Haroon Yazdani
09U0776
Money, class and power are the three hallmarks of the Pakistani society and each hallmark adds equally to the ever increasing disparity among the individuals of the country. These are what separate the rich from the poor, the higher class from the lower class, the influential from the mundane and the upper echelons from the downtrodden. Justice, merit and fair play are totally alien to the country and its citizens and this is adding to the misery and suffering of the people.
Phrases like “might is right” which were evolved in the 18th century, and are a thing of the past for the west, are still being widely applied here. A large section of the society living below the poverty line is deprived of all the facilities and privileges which the rich and the influential enjoy. This is the major problem of all the under developed countries which have population greatly outnumbering the resources available. This has led to the deterioration of the moral fiber of the majority of population and is hence leading to the destruction of the society. Although we have seen that all the countries where systems have been laid down and all the principles applicable have been adhered to have prospered in all fields.
Money, if defined literally, is known as medium that can be exchanged for goods and services and is used as a measure of their values on the market. But in our society it is far more commanding than its literal definition explains; something which a person living in a civilized society could never imagine. Unfortunately a typical style has evolved in our country where either people can survive on their connections or if they have a lot of illegal wealth to dole out. The latter being heavily in excess, by whatever means one is acquiring it, has shattered the integrity of every individual. Grease money, bribery, extortion money etc are a common sight and the concerned parties do not even feel ashamed in carrying out such ill practices rather they feel proud of it. The extent of the power of money can be realized from the fact that people are even willing to sell their faith for an extra tip. Everybody has heard the famous phrase that money is the root cause of all evil but I suppose that our society matches to a famous quote by George Bernard Shaw. He rephrases it and says “Lack of money is the root of all evil. “
The unequal distribution of wealth among the population has given birth to different class systems. It ranges from the elite to the lower inferior class. Rather than nipping it in the bud the wealthy and the powerful have escalated the issue and manipulated it to favor them in an attempt to set them apart from the masses. This as a result has given rise to discrimination on the base of class and social standing and it prevails unchecked and unquestioned with no near end in sight.
Quoting Abraham Lincoln, he says that “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power. “ The quote is true in all its sense. Giving someone power would be the best aid to judge his/her character, integrity, morality and ethicality. In our society sadly with power comes everything that is contrary to the traits of an honest and modest person. With power comes complete freedom of practice that is in a way you have the carte blanche. As a result there is rampant corruption and nepotism in all of the government department and agencies. Not even a single department can be said to be unaffected by this plague and it has extended its reach to respectable institutions of the country such as courts, education, healthcare and the parliament. The state of helplessness of an ordinary citizen can be well imagined from the fact that if a citizen reports a crime, which he/she is a party to, the police firstly do not feel that it is ‘worthy’ enough to be investigated upon. If god forbid they do believe that it is worth investigating upon the investigation never finishes. And if somehow, one way or the other, the case ends up in a courtroom it would take a lifetime to reach upon a final decision. But all this can be easily avoided if one has enough briefcases full of paper or the right friends in right places.
Being well connected is not a sin but being born and living an ordinary man’s life is one. This is the common perception of the so called upper or even to some extent the middle class. I have had the ‘honor’ of having friends who are well connected and enjoy a good personal rapport. Upon a discussion with them relating to my experience of getting my NIC made, they were completely shocked by the fact that I woke up at 8AM in the morning and stood in the long queue outside the office waiting for my turn. They consider it to be a taboo or more appropriately they do not want to belittle themselves standing in the queue with people inferior to them. They even boasted about how they were treated like VIP’s, how it took them less than 5 minutes to get the job done, how it took them less than 10 days to get their NICs and what amazed me the most was that one of them did not even visit the office. His card was made and delivered at his home. Thanks to the connections.
09U0776
Money, class and power are the three hallmarks of the Pakistani society and each hallmark adds equally to the ever increasing disparity among the individuals of the country. These are what separate the rich from the poor, the higher class from the lower class, the influential from the mundane and the upper echelons from the downtrodden. Justice, merit and fair play are totally alien to the country and its citizens and this is adding to the misery and suffering of the people.
Phrases like “might is right” which were evolved in the 18th century, and are a thing of the past for the west, are still being widely applied here. A large section of the society living below the poverty line is deprived of all the facilities and privileges which the rich and the influential enjoy. This is the major problem of all the under developed countries which have population greatly outnumbering the resources available. This has led to the deterioration of the moral fiber of the majority of population and is hence leading to the destruction of the society. Although we have seen that all the countries where systems have been laid down and all the principles applicable have been adhered to have prospered in all fields.
Money, if defined literally, is known as medium that can be exchanged for goods and services and is used as a measure of their values on the market. But in our society it is far more commanding than its literal definition explains; something which a person living in a civilized society could never imagine. Unfortunately a typical style has evolved in our country where either people can survive on their connections or if they have a lot of illegal wealth to dole out. The latter being heavily in excess, by whatever means one is acquiring it, has shattered the integrity of every individual. Grease money, bribery, extortion money etc are a common sight and the concerned parties do not even feel ashamed in carrying out such ill practices rather they feel proud of it. The extent of the power of money can be realized from the fact that people are even willing to sell their faith for an extra tip. Everybody has heard the famous phrase that money is the root cause of all evil but I suppose that our society matches to a famous quote by George Bernard Shaw. He rephrases it and says “Lack of money is the root of all evil. “
The unequal distribution of wealth among the population has given birth to different class systems. It ranges from the elite to the lower inferior class. Rather than nipping it in the bud the wealthy and the powerful have escalated the issue and manipulated it to favor them in an attempt to set them apart from the masses. This as a result has given rise to discrimination on the base of class and social standing and it prevails unchecked and unquestioned with no near end in sight.
Quoting Abraham Lincoln, he says that “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power. “ The quote is true in all its sense. Giving someone power would be the best aid to judge his/her character, integrity, morality and ethicality. In our society sadly with power comes everything that is contrary to the traits of an honest and modest person. With power comes complete freedom of practice that is in a way you have the carte blanche. As a result there is rampant corruption and nepotism in all of the government department and agencies. Not even a single department can be said to be unaffected by this plague and it has extended its reach to respectable institutions of the country such as courts, education, healthcare and the parliament. The state of helplessness of an ordinary citizen can be well imagined from the fact that if a citizen reports a crime, which he/she is a party to, the police firstly do not feel that it is ‘worthy’ enough to be investigated upon. If god forbid they do believe that it is worth investigating upon the investigation never finishes. And if somehow, one way or the other, the case ends up in a courtroom it would take a lifetime to reach upon a final decision. But all this can be easily avoided if one has enough briefcases full of paper or the right friends in right places.
Being well connected is not a sin but being born and living an ordinary man’s life is one. This is the common perception of the so called upper or even to some extent the middle class. I have had the ‘honor’ of having friends who are well connected and enjoy a good personal rapport. Upon a discussion with them relating to my experience of getting my NIC made, they were completely shocked by the fact that I woke up at 8AM in the morning and stood in the long queue outside the office waiting for my turn. They consider it to be a taboo or more appropriately they do not want to belittle themselves standing in the queue with people inferior to them. They even boasted about how they were treated like VIP’s, how it took them less than 5 minutes to get the job done, how it took them less than 10 days to get their NICs and what amazed me the most was that one of them did not even visit the office. His card was made and delivered at his home. Thanks to the connections.
Wonderful work Haroon. Exactly my thoughts relating to money in this society. Money should not determine your status. It also should not have an impact on one's personality. That is why from an islamic point of view it is encouraged to live in simplicity, to avoid a 'lavish' lifestyle, so that we can all live in equality. However, unfortunately that is not the case in pakistan, infact the opposite. Very disappointing indeed.
ReplyDeleteHaroon i encourage you to get this article printed and published, especially to make the newer generation(youth) realise, also adults.
This is an Islamic country, yet we fail to follow basic Islamic principles - to live in simplicity, ensure there is equality in individuals, to be treated with fairness and kindness.
I encourage you to share this article with as many people as possible.
Well done
Mavra Farooqi
Fabulous work, you have drew a true picture of our society.Very concise and focused writing. You are right, values from our society are vanished. This would take at least a generation to make things right. We have to start from grass root level, by changing our education system which should teach values to our children, after all they have to look after this country. Other wise it could only be done, by a big blood shed revolution. So Haroon Excelent work, keep it up.
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