The year 2010 will always be remembered as the year in which the hit American TV series Lost ended. As the curtain fell on six long years of a sci-fi survivalist extravaganza, the show had attained cult status across the world with critical acclaim and popular success for its spiritual and mythological underpinnings. The series tells the story of various individuals and groups of people after a passenger plane crashes on a mysterious tropical Island. The series finale, simply titled The End, was perhaps one of the most important events of this year, especially for one columnist who followed the show religiously since its pilot in 2004. Now that the show is over, reality finally sinks in to reveal that life in Pakistan is not very different to being a castaway. Indeed, the shows central premise of struggle and deliverance resonates deeply with our citizens and may even fuel our resolve to survive.
The good ship Pakistan has been through a rough patch in the past year and it would be great to feel upbeat about the future. However, as we approach the fag end of the twenty first centurys first decade, we turn the corner to find there are no Harold Macmillans to tell us we never had it so good. No golden age, no drum rolls, no confetti showers. We dont even get the dainty students to hand us a bouquet. Instead, we find ourselves adrift in a sea of political and economic troubles where the course is charted by violence, terrorism and natural disasters. While we wait for a competent navigator to steer the country out of troubled waters, it would help us as a nation if we became less reactive to our problems and more pro-active about resolving them. In the aftermath of the earthquake, and more recently the floods, one would assume that our government would do a better job of making society and its settlements more resilient to upheavals. Even in the case of terrorist attacks, security is always beefed up after an unfortunate event occurs.
If you thought that all these travesties would cause the government and citizens to be more responsible, then you would be wrong as the nation has forgotten how to actively address its grievances. Instead, the only salvo for the vicissitudes of life in Pakistan seems to be the ubiquitous television set and irritating evening talk shows. Quickly replacing religion as the opiate of the masses, our talk shows are perhaps responsible for subduing and misdirecting the nation. When not being entertained by cross dressers or some vulgar song and dance from across the border, it seems the nation is addicted to watching a bunch of political sycophants duke it out before the news at nine. The guests, presenters and their arguments are so trite and formulaic that it would surprise one to actually hear an informed discussion which resolves issues instead of confounding them even further.
2010 exacted a heavy toll on the citizens of Pakistan and no wandering gypsy can foretell what the New Year has in store for us. As long as public attention stays riveted on sensationalism or on dealing with problems after they occur, we will continue to attract a reputation amongst the global fraternity as a nation that never learns. Perhaps the poet Kahlil Gibran had Pakistan in mind when he penned Pity the Nation.
Pity the nation that is full of beliefs and empty of religion.
Pity the nation that wears a cloth it does not weave, eats a bread it does not harvest, and drinks a wine that flows not from its own wine-press.
Pity the nation that acclaims the bully as hero, and that deems the glittering conqueror bountiful.
Pity a nation that despises a passion in its dream, yet submits in its awakening.
Pity the nation that raises not its voice save when it walks in a funeral, boasts not except among its ruins, and will rebel not save when its neck is laid between the sword and the block.
Pity the nation whose statesman is a fox, whose philosopher is a juggler, and whose art is the art of patching and mimicking.
Pity the nation that welcomes its new ruler with trumpeting, and farewells him with hooting, only to welcome another with trumpeting again.
Pity the nation whose sages are dumb with years and whose strong men are yet in the cradle.
Pity the nation divided into fragments, each fragment deeming itself a nation
Clearly we have gone astray as a nation over the years and perhaps one did not need to spend six years doting on a show when reality in Pakistan tends to be much stranger, and more perilous, than fiction. As long as we stay together and keep our federation strong, we may have a hope of being found. Hopefully by then it will not be too late.
The writer is a consultant on public policy.
