"Rising Above" - by Roman Ahsan

‘RISING ABOVE’

[PART II of FORSAKING THE ‘AMERICAN DREAM’]

By Syed Roman Ahsan

KEYWORDS: International isolation, survival, self-reliance, Pakistan, USA, Adaptation, NATO, technology, corruption, honesty, superpower, Unseen Divine Force

Published in PAKISTAN TODAY - ‘THE REVIEW’ – December 04, 2011

The game of survival is always challenging in dire straits. It is all about making adjustments and evolving along with the shifting circumstances. Perhaps one of the stories that best expresses this idea is ‘The Swiss Family Robinson’. First published in 1812, it is a novel about a Swiss family shipwrecked on a deserted tropical island. Forced to remain on the island the stranded folk start to explore the island and the wildlife, construct a house around a huge tree and slowly start building a life for themselves there. Pakistanis are perhaps more familiar with the American TV series that was aired in the 1970s. The threat of pirates, an uncertain future and other issues of survival ensured plenty of adventure stories for us week after week.

There are many moments in life when things do not always proceed as per our expectations and even all hell breaks loose. Yet we have to be smart enough to make careful choices of the solutions to fight a particular calamity or a series of calamities. Adaptation is an age old tradition. With the advent of winters we start wearing warm clothes and say goodbye to T-shirts. Similarly, when a man switches to a freelance home-based job after an extensive work experience in office, he has to adjust to altogether different schedules and get used to being in the same environment all day long with no respite.

Our country has been facing several years of persistent chaos that is seeing no end. We are perpetually confused about future strategies and particularly at this juncture, unsure about our survival as a nation if we break ties with the US. When we tune into the local TV channels, endless debates seem to be erupting everywhere. Do we really have a possible solution for this mayhem? Our plight is like that of amateur acrobats performing on a tight rope 100 meters above the ground without any provision of a net underneath to cushion their unexpected fall.

Independence is the dream we started with and where are we today? Pakistan is a country blessed with abundant natural and human resources. It is said if only our agricultural sector is adequately nourished with proper reforms, we could become self-reliant besides bringing in foreign exchange from exports. This does not however include ‘mango diplomacy’ to please those in the US government who are fooling us from day one. The cruel tongues that utter orders of invading other nations can never really be restrained by the sweet taste of mangoes. They perhaps need the fresh taste of more blood!

An attack on US embassy which kills US marines is taken as an act of aggression but the issue of scores  of innocent civilians being killed regularly in drone attacks in Pakistan is treated as if those deaths measure up to zero. Even the lives of 28 boys of Pakistani military do not matter who are shelled by a NATO helicopter crossing the Pakistani territory two-kilometers inside. The blind can also now clearly distinguish between our friends and foes but many in our country are still in a state of denial.

Gaining self-reliance is by no means an easy task, yet not an impossible one also. The time has come perhaps that we get out of the shackles of our association with a country we rate as a superpower forgetting that the only Superpower is the One God who provides us with sustenance even when we barely deserve it. It is a simple matter of faith over worldly reasoning. Germany was totally destroyed after WWII, but the Germans resolved to put the country back on the track. Their hard work has eventually made the nation economically sound.

It is often said that our projects could never materialize without the technological support of the United States of America. We prefer to close our eyes to situations where our people show brilliance in different fields. The cry that ‘all’ brains are leaving this country for better prospects abroad is exaggerated. Majority of the technocrats in this country have still chosen to stay back even when there seems to be fire all around. Also, a visit to the slums in this country can reveal striking phenomena. How about a small electronics store owned by a laidback engineer where his assistant assembles and manufactures 14” color TV sets by using the picture tube of a computer monitor? Being sold at a cheap price, these are as durable and functional as genuine TV sets. And how about a deaf man working since more than 40 years in the same firm, and currently designing sensitive technical equipments for clients in his current position of a design director?

The level of corruption in our country has been cursed since decades. The interesting thing is that this alarm is raised by the corrupt themselves also. Still it is not that much of a hopeless situation when you see an ordinary cobbler charging only 20 Rupees in these times for mending an expensive travel bag. Similarly, what can you say about a poor man who repairs watches going the extra mile in fixing your watch. The honesty level is no doubt rare here but if we stop talking about such cases and narrating their stories, then we are to be blamed only for our fate!

It is said that Pakistan should not aim for ‘international isolation’ in these times when we could gain from knowledge bank of the advanced counties. While this is true, but perhaps we only need to isolate ourselves from those nations that are creating havoc in this world through their wars and start thinking of forming alliances with a new set of countries that carry relative harmless designs against the outer world. We should also not forget that these are dangerous times when our national security is threatened by our enemies.

This world is just a mirage and everything in it is temporary. We are passing through a phase which has to ultimately end one day. We need to stand up and embrace our real values as Muslims and as Pakistanis. It is our God-given duty to contribute to the glory of ‘Land of the pure’. Before that however we have to trust in the Unseen Divine Force that transcends all powers. We should also not be afraid to cut down on our cosmetic living standards influenced by the artificial media hype and to adopt simpler lifestyles.

It is high time not just to cut off NATO supplies but to rise above any inferiority complexes that make us bow before oppressors. We can live without the ‘American Dream’!!