.
[url="http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013/05/11/story_11-5-2013_pg3_7"][center][color="#006400"][size="5"]Letter to the Editor ââ¬â Daily Times : 11-05-2013 - No. 4 & 5[/size][/color][/center][/url]
Letter No. 4 : The way of the hawk
Sir: What is the real reason behind the Muslim mind and its mentality? [color="#FF0000"]Why can we not behave as normal human beings do?[/color] Where are we going wrong or where did we go wrong, as one wrong turn at a crucial moment in history has led us to our present position, which obviously is as if we were peeping into a volcano. Whenever I talk about ââ¬ËMuslimsââ¬â¢, I mean the Muslims of Pakistan as they are Muslims of a different kind, nowhere to be found in the rest of world. I think, in the beginning, [color="#FF0000"]what may have been a philosophical error or even an error of judgment has now become a psychological disorder.[/color] If I can do a little psychoanalysis of this almost lost nation, this disease started with narcissism, became megalomania and now, in its advanced and acute stage, [color="#FF0000"]it has become schizophrenia.[/color] My knowledge of psychology accompanies me no further so I cannot suggest any therapy but, somehow, I can trace those elements that aggravated the situation to make it into a mountain.
It all has greatly to do with philosophy, which has been repeatedly hammered into our bones and accompanies us like our shadows. This is the philosophy of a hawk: that we are created to rule the world and that we are denizens of the upper skies. Picking spiritual progress is a trait of the hawk and picking material progress is that of a vulture. We are the chosen ones and we believe we are to lead the whole world. To this extent, the rhetoric does good but when it states how to achieve this status of a hawk, it is not only confusing but totally impracticable. We believe this can only be achieved with the help of spiritual powers. If one has not made any progress despite sticking to this philosophy, there is nothing wrong with them but the stinking world needs correction. Now when we see the rest of the world making progress and definitely enjoying the fruits of their labour, we are at a loss to understand why the world has treated us like this. Why can we not make both ends meet? Why are we given kicks and pricks? The problem is that we have questions but no answers. This leads us to a paranoid conspiracy theory, [color="#FF0000"]i.e. that the whole world is conspiring against us and that the world wants to persecute us at any rate.[/color] Whatever the achievements of the rest of the world, they boil down to nothing when compared to our spiritual ââ¬Ëprogressââ¬â¢. There is nothing as false as this. We cannot determine our position in the world on our own. Oneââ¬â¢s status is determined by oneââ¬â¢s achievements and performance, [color="#FF0000"]not by any lofty claims and self-proclaimed status.[/color]
MOEED UR REHMAN
Karachi
Letter No. 5 - Increasing poverty
Sir: Poverty in Pakistan continues to be a source of distress for the country. According to the latest World Bank reports, Pakistan is ranked at number 43 in the list of countries most exposed to poverty. In view of the Human Development Index, about 63 percent of the people in the country earn less than two dollars per day and around 23 percent live on under one dollar per day. Unequal distribution of income in Pakistan is a major underlying cause of poverty in the country. About 10 percent of the total population earns 27 percent of the total income of the country. Another World Bank report highlights the fact that 37.4 percent of the children in Pakistan below the age of five are underfed. The Pakistan Planning Commission has revealed that the poverty rate in Pakistan has increased by 14 percent in the previous three years. The major reason for poverty in Pakistan is lack of governance. When people do not have confidence in a countryââ¬â¢s government they are not willing to invest in such an economy. Reduced investment means lesser employment opportunities, which directly results in poverty. Moreover, the decrease in the GDP growth rate is a vital source for the rise in the poverty levels. Poverty also depends on the structure on which a society is based. [color="#FF0000"]In Pakistan, land ownership is highly unequally distributed amongst the rural population, which creates an income gap within the rural sector.[/color]
Although rising poverty levels in Pakistan is an alarming situation, it is not something that cannot be curtailed. Politicians need to stop fighting over their position in the government and start concentrating on solving the issues surrounding the country amongst which poverty is one. There is a need for considerable effort to increase jobs and employment opportunities for the people. The government should focus on investing in developing infrastructure, which would automatically create jobs in the country. Other than that, efforts should be made to improve the law and order situation in the country so that there is a revival of business activities.
M OSAMA AFNAN HANAFI
Karachi
Cheers![[Image: beer.gif]](http://www.skyscrapercity.com/images/smilies/beer.gif)
[url="http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013/05/11/story_11-5-2013_pg3_7"][center][color="#006400"][size="5"]Letter to the Editor ââ¬â Daily Times : 11-05-2013 - No. 4 & 5[/size][/color][/center][/url]
Letter No. 4 : The way of the hawk
Sir: What is the real reason behind the Muslim mind and its mentality? [color="#FF0000"]Why can we not behave as normal human beings do?[/color] Where are we going wrong or where did we go wrong, as one wrong turn at a crucial moment in history has led us to our present position, which obviously is as if we were peeping into a volcano. Whenever I talk about ââ¬ËMuslimsââ¬â¢, I mean the Muslims of Pakistan as they are Muslims of a different kind, nowhere to be found in the rest of world. I think, in the beginning, [color="#FF0000"]what may have been a philosophical error or even an error of judgment has now become a psychological disorder.[/color] If I can do a little psychoanalysis of this almost lost nation, this disease started with narcissism, became megalomania and now, in its advanced and acute stage, [color="#FF0000"]it has become schizophrenia.[/color] My knowledge of psychology accompanies me no further so I cannot suggest any therapy but, somehow, I can trace those elements that aggravated the situation to make it into a mountain.
It all has greatly to do with philosophy, which has been repeatedly hammered into our bones and accompanies us like our shadows. This is the philosophy of a hawk: that we are created to rule the world and that we are denizens of the upper skies. Picking spiritual progress is a trait of the hawk and picking material progress is that of a vulture. We are the chosen ones and we believe we are to lead the whole world. To this extent, the rhetoric does good but when it states how to achieve this status of a hawk, it is not only confusing but totally impracticable. We believe this can only be achieved with the help of spiritual powers. If one has not made any progress despite sticking to this philosophy, there is nothing wrong with them but the stinking world needs correction. Now when we see the rest of the world making progress and definitely enjoying the fruits of their labour, we are at a loss to understand why the world has treated us like this. Why can we not make both ends meet? Why are we given kicks and pricks? The problem is that we have questions but no answers. This leads us to a paranoid conspiracy theory, [color="#FF0000"]i.e. that the whole world is conspiring against us and that the world wants to persecute us at any rate.[/color] Whatever the achievements of the rest of the world, they boil down to nothing when compared to our spiritual ââ¬Ëprogressââ¬â¢. There is nothing as false as this. We cannot determine our position in the world on our own. Oneââ¬â¢s status is determined by oneââ¬â¢s achievements and performance, [color="#FF0000"]not by any lofty claims and self-proclaimed status.[/color]
MOEED UR REHMAN
Karachi
Letter No. 5 - Increasing poverty
Sir: Poverty in Pakistan continues to be a source of distress for the country. According to the latest World Bank reports, Pakistan is ranked at number 43 in the list of countries most exposed to poverty. In view of the Human Development Index, about 63 percent of the people in the country earn less than two dollars per day and around 23 percent live on under one dollar per day. Unequal distribution of income in Pakistan is a major underlying cause of poverty in the country. About 10 percent of the total population earns 27 percent of the total income of the country. Another World Bank report highlights the fact that 37.4 percent of the children in Pakistan below the age of five are underfed. The Pakistan Planning Commission has revealed that the poverty rate in Pakistan has increased by 14 percent in the previous three years. The major reason for poverty in Pakistan is lack of governance. When people do not have confidence in a countryââ¬â¢s government they are not willing to invest in such an economy. Reduced investment means lesser employment opportunities, which directly results in poverty. Moreover, the decrease in the GDP growth rate is a vital source for the rise in the poverty levels. Poverty also depends on the structure on which a society is based. [color="#FF0000"]In Pakistan, land ownership is highly unequally distributed amongst the rural population, which creates an income gap within the rural sector.[/color]
Although rising poverty levels in Pakistan is an alarming situation, it is not something that cannot be curtailed. Politicians need to stop fighting over their position in the government and start concentrating on solving the issues surrounding the country amongst which poverty is one. There is a need for considerable effort to increase jobs and employment opportunities for the people. The government should focus on investing in developing infrastructure, which would automatically create jobs in the country. Other than that, efforts should be made to improve the law and order situation in the country so that there is a revival of business activities.
M OSAMA AFNAN HANAFI
Karachi
Cheers