I recently came across a book (which I read for
self-help purposes) “How to be a stoic?” by Massimo Pigliucci. I found myself to be a prokoption, a student of stoicism.
After comprehending its basic philosophical fundamentals, I reflected over the
recent elections in Pakistan, the furor and euphoria but most of all the
evangelical hope! Hope, people clutched at heart for horizon of the new is beckoning! If it
had been five years ago, I would’ve caught on in the same stream of collective
consciousness of the nation. I would also have felt those deep bouts of
peaceful notions of glorious futuristic all-is-well wishful belief. But
stoicism taught a practical mid-way between gloom and hope. It asks of its followers
to adopt a path of rationality via the logic of indifference and pragmatism in
approach to life and politics. It asks us not to hope from a single person
because you and the revered entity is memento homo (just a human).
The caricature of a superman status―Übermensch―of a
man is wrong (Friedrich Nietzsch would have disagreed). Man
to his people, needs to be represented as a rational being. For instance, your
depiction or perception of a leader can be pragmatic (not over indulgently evil
or all too evangelical). Why is that we as a nation stick to hope from one entity? Why
expect that particular being to do all in a five years term or ten years term? Is that
all we need, a silver bullet? The processes of social evolution, enlightenment
through eventual progress of both the man and the society, are these conceptions of common sense alien to us?
But alas! Yes it is so.
The literacy rate and education graph of this
country avidly displays the picture of as to why we are mentally alienated of an
intellectually solid and rational discourse. I am not purporting here to state
the obvious; I am merely of the view that the mindset, the frame, the lens of viewing
day-to-day politics and events concerning leadership and governance be changed.
A doze of Seneca’s stoicism would not hurt, ―will it? At least, if the
Pakistani common citizen becomes less emotional and tribal in sentiments, they
can approach the stoic methods of pragmatism. The philosophical studies reiterates
the notions of agnoia (not knowing) and anathia (not learning), both of which are ingrained within
the mental-fabric of our society. The inflexible character that we have molded
ourselves in (by default), with or without the requisite education, never opening
up to change or learning calls for intelligent stupidity (cf. Robert Musil). Applying
‘reason’ to improve social living, is one of the fundamental composure bricks
of stoic wall. This must apply to our personal and political spheres of
surviving.
A stoic maxim reads: “Between stimulus and
response, there is a space, in that space is our power to choose our response”.
The sages of this country must follow a stoic form
of evaluation in matters related to evaluating political drama that engulfs us as
a nation. The unsentimental, rational, un-boosted personal emotions stacked
into reasoning and cogent psyche is what the nation requires. Hailing leaders
or herds of political parties or particular agendas for the feel of it rather than the reason
for it will not
render the political spectrum obsolete of flaws, those which are in need of a
dramatic but subtle change. Take the new leader as a human (biological)
beingness not a deity, keep a check on his democratic values, the cover of anti-corruption
charade he promises, do not give in to promises, promises made, broken or hoped
after is not the stoic way. Keep an eye on the warmongering, keep an eye on
your foreign policy, shall it turn into a fiasco or an endeavourous diplomacy, ―who
is to tell!?
Do not paddle away into the dream of an empire of
the crescent fallen long ago for lucid minds were lost and taken out like the
Averros of Arab. Miracles would not happen overnight. It would not be easy propelling
across the ideologies of communism and capitalism, democracy and
authoritarianism, Peace or war and devising your own brand of working, ―the
leader is the making of a nation and a nation is the making of a mindset; both
may fall if rationality is not the way.
Contributor Azka Durrani is MS student of Peace & Conflict
Studies at the Centre for International Peace & Stability (CIPS) - National
University of Sciences and Technology (NUST). This article is the personal
opinion of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the views or policy of
any particular institution or organization.
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