Am I the only one who has wondered why everything revolves around something that has already happened or some claims regarding what the future would be like but no mention of what is going on currently.
Every time I read any urdu newspaper I wonder, politicians, education authorities, police, health .. basically all different groups have this “hum yeh karain gay.. woh karain gay” There is a whole page dedicated to these claims in Newspapers like Jang.. I usually laugh because no one follows up to see whether the claims ever actually materialize..
But is that just a reflection of our national mind set in general? That we cherish some glorious past.. have all these high ideas and plans/predictions for future, but little regard for the present?
You can see the pattern repeating itself right here on Gupshup. Read the posts in 'How to improve Pakistan', and you'll see what I mean...too many suggestions floating around, but has anyone ever DONE anything??
Us Pakistanis are a bunch of cheap talkers, not 'doers', which is really unfortunate.
Many of our miseries and disappointments in life could be easily overcome if we were to simply take note of what is happening around us in the present.
I think it is human nature to relish the glory that was once achieved by our ancestors or look forward towards what one dreams of accomplishing.
The truly wise ones are those that look at both the past and the present but as they relate to the present. It is the present that one needs to focus on to either improve upon or reach the future.
Antidote....I disagree that it is just the Pakistanis that behave in this fashion...the disease has permeated all ethnic groups.
I think 'past' is something that weakens the nation than binding it. USA is a country with just 400 years of history and it is most advanced nation in the world. With civilizations, younger the better. That is whuy Muslims won wars everywhere in the their first 3-400 years. But for Contantinopole defeat, Europe would have become Islamic. Then other civilizations had to change the ways and patterns to survive. Now Americans are ruling the world. If people do not adopt different strategies to either assimilate or counter the changes, coca-colization of the world is not far.
Interesting perspective Fraudia. I agree that harking back to the past can be counter-productive, although all countries talk up their own history and a certain amount of it is necessary. I remember in History classes we were always told that Britain hadn't lost a war since 1066. The important thing is that it doesn't affect the here and now.
I think the best way forward is to look at those countries that have succeeded in a short space of time like Japan and other Far Eastern nations.
Financial strength means a happy populace and we should study how countries like Malaysia have become industrialised while we have stood still. I like Malaysia as an example because it is one of the few muslim countries that has moved forward.
As for the Urdu papers, well I can't read urdu but I have been told that they tend to be saying something completely different to the English section. I know they have to write what people want to hear because they have their sales to consider, but I think they should be at least a bit responsible.
As they say, "those who can't learn from the past are forced to repeat it"
I also think that many of us are resistant to change, even when it makes sense if you think about it. Clinging to the past gives us security. Mental barriers are the hardest to break down.
Yes, harking back to the past gives us a chance to indulge in nostalgia but it also puts blinkers on us...
I have often had discussions with friends who speak about the glorious past and wonder how glorious it really was... if we were to go back and judge it by today's standards, would it really be that marvellous? I think some things might be good, especially for the lucky ones. Maybe we have more material security than our parents but I wonder about time available for others, values, priorities, things that I struggle so much with in my everyday life.
[This message has been edited by Shirin (edited September 30, 2000).]