While the rest of the world progresses, our nation simply moves towards deterioration
“Light aa gai” is the happiest phrase here in this part of the world where we exist. ‘Exist’ would be just the right word to define our situation. We don’t grow, we don’t progress, we merely exist. Thanks to the meagre amount of electricity that we are left with. As a nation, we are far from progressing simply because our young ones are unable to spend time in scholarly activities (studying for exams, exploring scholarship opportunities and planning their career). All their time and energy is consumed by allotting the six hours of electricity we get each day. Six out of 24 hours – without exaggeration!
This has been the situation since the past two days. I, being a professor to undergraduate students, am in a fix. On the one hand, my responsibility includes introducing students to use online journal articles and teaching them how to submit a paper in APA format. On the other hand, how is it even humanly possible for them to surf the internet and type out a paper when there is no electricity? All around the world, students at the undergraduate level are expected to meet all these demands and they are more than capable to do it. Our university works just like an American university. With only one difference, our children barely have access to electricity.
Let’s consider another international trend. Worldwide, scholars have mostly gone paperless in order to protect the trees; they use online textbooks and study resources which one can buy easily. I also email my students some of the helpful websites and study materials frequently, but what good is it if they can’t access it?
Last week, I announced in my class that an assignment was due. The assignment included finding supporting peer reviewed journal articles on various issues within health psychology. The students were excited about looking up journals and flipping through articles hoping that one day their articles might also land up there. A few days later, I announced the assignment. However, the electricity situation started deteriorating. Each day we would have less ‘electricity’ time and more time without electricity. It started with 10 hours of electricity and dropped down to only six hours. Eventually, the students got in touch with me and requested me to postpone the assignment or simply amend it in a way that reading a journal article online and submitting a typed paper would no longer be mandatory.
“What? That screws the entire idea of the assignment. We’re doing a 400 level course here. It’s not a joke,” called out a voice from within me. I sat and began to analyse the situation more rationally. Indeed, how could I expect the students to complete computer-related tasks when they had no electricity back home? But at the same time if I did not introduce them to all these things how would they be at par with students in other parts of the world? Clearly, I’d want them to be as efficient and as up-to-date as students anywhere else in the world, but with the limited resources that they’re left with, this seems perhaps too far-fetched an idea.
Nonetheless, I wanted to reach a safe conclusion for the students so I extended the deadline and asked them to spend extra time on campus (on our campus, the computer facilities run till late in the evening). There we go! Problem solved for that class (roughly 20 people).
My mind did not cease to work though. I continued thinking about the countless students all around Pakistan. All the smart children who neither can reach their full potential nor can they invest time with their books. I thought of all the students appearing in their O Levels, A Levels, Matric and Intermediate exams this year. Most of them would probably be off from their schools for ‘preparation leave’. What preparation leave, I wonder. Preparation to deal with undue stress? According to Shelly Taylor, a situation of this calibre which is negative, uncontrollable, unpredictable, ambiguous and continues for days is detrimental both physically (as your immune system is suppressed) and psychologically (as it leaves you feeling not just helpless in the given situation but also hopeless about the future).
While I was teaching the chapter on stress to my health psychology class, I noticed that the American textbook which I use as the main course book (in an attempt to impart international level quality education) had no reference to ‘no electricity’ as a stressor. Even while listing examples of frustration (which is a type of stress in which your pursuit of some goal is thwarted) to my introduction class, the best I could come up with was “Consider the stress that you experience when you have a deadline for your assignment, but no electricity to actually work on it”. I could see all 40 heads nodding in agreement. Who else could relate to this example more than them? No American or British textbook could even think about coming close to this one.
While the rest of the world progresses, our nation simply moves towards deterioration. The only ones unaffected by this situation are the ones whose homes never run out of electricity. They are the few privileged ones that can move up the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and reach the ‘self-actualisation’ stage i.e., reach their full potential. For the masses, however, life has simply come to a standstill. We’re stuck at the lowest level of hierarchy with our very basic needs unmet. Sadly, there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel.
The writer is a faculty member of the Psychology Department at the Forman Christian College University.
This is a well written article, and story of our life these days in Pakistan everybody is suffering due to the shortage of electricity. People nave started to have nervpus brek downs along with other psychological problems. .The hourly mischief and tinkering with current has created tremendous void and disconnect of active life.
In this modern age and age of progress and plenty we are facing scarcity of electricity. What is theroot cause of this huge deficit in this vital source. ? Perhaps no one has the time to investigate the whole drama. The lack of money or lack of proper planning , and production of electricity.
The political fall out of this crisis will tell us the real reasons behind the onspiracy to throw us back into stone age , and days of cave living. The corruptiion and theft of this source can itself bear as a witness to this shortage.
The teachers and students are the worst hit section of our society. The students are obviously at disadvantage and can not make up for the lost time. I was typing this comment to commend the writer for her wonderful job. when the electricity disruption happened and i steadily kept on typing on the battery operated computer..
if we dig further we wil find circular debt problem involved in this menace as well. Most of the crises are the result of our economic downturn..
All are woes are are based on the economic situation which has deteriorated further.
Let us throw out the people involved in the deteriorating situation.
JAVAID BASHIR
LAHORE
Anita! it is a very nice specimen on one of the most serious problems of our country……and an exquisite blend of psychology and real life. it highlights implications of power shortage on the psyche of students as well as on their studies. i really liked your profound analysis of the situation we as a nation are in. and then your comment on thwarted potentials of majority of our young ones thanks to meager opportunities for self-actualization, is really thought provoking………the sentence somewhat like: 'we merely exist struggling with our basic subsistence needs' is the terrible reality of our society.
China with its technological prowess could set up a big gas plant at the recently take over Gwadar port and solve Pakistan's chronic power woes.It can at least hep mitigate the distress partly.
Excellent article, highlighting what the masses are experiencing around the country, It's a great struggle for all against overwhelming odds, particulary for the less privileged. However, the flames of true passion and true talent can never be put out, they will always overcome any obstacles in life and we Pakistanis are a proof of this, with meagre resources at our disposal, we get on with life and we improvise to the best of our abilities. It is also this great struggle, which makes us stronger and ignites our passion for a better and a prosperous Pakistan. And inshallah, this day will come soon.
"We stumble and fall constantly even when we are most enlightened. But when we are in true spiritual darkness, we do not even know that we have fallen."
When I first read the headline and saw that the author was a woman, my thoughts went to Malala. I feared for Anita. As I read, I kept hoping that Anita is not going to antagonize the mullahs. The more I read, the more tact, wit, bravery, and scholarship from Anita came through. In a country where batti is gul, women like Anita are the light at the end of tunnel.
Message to Pakistani rulers: Use the neuclear program for power generation and let there be light for the students. Else, the world will think you are like Saddam Hussiain- fake!
So, students of FCC were excited about Journals and load shedding screwed their ambitions. Funny.
Huh…finally got some electricity at my home so read this article. It completely reflects the condition of Pakistani students…Now I should better go and work on my activity and assignment for tomorrow's class before the lites are gone again. Not funny, its miserable.
So true…… Poor Pakistani souls. Just when I was reading this article the light went away and there was a smile on my face a smile of misery…. 🙁
I believe the current situation of Pakistan is severely affecting all spheres of life but fortunately our students use it as a lame excuse to avoid consequences of not fulfilling the course/assignment requirement. However, it is true that present electricity problem is perplexing healthy and strong academic habits. Only we can hope to find the solution of this damaging issue.
Very good Ma'am. You said all true. Stay very happy nd blessed. We can only hope and pray that one day each and every thing will be fine here. Amin
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