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An inconsequential ramble

Solomon2

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Dec 12, 2008
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The survival instinct works wonders. It is a small price to pay — perhaps even an irrelevancy really — if a diseased mind, in its quest for survival, or mental tranquillity and equilibrium, creates a reality for itself that, to outsiders, appears to be based on a lie
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Is there such a beast as a ‘national characteristic’ or a ‘national trait’?

The Germans are much admired for their fiscal prudence, and the Swiss for financial probity. The Japanese are famous for being polite and the Chinese supposed to be inscrutable (whatever that may mean). Napoleon once contemptuously referred to the English as ‘a nation of shopkeepers’. But I suppose they are better known for social and political discipline (the oft-quoted example being patiently standing in queue awaiting their turn). In the same vein, the Scots are considered dour and tight-fisted, Latinos mercurial and temperamental, and the Americans brash and unsophisticated, etc, etc.

In principle though, one should be wary of such generalisations concerning a people. For, genetically, we are all, more or less, products of the same biological template, with only minor variations. And, as a species, we humans do not exhibit much of what is technically called ‘phenotypic plasticity’.

That said, it may well be the case that such convenient wholesale labelling may be more than merely a mythical construct. It may reflect some kind of a statistical cultural reality, even if originally the label was of the popular media manufactured kind. Then, over time, culture, with its propensity to feed upon itself in a powerfully reinforcing manner, turns myth into social reality. For, individuals do exhibit such traits. Then, if a statistically significant number of them in a country adopt those traits — for any reason — the label sticks.

So, in this context, and with all its severely limited utility (if at all any) as a conceptual tool, are there some worthwhile generalisations to be made of Pakistanis? I am not thinking here of that knee-jerk reaction that automatically thinks ‘terrorism’ if the word ‘Pakistani’ is mentioned beyond our borders. That is as much a product of an ignorant, uninformed and prejudiced mind as hitherto many instinctively thought ‘usury’ at the mention of the word ‘Jew’. Besides, that particular current phobia is more about Muslims than Pakistanis.

No. I was thinking more along the lines of what a very high ranking ex-American government official recently said on US national TV: “Pakistanis are a nation of pathological liars” (do I remember correctly that our own defence minister voiced similar sentiments some time ago?). Has the double-dealing and hypocrisy (internally and externally) our power-brokers and decision-makers are constantly accused of by all and sundry (including many within our own fold) now become second nature for us after decades of assiduous practice?

Such speculations are always triggered off by external factors. In the present case, I trace the stimuli to four sources.

The first — and strongest — came from watching a particularly exasperating episode of those futile shouting matches we witness every day on our talk shows, where hardly any of the participants (the anchor included) allows another to finish whatever he is attempting to say without himself jumping into the fray with both feet. Not that I do not usually sympathise somewhat with such offenders. Patience is sorely tested and the temptation to interrupt can be overwhelming when, instead of arguments, you are forced to listen to long-winded (and oft-heard) political platitudes.

The second prod came from discovering that Dr D&G (not ‘Dolce&Gabbana’ but ‘Doom&Gloom’) is back on our TV screens, after a hiatus that, alas, has been all too short-lived. How anyone with a perpetually frozen frown, utter lack of humour, and an over-ripe tendency for dark and convoluted thinking can become a media celebrity, defeats my puny intelligence. But then, has another ‘doctor’ (this one with the fake degree, the oiliest smirk south of the North Pole, and a compulsively smug and ingratiating demeanour), not wondrously achieved as much in our society? These days he is educating us about the signs that foretell the Day of Judgement, much as Dr D&G did some years ago. Allah be praised for his mysterious and superficially incomprehensible doings by blessing us with such worthies as guides and icons.

The third stimulus comes from my perusal of the e-mail exchanges between Pakistani journalist members of an internet group to which I belong as a silent member. Reading them daily never fails to generate a quiet wry smile of amusement that helps keep me cheerful and maintain my sanity. Here (with the usual few honourable exceptions) senseless personal tirades abound; prejudice and bias — and much ignorance — is often apparent; and no argument ever gets resolved. I reflect how earnest we are, and how seriously we take ourselves!

These three stimuli in turn reminded me of Dr Oliver Sacks, and his wonderful and matter-of-fact (yet sympathetically written) true-life case studies of some of his patients. Even though I read them more than two decades ago, I have never forgotten them. For, Sacks is a neurologist-cum-psychotherapist, and the case studies were of people normal in all other respects except for some brain damage producing the medical condition, ‘agnosia’.

The case of ‘The man who mistook his wife for a hat’, about a Doctor of Musicology who suffers from a severe case of visual agnosia, is the one I remember best. The doctor cannot recognise things around him (such as his own face in a mirror, his shoes, his hat, or even the face of his wife). But his musical ability remains unimpaired, and he is happiest when teaching, which remains unaffected. Moreover, he has found his own unique way of compensating for his disability to cope with the simple chores of daily life: he makes up little songs about those activities as he is doing them. But the moment he is interrupted he becomes helpless again. The most amazing part of the story is that he is totally unaware of his problem.

The other story I remember from the book is the one about the struggles of a sailor who suffers from Korsakoff’s syndrome (the impairment of the brain’s ability to form new memories) to somehow lead a normal life. The physical damage to the brain happened in 1945, and that is where his memory became frozen in time. Though otherwise normal, he just cannot remember any events in his daily existence since then, even something that happened a few minutes ago.

Assimilating all the above, I assume you can sense the drift of my thoughts. Is the human brain not astonishingly adept at somehow or the other finding ingenious ways to compensate for debilitating physical injury or acute mental stress? The survival instinct works wonders. It is a small price to pay — perhaps even an irrelevancy really — if a diseased mind, in its quest for survival, or mental tranquillity and equilibrium, creates a reality for itself that, to outsiders, appears to be based on a lie.

Am I going to conclude this ramble with a definitive answer to the question I started out with? As my cockney friends would say, “Not on your Nelly!” even though I confess to having some well-formed opinions on the subject. But I will let you guess what those might be. Why should I unnecessarily expose myself to a flood of abuse from that not statistically insignificant number within us burdened with inflated egos and blessed with prickly and self-righteous sensitivities?

The writer is a businessman. A selection of his columns is now available in book form. Visit munirattaullah.com
 
That was ONE long ramble. Seems the editor considered it the same and gave it an 'inconsequential' title.

Pathological liars - I'd say that we in a state of 'perpetual denial', we shy away from admitting failure let alone shortcomings.

But coming back, what is it that defines our national characteristics - I'd say we are sturdy and optimistic people. Seriously, so many of us still live our lives here in this country (notwithstanding the fact that they do not have option of immigrating) and work hard for our meals.

I still did not get what he meant in the last couple of paras - He just went off on a tangent there.
 
That was ONE long ramble. Seems the editor considered it the same and gave it an 'inconsequential' title.

Pathological liars - I'd say that we in a state of 'perpetual denial', we shy away from admitting failure let alone shortcomings.

But coming back, what is it that defines our national characteristics - I'd say we are sturdy and optimistic people. Seriously, so many of us still live our lives here in this country (notwithstanding the fact that they do not have option of immigrating) and work hard for our meals.

I still did not get what he meant in the last couple of paras - He just went off on a tangent there.

In addition to the comments above, may I add this comment?

When trying to understand Pakistanis, it helps to specify whether one is dealing with one, several or a whole lot. One on one, Pakistanis are probably the world's best people. En masse, however, things deteriorate rapidly to the point that when taking all 180 million or so together, things are absolutely dismal.
 
In addition to the comments above, may I add this comment?

When trying to understand Pakistanis, it helps to specify whether one is dealing with one, several or a whole lot. One on one, Pakistanis are probably the world's best people. En masse, however, things deteriorate rapidly to the point that when taking all 180 million or so together, things are absolutely dismal.

Are they the best people in the world one on one?

I prefer them in groups, much better that way.

I think we Pakistanis individually still have not grasped on to what nationhood means in the real sense. There is no sense of collectiveness, doing things together because each of us 'individually' wants to out do the other.

Things detriorate when even one 'individual' feels that he is an 'individual'

I prefer the Japanese model. Look at how they are 'collectively' rebuilding their state.

But what is our national characteristic for you? No cynicism though - puhleeez
 
That was ONE long ramble. Seems the editor considered it the same and gave it an 'inconsequential' title.

Pathological liars - I'd say that we in a state of 'perpetual denial', we shy away from admitting failure let alone shortcomings.

But coming back, what is it that defines our national characteristics - I'd say we are sturdy and optimistic people. Seriously, so many of us still live our lives here in this country (notwithstanding the fact that they do not have option of immigrating) and work hard for our meals.

I still did not get what he meant in the last couple of paras - He just went off on a tangent there.

He is one of these pseudo intelectual zionist pakistan haters. He comes here posts something a bit off or silly, then copies peoples comments on to other sites to show that pakistan and pakistanis in a bad light. Best thing is to ignore him I think. Its all credit that forum mods allow him on here and shows pakistani tolerance cos we are not afforded this tolerance on israeli idf etc.
 
Are they the best people in the world one on one?

I prefer them in groups, much better that way.

Oh yes, one on one, Pakistanis are amongst the best company on Earth. This holds true even in small groups, I will grant you that, but all sorts of rivalries and jealousies set in for a myriad of reasons in larger groups, and once a hierarchy is developed or enforced, things head South rapidly. Throw in money, alcohol or women, and it is rougher than the old wild West.

I think we Pakistanis individually still have not grasped on to what nationhood means in the real sense. There is no sense of collectiveness, doing things together because each of us 'individually' wants to out do the other.

Things detriorate when even one 'individual' feels that he is an 'individual'

I prefer the Japanese model. Look at how they are 'collectively' rebuilding their state.

The Japanese model has its roots in a homogenous people living in isolation for a large part of their history, and thus not applicable to South Asia at all.

But what is our national characteristic for you? No cynicism though - puhleeez

Seriously, I think our defining characteristic as a nation is HYPOCRISY, which many other peoples have too, but not as comfortably as we can carry it.
 
He is one of these pseudo intelectual zionist pakistan haters. He comes here posts something a bit off or silly, then copies peoples comments on to other sites to show that pakistan and pakistanis in a bad light. Best thing is to ignore him I think. Its all credit that forum mods allow him on here and shows pakistani tolerance cos we are not afforded this tolerance on israeli idf etc.

Aryan B if you had bothered to read the article he posted, you would've known that it was penned by a Pakistani Munir Attaullah.

What they do on other forums is their business - this is def.pk, we have our own set of rules and they are not open to your scrutiny.
 

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