Yoked
to an Idea
Mohammad Ashraf Chaudhry
Pittsburg, CA
Asfhaq Ahmad in his homely style
narrates that once a man saw an elephant tethered
to a shaky wooden peg. The animal known for its
ponderous strength and size, circled around this
fragile stake endlessly. It annoyed the man greatly
who watched this game of willing bondage for some
time, until he could take it no more. He approached
the Mahut, the owner of the elephant, and asked
him. “Why on earth would this huge mass of
flesh and bones not even make a tiny effort to break
away from this unstable stake?”
The Mahut replied, “It would never, because
the animal is tied to the idea that he is forbidden
to move away from this place. It is the strength
of this idea or ideology that is keeping the animal
at one place. Otherwise no iron chain, and no sturdy
stake would have been strong enough to detain the
animal the way he is.
The strength of an idea is greater than many a mighty
army. Voltaire, the French satirist and dramatist,
the man behind the French Revolution, was once asked,
“What have you done for the French people”?
He tersely replied, “I made them think”.
In our sub-continent Allama Iqbal played that role.
Good ideology does not always serve as a force to
secede, but often acts as a cohesive means to wield
unity in elements that are in disarray. The risk
in playing with ideas is also equally great. The
Jihad concept in wrong hands, for example, became
the shame of the religion. It became an industry
in hands that were not sincere with the concept
and spirit of this sixth pillar. Thus, tainted and
tilted ideas when not supported by sincerity also
have the potential to backfire and play havoc.
American leadership and its people are governed
by the idea that America is beautiful and that America
is great. They make all efforts with the fullest
force at disposal to keep it so. Often their efforts
do not bode well with the rest of the world, but
for them America’s image supercedes all concerns.
In Pakistan, only those see it beautiful and great
who are in power. Their rhetoric changes tone the
moment power and perks say good-bye to them. To
quote Ashfaq Ahmad again, one of his nieces was
deadly poised against her mother-in-law and was
often at war with her. Once he tried to convince
her that if she exercised tolerance and became less
critical of the old lady, she would find her much
likeable. To this his niece replied that it was
just not possible to find a good thing in the old
lady, and that any kind of compromise with her was
impossible. The problem here was not that the old
lady was a jerk and lunatic; it was that his niece
had, somehow, managed to tie herself with the idea
that her mother-in-law was an incarnation of evil.
Most of us in real life, be it politics or religion
or human relations, behave like the afore-mentioned
elephant or Ashfaq Ahmad’s niece because we
end-up intrinsically yoking ourselves to some pre-conceived
ideas. We block our minds to any further adjustments
that often become inevitable in the wake of new
developments that take place as time passes and
life goes on. For us past is past and it can never
undergo a change.
The highest building in the town till last year
is no more the highest a year later because a new
sky-scrapper has emerged in the city. It has been
scaled down from number one to number two. Thus,
the present often does initiate a change in the
past. Nations that do so, prosper.
President Musharraf’s
recent move to free Asif Zardari is a step in the
right direction. It is good that he stopped thinking
like Ashfaq Ahmad’s niece in the story that
those who are in the bandwagon with him are good
and those who are blocking the way are bad. Reconciliation
rather than confrontation is the best option. He
appears to have risen many an inch higher in stature
by bending a little in his stance that all main
line leaders are living logos of evil. The country
would really be on its march to democracy when all
those leaders who are detained or are in exile begin
to see the progress which the country is definitely
making in its fight against extremism, and in its
efforts to improve the social and economic well-being
of the people.
According to one survey, more people can identify
the golden arches of McDonalds than the Christian
cross though 92 percent in America believe in God,
and every one in three people attends a place of
worship at least once a week. A general complaint
is that consumerism - the urge and drive to spend,
to acquire, to possess - is what is replacing faith.
To counter this, they have put their faith in practice.
Honesty, fair play, integrity of the consumer, “open
your heart by opening your wallet”, has greatly
improved their quality of life. The virtues of Faith
to a great extent have been subsumed in day-to-day
life.
We, on the contrary, are willing to spend millions
of rupees to seek the pleasure and forgiveness of
Allah, by making a journey for Umra during the month
of Ramadan, and get stranded there and then grease
the palm of those entrusted with the responsibility
to bring them back, and in the exercise lose all
the spiritual benefits; while millions in our immediate
surroundings, stay deprived of pure drinking water;
or of an access to a hospital when fallen sick,
or ever having enough to eat. Like the two pills
of Tylenol as an immediate recourse to get rid of
headache, we could not sell them the idea that Islam
warrants and ordains the well being and welfare
of our fellow-brothers as a pre-requisite for getting
closer to Allah. We just cannot by-pass the millions
caught in poverty and disease and seek His Will
and Qurbat through short cuts.
We have created the logo of a crescent, but have
failed to make it stand for the ideology that we
associate with Islam. The result is: there is lot
of rhetoric about Islam and its rituals; there is
no visible shape of its actual practice and presence
in real life. We know that it pleases God to listen
to His words when recited, but how many of us know
that they are basically addressed to humankind;
that they are for our guidance; that they are directed
to capture our soul with a force, with the express
purpose of purifying it, cultivating it, uplifting
it, balancing it, and last of all, transforming
it to a model of decency, kindness, tolerance and
justice. The slogan of Islam is not selling at home,
because people do not see Islam in their daily lives
anywhere.
Starbucks coffee sells and it had a 26% up surge
in profits last year because when it comes to having
a good cup of coffee, we find ourselves enslaved
like the elephant mentioned above to the idea that
good coffee means Starbucks. Gucci, Burberry and
Todd’s are selling high notwithstanding the
spiraling consumer debt. Brands are now new religion
because they have tied us tight to an ideology,
to a lifestyle and to a mentality. Brands sell,
besides a merchandise, a feeling too, or perhaps
a whole way of living and thinking.
A perfume, these days, is much more than a mere
scent, it promises serenity too, along with an adoring
partner and beautiful children. A packet of crisps
gives you the assurance of winning a whole entourage
of cool friends. A survey in 7,000 people in six
countries found that Shell oil logo, the Mercedes
badge and the five rings of Olympic games were recognized
far easily than the minarets of a mosque or the
cross of a church.
A recent visit to Pakistan revealed that the craze
for the brand names is far stronger there than it
is here in America. A Paktel Cell phone, a Toyota
Corolla chauffeured car and a high-tea in Marriott
delivers there in many ways. In politics, the MMA
enchased upon the symbol of a book during elections
as if it stood for the Holy Qur’an, and bagged
votes. Now, like the niece of Ashfaq Ahmad, they
are yoked to the idea that nothing good can be found
in President Musharraf’s governance. The president
has become the proverbial mother-in-law for them.
The President is tied to the idea that the security,
prosperity and the well-being of the country along
with the sustainability of the programs, he has
initiated and as he thinks they are good for the
people, is embedded in his staying in uniform. The
PML (N) and the PPP of Benazir Bhutto are yoked
to the idea that minus Nawaz Sharif and Benazir,
no government, not the least of President Musharraf’s,
is legitimate, and hence capable of delivering anything
good to the people.
People stand polarized on the basis of the ideas
they are tied to. Ideas like brands are guiding
their actions in life. Extremism in politics and
religion is the direct result of it. There is no
shortage in politics of Machiavellis, and there
is no dearth of Hasan bin Sabahs, busy in painting
their versions of political Princes and of Fardoos-e-Barees,
and the result is obvious. Awareness alone is the
answer.
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