Monday, September 8, 2014

Wheel of time

History repeats, and it repeats in ways that leave us astounded. It just feels to be a cycle. A vicious cycle. We are all cultured, taught, our thought processes structured to make the history repeat! When disruption is rebellion, history would repeat.

"Somethings need to change, for everything to remain the same"
- Lampadusa                                        

Naivety is to fail while trying - stupidity is to try the same thing again. When frustration, and a strong sense of social injustice is abound, it just needs someone to channel it. We can do wonderful things when hit hard to break the cycle, or we can do just another stupid thing to fall back in the same place. It takes time and effort to come out of poverty for a family. It takes a generation to toil, work hard to earn a better beginning for next generation. It takes decades to toil, work hard for a nation to earn better future.

Anger in our Pakistani society was once channeled to overthrow Bhutto's government because he allegedly and probably yes, rigged '77 elections. Public life in all major cities was brought to a halt. Government was gone. People took to streets, with lawyers, political parties for restoration of Chief Justice in '07 to '09 - and it all succeeded. It was to make judiciary independent, and to make the courts efficient in delivering justice to masses.

My question is, Did rigging stop after 1977? Did they fix the system so that once and for all, rigging can stop? I think, no. Is justice getting delivered since Chief Justice's restoration in March, 2009 to masses as swiftly? Apparently, no.

Each public uprising gets impetus from frustration of the defunct system of state which is designed to loot people's hard work and bless the aristocracy. But they were taken for a ride every time. Social injustice is far more than ever before. Basic life, two meals a day, decent education, affordable healthcare are much more out of reach of masses than ever before ... So, one may ask what was the change that the public uprisings brought?

Every public uprising brings one change. It adds one more class in aristocracy at the expense of others. In '77, it was the mullahs; latest addition is legal fraternity which has a license to break law, just because they are the custodians. Every Inqilaab or uprising to put it in a milder way, has added one more leech in the club of blood suckers i.e. aristocracy or ruling elite. One more deity to the house of gods that republic protects or is designed to protect.

My solution is to channel your energies and frustration to stand behind ones who are not there for their own ends. Would an aristocrat fight another aristocrat for social justice? Did they do it in '77? Did they do it in '07? History says no. History says it is always another mask on the same characters with a different name, and a different charm, and a distinct outlook to blind us of facts. There is no easy way out of big problems. Its easier to promise moon when the sky is cloudy. But it is difficult, when you can see moon, you know the way, the means it requires to get there, and then someone promises you that - That makes sense. 

It is only possible if our convictions are in ideas, principles based upon information, data which is dispassionate like black or white i.e. not tainted. We need to become dispassionate. We need to follow convictions, we need to STOP following personalities, we need to have 'reasonable' foundations of our convictions and an unshakable desire to achieve what we need to achieve, and not be part of a fight of aristocracy.

So ... let us see ... Will history repeat one more time?

Hum dekhain ge! 
Jab Arz-e-Khuda k ka'abay se
Sab but uthwaye jayein ge
Lazim hai k hum bhi dekhain ge!