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Pakistan: Need for Classical conditioning for Development and progress

According to the English philosopher John Locke, human nature is like a `tabula rasa` or a blank slate. He believed that human nature is dependent on a good or bad environment. So if the state provides basic needs to people, the pleasant environment will reflect in the improved behaviour of the people. They will respect moral values and preserve their dignity and virtues. Based on this philosophy, the Western states have reformed education and health, thus positively impacting the lifestyle of people. The ruling classes of Pakistan should also introduce reforms for education and health for the common man. This would change the human nature positively across the country. Failure to do so means the existing rate of decline will only pick up pace. 

In an endeavour to understand human nature, thinkers and philosophers debate its changeability. Historical ac-counts of different nations show that although customs, traditions, culture, religious practice and law may control human behaviour, the reaction and attitude of a nation towards the society is influenced by economic and political progress.

As long as political institutions are stable and the economic system is strong enough to provide basic needs to people, societies sustain moral values. But when political and economic systems collapse, morality and legal systems also degenerate, resulting in chaos and disorder.

Greek historian Thucydides, in his book The History of the Peloponnesian Wars, compares the Athenians during peace and prosperity with the crisis they confronted during the plague.

Prior to the epidemic, the Athenians valued their freedom, democratic reforms and their victories in war. Their leader Pericles delivered the famous funeral oration and honoured those who were kil-led in the battlefield while defending the Republic of Athens. He praised the virtues of the city and its traditions and customs, creating a sense of pride among the audience.

Culturally superior to others, the Athenian society was a paragon of virtue and honour.

According to Thucydides` account of the war, the situation changed dramatically in the fifth century. Soon after the famous speech by Pericles, Athens was struck by a plague. This was when the Peloponnesian war refugees from the neighbouring villages and towns took shelter within the city of Athens. The overcrowding, hot and humid weather conditions, poor water supply and no sewerage led to the spread of the deadly virus.

Pericles himself died in the epidemic along with thousands of people, leaving behind a chaotic city.

In the absence of preventive measures and remedies, the disease rapidly spread through the city.

Dead bodies lay everywhere and people would throw corpses in the burning funeral pyres of other dead people, violating the tradition and custom of funerals.The plague destroyed the entire fabric of society which according to Thucydides, was the worst aspect of the plague. People abandoned the dead along with their sick friends and family. As self interest overpowered the feelings of fraternity and brotherhood, the sense of honour and sharing with others disappeared.

Some people took full advantage of the plague and the suffering and violated all social norms. They plundered, pillaged and accumulated wealth, enjoying the revelry and debauchery.

This account of events shows that human nature changes according to changing circumstances.

People behave differently in times of peace and prosperity as compared to times of war, famine, drought and pestilence.

History shows that when a nation progresses, the people are dignified.

But when the nation stagnates, so does the character of its people.

In view of this historical background, when we study the history of Pakistan we find that the behaviour of its people has changed with political and economic vicissitude.In its early history, the moral situation of the society had not degenerated so much as it has presently.The institutions worked efficiently, bureaucrats were not (that) corrupt and the politicians, although ac-cused of inefficiency, were not utterly venal. This is of course a generalisation, but a somewhat accurateone at that.

Repeated military interventions, wars and political in-fighting completely changed the structure and values of the society, resulting in disorder and chaos. The decline and failure of society has affected the behaviour of people. Moral values have lost their impact while self-interest has become the leitmotif for success.

The behaviour of people can only change for the better with economic and political stability.

According to the English philosopher John Locke, human nature is like a `tabula rasa` or a blank slate.

He believed that human nature is dependent on a good or bad environment. So if the state provides basic needs to people, the pleasant environment will reflect in the improved behaviour of the people.

They will respect moral values and preserve their dignity and virtues.

Based on this philosophy, the Western states have reformed education and health, thus positively impacting the lifestyle of people.

The ruling classes of Pakistan should also introduce reforms for education and health for the common man. This would change the human nature positively across the country. Failure to do so means the existing rate of decline will only pick up pace. 
By Mubarak Ali: http://epaper.dawn.com/DetailImage.php?StoryImage=27_10_2013_424_003
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Decline and Fall of Nations - Open Warning

After studying the process of the decline and degeneration of a society, one can detect the elements which cause this downfall. The first, and most important sign, is the collapse of moral values. Once they are weakened in, or wiped out from a society, individuals are free to indulge in all sorts of corruption with any social stigma. There is no condemnation or boycott of those who violate moral traditions. This absence of morality encourages all the hitherto hidden and repressed vices of an individual to appear to the eventual detriment of society.

The second sign is the increased emphasis on self interest. National interest becomes redundant (and unfashionable) and people, in order to survive, follow the path of self interest. At this stage it become easy to betray the nation and collaborate with foreign powers, as well as domestic enemies of the state.

The third sign is a preference for wearing your religion on your sleeve. People begin to show their religious devotion outwardly without having any real faith in religious teachings. The manifestation of this preference for form over function is an increase in ‘showy’ religious processions, celebrations, sermons and distribution of religious tract and pamphlets. The corollary is that the actual teachings of the creed are neglected.

The fourth sign is the weakness of state power which allows people to indulge in all sorts of criminal activities without any fear of punishment. The judiciary fails to maintain justice; the army and police become powerless to enforce law and order. The result is those who are powerful form mafias and militias, illegal organisations which then dominate society and force the relatively weak (through terror and coercion) to obey them rather to look to state for protection.

The fifth sign is the loss of creativity. Artists, intellectuals, musicians, architects, sculptors and scientists are not able to invent or contribute anything new. They survive on imitation alone, leading society towards backwardness and degeneration.

The sixth sign is that society becomes so shallow that it fails to produce any people of substance. The giants vanish and pygmies rule over all.

We experienced this very process in the decline and fall of the Mughal empire. After the death of Alamgir in 1707, the Mughal empire rapidly degenerated. A succession of rulers came and went, all incapable of governing and controlling the state. Corruption, debauchery, intrigues and self interest prevailed. Therefore, we find that nobles were ready to collaborate with invaders like Nadir Shah and Ahmad Shah Abdali. When the East India Company appeared on the political scene, there was no dearth of Mir Jafars.

During this period, people, not feeling safe, wandered from one place to another for protection. Bandits, robbers, and thugs ruled the main thoroughfares. Travellers were not safe. Murders and killings were common.

Poets and historians lamented the dismal political, social, and economic condition of their society, and people expected that a savior would come and deliver them from these crises.

It did not happen. Instead of a saviour came the British who colonised India and, for the most part, people happily accepted their rule and came to terms with being ruled by them. The relative ease of that adjustment also shows the level of their decline.

When Pakistan came into existence, this new nation was fresh and energetic, ready to explode with new ideas and creativity. It was hoped that Independence would liberate the nation from colonial institutions and new traditions would be established based on the interests of the nation. Quite the reverse happened, and we saw not a rise but a continuous decline. Instead of improving upon what we inherited, we corrupted and destroyed it to the point where the state now teeters on the brink of the abyss.

We are ruled by pygmies. Our intellectuals are shallow and our artists have little vision. Our architects, instead of building the future, disfigure our cities with meaningless monuments and borrowed buildings. Worst of all, the people themselves are disillusioned and hopeless, watching helplessly as the decline continues, and an almost inevitable fall stares back at us from the annals of history.
BY: MUBARAK ALI
http://www.dawn.com/news/1050498/past-present-decline-and-fall

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عید مبارک Eid Mubarak

Say, "Who prohibited the nice things GOD has created for His creatures, and the good provisions? Say, "Such provisions are to be enjoyed in this life by those who believe. Moreover, the good provisions will be exclusively theirs on the Day of Resurrection." We thus explain the revelations for people who know. Say, "My Lord prohibits only evil deeds, be they obvious or hidden, and sins, and unjustifiable aggression, and to set up beside GOD powerless idols, and to say about GOD what you do not know." [Quran; 7:32-33]

Eid ul Adha, is celebrated at end of Hajj, by sacrificing animal to commemorate the tradition of Abraham who offered to sacrifice his only son Ishmael which was replaced with a ram. Read more >>>>

The  Eid al-Fitr (عيد الفطر‎ ʻĪd al-Fiṭr], "festival of breaking of the fast"), also called Feast of Breaking the Fast, the Sugar Feast, Bayram (Bajram), the Sweet Festiva and the Lesser Eid, is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting (sawm). This has to do with the communal aspects of the fast, which expresses many of the basic values of the Muslim community; e.g., empathy for the poor, charity, worship, steadfastness, patience etc. Fasting is also believed by some scholars to extol fundamental distinctions, lauding the power of the spiritual realm, while acknowledging the subordination of the physical realm. It also teaches a Muslim to stay away from worldly desires and to focus entirely on the Lord and thank Him for his blessings. It is a rejuvenation of the religion and it creates a stronger bond between the Muslim and his Lord. After the end of Ramadan, is a big celebration of Eid that is very importance Islamic tradition. Keep reading >>>>


Hate Malala , Love Taliban?

Media hype is created every now and then on some issue, its required for their survival, but if we look at the Social media it appears that Mala is the only problem of Pakistan .... this reflects a particular mindset of primitive society of Jahelya 1400 years ago, when girls were burred alive, now we see they being killed called HONOR Killing. Unfortunately all this is being done on the name of Islam, which is against such nonsense. These are cultural local taboos. Every thing from West is not bad .. even this FACEBOOK and internet we are using to express our views .... is not Muslim invention. West has bad aspects and some good aspects. As we adopt good things from West for our personnel comfort and convenience we should also see the humane aspects among their common people. They are ahead because they practice "some moral aspects" which used to be hall mark of Muslims.
We must reject their bad aspects and appreciate good ones. NOW Taliban verses Malala.... and those who curse Malala because she took stand against Talilban. So while advertising her one should know that he is standing on the side of Taliban ... does he know it? or doing it inadvertently .... I am sure while some sympathize with Taliban as "reaction" to corrupt rulers.... no sane person who knows little bit of Quran can favor Taliban .... SOME ONE VERY CLEVERLY DIVERTED OUR ENERGIES FORM THE MAIN ISSUE TO A NON ISSUE ........... BBC the Western radio talk on this  link is worth listening :http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/multimedia/2013/10/131011_malala_confusion_a.shtml  ..... LOL
Also: http://pakistan-posts.blogspot.com/2013/10/blog-post.html

WHY do they hate her so? At least with the TTP it isn`t hard to figure out: Malala has publicly and powerfully defied them. But why do so many ordinary, seemingly normal folk hate her? Shame is an obvious possibility. Malala is the world`s most famous teenager. Her bravery and idealism have inspired millions. And yet, we`ve only had the privilege of witnessing Malala`s bravery and idealism because Pakistan has become the kind of place where a teenage girl is shot in the face for speaking about a girl`s right to education.

That`s pretty grotesque stuff, and something the haters know the rest of the world fawning over Malala is aware of.

But shame doesn`t cut it as an explanation. For where`s the rage against the TTP then? If the victim has earned scorn for unwittingly bearing testimony to the monstrousness that stalks this land, then why not opprobrium for the perpetrators too? No, it feels less like guilt and shame and more like resentment. Resentment against a teenager shot in the face for speaking about a girl`s right to education? Surely, that`s not what your average Pakistani has been reduced to? The easy and to some, the obvious answer is: yes, that is in fact what we have become.

In part because the implications of the simple answer are too horrifying to dwell on and also because simple explanations rarely fit something as complicated as societal perceptions, let`s try and search for a fuller explanation.

Why are so many ordinary, seemingly normal people consumed with anti-Malalaism? It`s fair to say that your average Pakistani isn`t terribly impressed by the state. He loves Pakistan, he is attached to the land that comprisesPakistan, he fiercely believes in Pakistan as an idea, but when it comes to that most basic of questions in the state-society equation how well does your state serve your needs? he is not terribly impressed.Nor should he be. Pakistan is a declining state. The ability of the state to positively intervene in people`s lives or to create an environment that allows people to pursue their life priorities as they see fit has been in decline for years, decades.

Forget the Taliban for a minute. It`s the everyday stuff that the state is supposed to provide the most that the state is failing at the most.

Basic security in neighbourhoods and homes? It`s been outsourced to the citizenry, rural and urban: higher walls, stronger gates and, for those who can afford it, personal guards.

Education and health? It`s been outsourced to the private sector, rural and urban: fee-charging schools, afterschool tuition, private clinics, expensive medicines.

Justice? Fuggedaboutit.

Water? Which brand of bottled water would you prefer? Entertainment or sport? Head to your nearest mall. Parks? See your local land grabber first. Public transport? Take your pick between a deathtrap on wheels or on rails.

Sanitation? For Chrissake.

Electricity? If it ended at that, perhaps it would be all right. But your average Pakistani doesn`t just have to turn to the private market for virtually everything the state ought to be providing, he has to spend to protect himself from a predatory state.

Direct spending when it comes to dealing with, say, thelower judiciary and the police; indirect spending when it comes to dealing with, say, the health fallout of businesses and industries that pollute.

It sucks to be a Pakistani in Pakistan. And it sucks, largely, because the state is in decline.

A declining state engenders no love or loyalty. If the corpus of its laws and rules fails to create a system that delivers meaningfully and positively, why should the average citizen automatically rally to that system`s defence when it is under threat? Sixty-six years into an irreversible experiment, the state its structure, its systems, its rules is still up for negotiation because the state has failed to make an irrefutable case to its people that the present structure, system and rules are the only ones that can work for Pakistan.

We`re still collectively standing around the drawing board, unconvinced by the model scrawled across it. And when you`re still stuck at the drawing-board stage, there`s always the possibility that someone will elbow their way to the board, chalk in hand, and present a different model.

Enter the Taliban.

Ever wonder why the protalks brigade is so quiet about what exactly can be negotiated with the Taliban? As in, what can we offer them in return for them ceasing their violence? It`s fairly obvious: the bits about Islam. Tweak a few laws here and there, suggest some modifications to the judicial process, bring religion yet more explicitly into the functioning of the state where`s the harm in any of that? That`s the problem with a state that has failed to stamp an irreversible identity for itself. By staying in the realm of the abstract, of the negotiable and re-negotiable, it opened the door to an alternative discourse, a replacement theory.

Folk may hate the Taliban`s violence, but few would inprinciple argue against the Taliban`s basic idea for the state: more religion will lead to peace, security and maybe even prosperity.

What does any of that have anything to do with Malala? Why hate a young girl with so evidently a beautiful mind and spirit? Because she speaks of the old model, of a state that is rooted in universal and modern principles and tenets, that delivers equally to all without recourse to religion. But there`s a new theory in town and it`s spread far and wide in this land of ours.

The Taliban have never been and will never be the principal threat to the Pakistani state as it was once conceived, but that failed to materialise. It`s the shared belief between the Taliban and the public in the essence of the Taliban mission that is the principal threat.

For better or worse, a state can`t exactly swap out swathes of its population and replace them with new citizens. But a state can, in theory at least, eliminate the purveyors of an ideology that make it possible for so many to hate a teenage girl who was shot in the face for speaking about a girl`s right to education.

But can an already declining state do any such thing? Long live the Taliban! Down with Malala! • The writer is a member of staff.

By Cyril Almeida:cyril.a@gmail.com Twitter: @cyalm 
http://epaper.dawn.com/DetailImage.php?StoryImage=13_10_2013_009_005

MJ Akbar on Malala:

BETWEEN the prime minister of Pakistan, which 16-year-old Malala Yousafzai wants to become some day, and a Nobel winner for peace, which she might have become this week, the former is by far the better destiny.

The Nobel generally comes to worthies when they have long passed their sell-by date; and the last peace winner whose name I can recall, President Barack Obama, has not fallen far short of a superpower`s quota for international violence. A gong and a cheque would certainly help Malala, not to mention a media anxious for saleable headlines. A political career would help Pakistan.

Malala Yousafzai is a brave girl, as much for dreaming of a better future as for getting a bullet on a bus on her way to school from those who are wrecking her country. Gender oppression, of the very worst kind, is central to the DNA of Pakistani extremists seeking to drive a nation back to the days of jahiliya, or prejudice and ignorance, which is how the preIslamic tribal deserts of Arabia are often described.

Islam won the hearts of Arab women by banning prevalent malpractices such as female infanticide. Pakistan`s Taliban, and their numerous terrorist associates, are a throwback to the 6th century, and a disgrace to the religion they profess.

This has not, alas, diminished their growing influence at the grass roots, or weakened the clamour among Pakistan`s political elite for a `negotiated settlement` with the Taliban.

The question that is rarely asked, and never answered, is a simple one: what is there to negotiate? What should be on the agenda in a dialogue with sectarians who have made random murder their principal tactic, and perhaps the centralprinciple of their ideology as well? The Taliban and its surrogates, barely disguised by thin labels, want power. Is that on offer from Pakistan`s politicians? Does anyone want to appease them with a share of authority in regions northwest of the Indus? No one can stop their rhetoric, blasted into public space through some mosques and public rallies.

Can they be bought off with money? Unlikely, as they have enough funds from domestic as well as external sources. Andhere is a delicate question: will they ever agree to cooperate by turning their guns only in areas which suit Pakistan`s covert interest, like Afghanistan or India, and leave cities like Peshawar and Quetta alone? You cannot deal with inconvenient facts by pretending that they do not exist.

If Malala is in a British school today, it is because of them. If she hopes to challenge their vicious grip through elected office, it is because she knows how dangerous they are to the very sanity of Pakistan.

Malala is a teenager. She has every right to dream, particularly since she has been given a second life. Her dreams certainly make more sense than the rambling, shambling fantasies of a 70-year-old has-been like [retired] Gen Pervez Musharraf.

Musharraf can, and probably should, escape to Dubai or America or wherever he can find a few dollars more, instead of looking desperately for power, and posturing as a `saviour`.

Pakistan has moved far beyond him in some ways, even as it has regressed in other ways. But it is no longer a country for old dictators.

If Pakistan is going to be `saved` then it needs to become a nation with younger women and men in office, a new band of officials blessed by the fact that they do not carry the burden of recent history. It must become a land where Malala can return home.

Malala has everything she could conventionally want at this age in Britain: an education, a future, and the laudatory attention of a British media that has been building her up in the expectation that she would win the Nobel.

I am sure she wanted the Nobel even more than her wellwishers did. But she wants to bring peace to Pakistan, not to Britain. She wants to be a young woman in Lahore or Peshawar, not Bradford or Birmingham, to challenge the forces of misogyny and fanaticism which still command the streets.

What are the odds that this might happen? Not too good, if one were to be honest. Nawaz Sharif has become prime minister at the head of a stable government because voters believed that he could restore calm to a nation whose nerves are on edge, and whose peace of mind has been shattered.

So far, Sharif seems to be travelling at a leisurely pace to nowhere. To be fair to him, he still has time. But if Sharif fails, Malala and her generation will have to confront another question: is there nothing anyone can do? A teenager who nearly lost her life, but never abandoned hope, does not need the counsel of despair. Dreams do not necessarily come true, but then how many get a second life? • The writer is an author and editorial director of The Sunday Guardian, published from Delhi. 

Comments:
Malala is terrorist? Did she kill 45000 innocent Pakistanis, destroyed schools, mosques, churches, attacked naval base Mehran, PAF Kamrah? Noble prize be given to Taliban, peace loving pious only Muslims... don't be confused .. more at
http://TakfiriTaliban.blogspot.com/


Every effort for education especially for girls must be supported. Malala is just a symbol for this struggle. But one is perplexed to notice social media campaign to project her as symbol of West. .. just reflect level of ignorance , deprivation and sympathy for Talibans ... let's try to educate these people this mindset ... rest will follow..
http://dunya.com.pk/news/authors/detail_image/x4656_31524040.jpg.pagespeed.ic.r8bZoeKdtM.jpg
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