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| The book cover, worth a thousand words. |
Over the time, one comes to comprehend a certain amount of reality. Whether or not, as a man, I have been able to do so from childhood to this day. At times, there were many preconceived notions that I failed to displace, ending up in a very odd position because they were untrue and based on fabricated and allegorical times. But as time passed and those who were there to protect went away, the world seemed to have never changed, but the realities started strike in hard, undeterred and in an unstoppable fashion.
As I was growing up, I came to realize that I was part of the academic elite community, which I was, to some extent. However, this phenomenon is something that can only be associated with financial or social implications in a country like mine. At that time, I did not realize what kind of people I was getting along with, from private schooling. When I reflect, I see that most of my school fellows, with the right or wrong reasons, are in the best places within the country.
For much of my life, I had taken the concept of the ruling elite casually, and I knew it was wrong. I may have been fortunate, seeing some of those clouts, but that was in the younger part of life and with some amount of naivety. In a way, it’s a, closed system where marriages are a political strategy and a reflection of long-term planning, and if anyone enters that system, they are squeezed on the predisposition of adding to that system, and there is a very minute niche that qualifies. But the worst part is that the upper-middle class and the middle class itself seem to be replicating the dwellings of the elites of society, among themselves.
Friendship and marriages, in these classes, are being used for business interests, or climbing the corporate ladder (where it applies), as well as social and political connections, often being complemented with wealth. Climbing the social ladder for the middle class is one of the biggest challenges. Nonetheless, even if they replicate the tendencies of the elite, it does not mean to the fullest, due to obvious reasons.
The reasons behind it are that we live in an underdeveloped world where there is a lot of political instability as well as financial instability. Living in a country that has been on the verge of financial default, being in and out of various wars, and frequently volatile political situations, it's natural for everyone to look for protection with connections. So, each to his own.
I have been reading Rosetta Armytage's Big Capital in an Unequal World. The book delves into the inner workings of Pakistani elite society, presenting a fresh and compelling perspective that differs from the traditional narrative presented by our so-called male journalists in Pakistan. Rather than focusing on the pre-partition elite of the Muslim-subcontinent India, proclaimed traitors of the war of independence of 1857, but book also targets the newly rich class elites.
This particular division among the elites is also reflected in the current political realities where the new elite is competing with the old elite in the political arena. The old law is benefiting their world along with the bureaucratic and military connections. But as a middle-class and middle-aged man, I look at it with a certain amount of pessimism, realizing that it took so long to wonderstruck and understand what I know now.
In Pakistan, we can already see the elite capturing the country's resources, and I am surprised that during our childhood and schooling, we were never taught about the complex and important realities of this country, which we are supposed to be the future of. It is indeed difficult to wrap my head around the swelling predicament. The real question is, if I have to stay as a middle-class and disadvantaged citizen, then why stay in Pakistan? Why not move to some other Western country with no expectations? It's not just the elite class that is hampering the prospects of progress in Pakistan, but the middle class itself is also hell-bent on destroying it, if there were even any.
Talking of social mobility, I remember listening to a religious scholar’s sermon, where he was promoting aggrandization, saying that girls should marry in families which have higher social and economic status than their own, and it’s a sin to marry in lower social and economic status, if not equal. Furthermore, he advised the poor men, to have patience, as already being taken in other matters of life, as next life shall reward one’s patience, and console oneself in the fact that rich man who married the girl belonging from lower social and economic status and poor-self, will one day land in grave, and be soiled all the same. I am speechless.
It's tough to be like a skilled labor in this country; I have to work hard on a daily basis and work on my professional development. Now, the important element is to be recognized for one's efforts and get paid for it as well. In Pakistan, when one does that, it's with a lot more expectations. I guess that must change. Maybe I am not a valued individual either in the eyes of the state or the public. If that must be the case, then why not just move somewhere else with no expectations? Well, one can be alone and own his own, with peace of mind, once all the class demons are set aside, on-a-daily-basis.
There's so much that I still don't understand. Yet, while I am looking into the abyss, I am equally frightened as well as numb. It feels as if the realities of this society and this country that I live in, do not reflect much in my way of life or have ever had influence over me. My only salvation and self-fulfillment are in having faith and doing what's right, fulfilling the roles and responsibilities that I have inhabited with the experience of my life, which is in no way in comparison to any individual whatsoever around me. It is not only the end of any spoken competition, but also the death of envy and jealousy.
Working in healthcare made me realize that life and its utility. And, at times, it is often very relative, how to get changed in this world or the next. When you are young, you're crying and beautiful or handsome, but for some craziness, everything gets steeped in the living, in a matter of days. Relations and friendships all disappear. We are mortal beings. Life is painful, it's not forever, but hold strong. Nothing remains the same. Everything changes. Everyone lies. Be humane.
Looking back and reflecting on the swelling predicament of Pakistani society and one wonders why, during his childhood and schooling, we were never taught about the country’s complex and multifaceted reality of the situation. While the ruling elite and the newly rich compete for political power and control of resources, the middle class struggles to climb the social ladder and replicate the tendencies of the elite. Moreover, the problem is exacerbated by the country's political and financial instability, leading individuals to seek protection through connections and marriages for business interests and social and political connections. In the end, I want to highlight the need for education and awareness of these issues to create a more equitable and just society. Best wishes, y’all.
