think pad
On pessimism and melodrama... and our love for it
By Sassi Farouk

Recently, embroiled in a heated discussion regarding the prevailing political conditions of Pakistan, a friend remarked that I was too pro-government. "People will tear you apart," he said, referring to my 'pro-government' articles published in an English daily. That had me thinking. Why is it that the people love an issue? Why do we love to criticize and oppose? Why have we alienated ourselves from tolerance and optimism?

The answers that came to me were deeply saddening. If we ever take out a few precious moments to analyze our society rationally, and with a critical eye, it will be evident immediately that as a society, we stand on the edge of pessimism, propaganda and useless melodrama. Pointing fingers at one another, hurling accusations, our unabashed and brazen eyes are constantly belittling one another. We find it very convenient to curb anyone down physically and mentally, and feel no need to seek exculpation for our comments or actions. On the whole, we have become numb, indifferent and deeply, deeply cynical.

Looking at the political front, we exercise such irrational and profound callousness towards our government and the establishment authorities that it is alarming. True, in the past we have not had very good experiences at the hands of our political leaders, but we do need to place our trust in them now as given the wide scale economic growth and development, it is evident that the country is being steered in the direction that will lead us towards prosperity and success as a nation.

Being satirical is no hard task; anyone can do that. In fact, it seems to be the only thing our people are good at. Almost everyone is ready to point a finger at the establishment authorities, but very few are there to laud their efforts or work up some constructive criticism, instead of indulging in useless allegations. It seems like people here have nothing better to do!

The acutely sardonic and derisive approach that we have adopted towards almost everything is by no means the solutions towards our problems. In order to bridge the gap that currently exists between the various factions of the society as well as between the masses and the establishment, we need to shun all feelings of hostility and overcome the discrepancies that are tearing us apart as a society.

Talking of pessimism, it is too common a phenomenon among us. Although there are several driving factors and issues that have fuelled this fire, it is not justified. Generally speaking, we love an issue, any issue, to propagate and exploit, and we seem to find a sensual thrill in any melodrama, be it political, social or religious. Our people have become so prone to augmenting useless controversies that I am sure, with the publication of this article, there will be many writing to Us, commenting that it is, in fact, me who is 'pessimistic' and unable to see the brighter side of the picture. Now, now! That's not so. In my humble opinion, the bright side that exists is a rather obscure and hazy one, given our misdoings.

Highlighting my purpose for writing this seemingly useless piece of document is clear; I want to reflect upon the fact that we need to utilize all our energies to fight the negativity of our thoughts and actions, and need to make way for pure feelings of passion that is needed in this age of quandary.

We dwell in difficult times, and the world is now brimming with controversies. It is high time we indulge in the enhancement of our societal norms and ethical values that we seem to have forgotten.

We need to understand the importance of being patient denizens. For a change, instead of criticism for the sake of criticism, we should try to be supportive of our leaders. Is it too much to ask?