The power of one
More than the man whose death orphaned our nation once again, or the man that provided shelter to thousands of orphans over the years, or our ‘messiah’, Abdul Sattar Edhi was a humble, yet immensely powerful testament to the power of one. He began his struggle all alone, in his limited capacity all those years ago, by simply help whomever he could. Remarkably, though his personal financial condition did not improve much over the decades – he remained a selfless man happy to survive on mere subsistence – he was able to build an empire out of service to the lesser privileged; an unparalleled achievement not just in Pakistan, but the world over.
Men like Edhi are indeed rare. Like that other rarity, Mother Teresa, it turns out that the soul that directly touched thousands and helped and inspired hundreds of millions did not have more than a couple of sets of ordinary clothes as his earthly belongings. That, especially, is what makes Edhi arguably the best Pakistani ever.
He had no political ambition, though a man of his stature and respect could have held many offices if he had wished. And he had no lust for personal gain. It say a lot that invariably those he helped ended up living better than he chose for himself. Pakistan is obviously the poorer after his sad departure. We have become a surprisingly selfish society. With a senseless war raging, and the state unable to provide even basic security of life to all its citizens, a certain amout of paranoia and sense of self-preservation is understandable. But with Edhi’s healing touch no longer binding the nation together spiritually, Pakistan as a whole risks becoming a much darker place. We do not have many more who believe in or can exercise the power of one. With Edhi an ideal has gone forever.