered those achievements. As for blaming the previous two generations, they did what they did, get over that too.
Nobody is perfect. Get over Taseer’s drinking and Imran Khans “playboy” past. Instead of concentrating on their personal lives, and whether they down their pizzas with beer rather than Pepsi, why can’t you examine their public policy and conduct instead? There was a divide in the nation over the views concerning Salman Taseer’s murder. Interestingly however, more people were of the view that he “deserved to die” because he drank rather than the corruption allegations against him.
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| The saint and the sinner ? |
Another problem with us is our method of forming opinions and then airing them with the enthusiasm of a child on a sugar rush. Everyone has something to say about everything whether they really know enough about the subject or not. A few phrases catch on and everyone suddenly has the urge to air uninformed opinions. “Responsible media” is another favored catchphrase, but really, my dear enthusiastic Facebook-ers and bloggers, how is anyone of us being “responsible” when we air our unresearched and attractively revolutionary and leftist opinions? And no, going through a topics relevant Wikipedia page is not enough information on it.
Grow up, move on. We have a lot to be proud of, in the past and in the present and InshAllah will in the future too. However, it’s about time we face the facts and learn to think for ourselves. History is less exciting than fiction, but it is what it is, exaggeration of certain aspects of our past while skimming over the rest robs us of the learning and lessons that may be acquired from it. And yes, sounding knowledgeable is a useful talent, but actually knowing about something is so much better.
28 comments:
February 20, 2011 at 6:58 AM
Pakistan Zindabad!!=)
We surely do have a LOT to be proud of, only if we ever bother considering those things.
February 20, 2011 at 6:58 AM
Pakistan Zindabad!!=)
We surely do have a LOT to be proud of, only if we ever bother considering those things.
February 20, 2011 at 8:07 AM
i tell you why is it so hard to accept the short comings of celebrated leaders. you destroy a man's character, his personal character, and you end up doubting hi achievements. lets take your own example. Quaid e Azam used to drink, was not a sunni/shiite. next comes up this question that we hear so often, was Pakistan created fro Muslims or was it just a political game. you have 90% of the population believing Pakistan as a muslim fortress, u take that away from them sowing seeds od doubt that its reason of creation were as mundane as any other country's. its dangerous to do so. the best way to kill a nation is to doubt there leaders, belittle them. hence in wars the first places to be attacked are symbols of pride, to demoralize the nation. oh i remember something from dark knight, where joker intended Harvey to be destroyed in order to completely kill Gotham's spirit. its dangerous to tread on these grounds, be careful.. sometimes lies are sown to give a nation back its pride.. :)
February 20, 2011 at 8:14 AM
Thats where the growing up part really comes in, where person understands that flaws are part of a person and that they do not take away from their achievements, or atleast the relevance of these flaws to their achievements or lack thereof should be examined.
As for the Dark Knights example, if i remember correctly Harvey was destroyed to the extent that his affiliations and purpose became darker. Qauids drinking didnt take away from his brilliance or patriotism.
February 20, 2011 at 8:14 AM
And its about our nation based its pride on truth, learnt to be more accepting and got out of the shadows of its past.
February 20, 2011 at 8:15 AM
about time*
February 20, 2011 at 8:17 AM
Also, no countrys creation is "mundane" whether or not its creation was based on religious sentiments. History is less interesting than fiction. Get used to it.
February 20, 2011 at 8:41 AM
Loved it!
And this is precisely what I say...... We blame every possible entity of this universe for our circumstances except OURSELVES
February 20, 2011 at 9:47 AM
Well this nation is emotionally charged and emotions and sentiments is what majorly derives most of us. During Musharraf's regime everyone wanted him to step down adn when he did everyone felt "sorry" for him?? Benazir got sympathy votes, noone remembers her "services" otherwise. Doesnt take us too long to judge, to assume, to form a premature perception based on non-researched information.
February 20, 2011 at 10:42 AM
Nooooo...you shouldn't have written about this....it's an over-done topic :|
February 20, 2011 at 11:02 AM
Hey. Like the way you write.. but this time lost interest midway. Mostly cause it is really a much repeated topic for any and all "enlightened" bloggers. Sahi hay yar our nation has a lot to learn, so do many others. I am not much bothered or horrified by our nation escalating our leaders to the saint level. As long as they are a source of inspiration, awesome. Aj bhi a guy on a street says k yar daihko Quaid nay mulk banaya aur yeh log kha rahay hain. Means he respects him and perhaps the level of respect hi gives to Quaid will stop him from doing something that will harm his country. Good enough for me.
Secondly, you are being judgmental about people thinking Taseer deserved to die because he used to drink. Instead most educated people who support this view think that he deserved to die cause of what he said in public (Not that I support/not support this view).
February 20, 2011 at 11:36 AM
Very- well written, must say! here's my take on it:
Just like you pointed out the example in which we don't give respect to our motherland like goras do to theirs, and how we will behave when we are on their land..is a very superficial observation; i disagree that all of us are like that, there ARE good amongst us..think deeper why this is so.. a man is not born dumb, society shapes him like that! Im sure..if we have an adequate law and order system in our country, courtesy education.. we too would be like that, infact better!
I agree, the problems have become widespread because people like imran khan, who believe in changing themselves first and then, what's around them..are very few. For us to progress as a nation, this belief is imperative! Because otherwise we are easily deceived, become judgmental, emotional and don't ignore what we need to ignore. Only then, we can think of becoming independent and getting rid of the strings attached to our mind, body and soul!
Only if WE think we are destroyed, we are.
February 20, 2011 at 11:55 AM
I just edited this, I intended for it to be about history and how we treat it as a nation, and how we live in its shadow and slant it. And our requirement of senstaionalism.
February 20, 2011 at 10:45 PM
I agree with the blog to a great extent but we should stop mulling over the past and should look forward to bring changes while we can.
February 21, 2011 at 12:52 AM
well said - history is so grossly underrated that it's shocking.
good point on glorifying individuals too - it's a common problem in Pakistan,us looking for a messiah,whether it be Imran Khan in cricket or any of the many dictators we've had-commenters have linked our tendency to favor 'strong man' solutions versus long term development to our largely popular periods of military rule. This makes even more sense when you look at Hofstede's dimensions for Pakistan - 0 for long-term orientation,and a relatively high score for power distance (http://www.geert-hofstede.com/hofstede_pakistan.shtml).
I think that history is far more interesting than fiction - because you know it's real and you think, 'how the hell did that happen?', or 'they really DID that?!'? for example,zulfiqar ali bhutto standing up and tearing papers at the UN, or even something more recent like Maulana Aziz trying to escape Lal Majid wearing a burqa. Truth is stranger than fiction...
by the way,I have to disagree strongly with you on one thing - characterizing drinking as a personality flaw or shortcoming. yes, it's wrong. no,i don't don't do it myself and don't appreciate my friends doing it. but I wouldn't say it's a fault/shortcoming as you claim in the first paragraph. It's a reflection of personal choice. I struggle to think of an argument that proves that anyone who drinks is flawed,or that drinking is INTRINSICALLY a shortcoming. As Jinnah's example proves,many great men have done great good while drinking.
February 21, 2011 at 5:52 AM
@ Human, thank you, I like people who agree with me, n I do mention getting over our past in the post as you bring it up here.
@Nsahmed.
Thank you for introducing me to the Hofstedes dimensions, rather interesting peice of work they are. And i like the term Messiah here too, it sums up what i wanted to say.
History IS far more interesting than fiction, and not merely because its real or relatable. That being said, our penchant for sensationalizing the facts indicates that not everyone agrees.
Further, as for the drinking part, I previously uploaded this post with some parts which i later cut out because it took away from the focus on History in this post, warna i hold the same view as you do.
February 21, 2011 at 5:57 AM
PS. "...All their faults or shortcomings, or any incriminating(to us) habits,are white-washed" I intended drinking to be termed one of the incriminating habits to "us", "us" being the general populace.
Though for me too i guess, it took some lessons in life and seeing some more of the world that brought me to hold the stance i do now.
February 21, 2011 at 8:41 AM
the best so far!!kudos! :D
February 21, 2011 at 10:36 AM
really nice.. and the comments people have also given n expressed them selves also, like the spirit..
but u've touched on somethings that are realy personal, specially in the first paragraph, would'nt like to comment anything on that. may be someday we can have a personal discussion on that.
A.R
February 22, 2011 at 8:25 AM
Thank you AR.
Sure.
February 27, 2011 at 10:03 AM
i certainly have some major dis agreement with certain things you've written in the first paragraph like Mr.Jinnah use to drink n it continues till almost the end. i respect u a lot but i seriously think you've got this one wrong. i understand the point your trying to make by this blog, its good but the things written to guide the audience isn't rite. well since these things are personnel and wouldn't want to say anything here but definitely waiting for that personnel conversation.
A.R
n hey no hard feelings, we're just sharing knowledge here..
February 27, 2011 at 12:17 PM
You may disagree with my presentation of the matter or how i used it, but its a verified historical fact that Mr Jinnah consumed alcohol.
Umm, for a personal discussion, give me your email i guess.
March 1, 2011 at 1:10 AM
arshariff186@gmail.com
March 3, 2011 at 1:47 AM
arshariff186@gmail.com
A.R
March 4, 2011 at 12:42 PM
just a highlight for the rest of the audience here,
the statement you've given on Mr. Jinnah consuming alcohol.. here's a statement regarding it:
"There are some INDICATION that he used to drink a little bit. But surely no evidence once he started active political life in the late 1930s."
I've highlighted the word "indication" specially for a reason.. reason being that indication is not sufficent enough to proof that he did consume alcohol, and by International law INDICATION is not sufficent proof to charge some one guilty of an act or to give a statement on some one. so not only morally or ethiclly but also by LAW ur statement turns out to be false..
the rest of the issues which are more important than this can be discussed once u e-mail me.
please refer me to the place where you've read that there is SUFFICIENT proof that MOHAMMAD ALI JINNAH use to consume alcohol.
A.R
March 8, 2011 at 8:49 AM
i think JUSTIFYING is the fall of personal mastery! it's important to admit 'I SCREWED-UP!' & work towards not doing it in future and courage is not only standing up & voicing the right. It is also sitting down & listening to what you did wrong.
A.R
March 10, 2011 at 1:38 PM
You must have been very disappointed about the books being banned. What do you attribute it to?
I have never been given any reasons for the ban on Nine Hours to Rama. I might have come uncomfortably close to the truth when I talked about the criminal neglect of the Mahatma’s security. A number of groups opposed him—some even called him Mohammed Gandhi because his prayer meetings included the Quran.
A bomb exploded in Birla House grounds behind where he was staying some two weeks before the assassination. The police did interrogate a number of goondas, but did nothing to prevent further incidents. I think I came close to the truth. The head of the CID in Bombay—I had dinner in London with him years later—he said, "If I hadn’t sealed the documents myself, not to be opened in 50 years, I could have sworn you had read them".
As for Jinnah, Zia-ul Haq’s advisor on Islamic affairs said the book could not be released in Pakistan, as I talked about how Jinnah enjoyed alcohol and pork. A number of people asked me to delete those references so that the book could be published in Pakistan, but I didn’t. The ban was lifted in Benazir Bhutto’s first term, and the book is now in print in Pakistan (and in India).
http://www.rediff.com/news/mar/01nehru.htm
And in the book Jinnah of Pakistan by Stanley Wolpert, who is a respected authority on subcontinent history.
2. I didnot say he had a drinking problem, or when or how much he did it, it is more or less established fact that he did.
3. Personal attack are in bad taste and i would appreciate that if what i say offends you, dont read it.
Further, this is a forum to discuss opinions, not the author.
March 10, 2011 at 9:48 PM
yea i'm just posting my opinion here, no need to get so offended and as i said before "no hard feeling we're just sharing knowledge here". so i dont mind if u proof me wrong, at the end of the day knowledge is good and it comes in use somtime.
Mr. Jinnah consuming alcohol is a debatable topic, no hard proof behind it.
now on the second issue and i quote u"I personally remember a History class where I was taught that the day in 1974 when Ahmedis were branded non Muslims by the constitution was a great victory for the Muslims/ Muslim clergy. I remember thinking of it as an awesome occurrence. Much later I realized how misplaced it was for me to feel glee where a constitution or law dictates something as personal as religion and whether someone is a believer or not." by this do u actualy mean tht the govt of pakistan was wrong by doing this? if yes then read the constituion of pakistan. this is the islamic republic of pakistan, and a non-muslim cannot become the president of pakistan, if u think that was a wrong decision then u probably think the constituion of pakistan is wrong.
A.R
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