Our culture and history has always glorified individuals and not institutions
The romance with Imran Khan is not entirely a new phenomenon. People had a similar, and many would assert a more profound, devotion for ZAB before him. We can go on tracing such larger than life figures that were held up as demigods by their followers. I do appreciate that there are many who simply shun the existence of any such romanticism and label it as farce. Some of them are his political rivals, so their attitude is understandable. As for others, there is no plausible explanation for their bittersweet denial, save for they must behave this way. Let them follow their noses, only to be knocked down and slanted.
The Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) supporters are in essence Imran Khan’s loyalists. Apart from a few exceptions they do not care two hoots about the rest of the opportunists in his party. The inclusion of those has disgruntled some of the passionate workers and there is a considerable dissent within the party. For the outsiders though, the Tehrik projects the united front. Their call is simple: cometh the elections, cometh the Kaptaan. Regardless of how that may turn out, even if their version materialises, people are going to get very disappointed once the man is in office. Obama’s first term is an indicator. Tony Blair faced a similar reaction with New Labour many years ago. People’s hopes are exponentially raised by the pre-election rhetoric, only to be dashed later on by constraints of the political office. If disappointed, we will then convince ourselves that he did deliver by applying the convoluted backward reasoning we are so apt at. Much like we did with ZAB and all the rest before him.
Our reverence for individuals has been imported from religion, transferred to culture and then clumsily heaved into politics. We have grown up reading and listening about the devotion the companions had for the Prophet (SAW). Religion is an integral part of our social conditioning and more so our worldview — the basis of which is our imagination. Such tales capture our imagination from a very young age. Visit a shrine today and you will find traces akin to once-imagined-prophetic-devotion. Even with a cultural spin on it, this dedication to our saints is by and large good and neutral. It becomes bad and ugly when it is shoved into politics. The political gaddis are bizarre examples of such a politico-religious abuse. For their followers the Makhdooms and Pirs epitomize Nietzsche’s Superman. What reverence!
Any surprises if variance of such romance is attached with the political leaders. It is the same religious-cum-cultural mind, having been conditioned thus, that transposes such a reverence into politics. Pick up any leader and he has his own cult. That leader for them is the first among equals. Call them silly or naive but hero worship, readers, is not unique to Imran Khan. Every set of followers can give you as many reasons for their fidelity to their leader. The reasons cited, more often than not, will be utterly independent of the merits of their hero. Same is the case with Imran Khan’s followers or that of Nawaz Sharif’s on the other side of the fence, much like that of ZAB’s before them.
People justly render unto their leaders what is theirs (they deserve) and they also generously render unto their leaders what is God’s (they do not deserve). We choose to make them heroes and we decide how we wish to see them. Don’t get me wrong, our heroes are no cocoons but their stature is inflated many folds. To an extent, we forget these are only humans we are talking about. However, if I may, the buck does not really stop here. Our indulgence with hero worship is because of our culture and history that has always glorified individuals and not institutions.
We don’t need more heroes who are placed on higher pedestals and their stories made grand, much less do we need another line of heroes with a last name: a Sharif or a Bhutto. With apologies, but enough is enough.
William James pointed out “The greatest discovery of my generation is that they can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of minds.” Real and sustainable change in our country can only come about if we become the very change we seek. We do not need a Godot to engineer our transformation. Imran Khan or any other hero, however noble his ambitions, does not carry any magical wand. Things are only going to take a turn when we all agree to it and then follow it up with action. Our political leaders can then ride the high tides and look pretty. At any rate in Pakistan, our leaders, if not passive, are mostly responsive anyway.
The less kind correlate our hero worship with collective indolence. The invented myths concerning our heroes and their fictitious qualities are merely comforting thoughts. Our delusion keeps us merry which is an excuse to keep waiting for payambar to miraculously appear on the horizon. Alas our urge is satiated only by humbug. We will pray but we will not tie the camel. Tolstoy perhaps had us in mind when he wrote there are two sources of all vice: inactivity and speculation.
The writer works freelance.