Dishonest truth

'After hearing two eyewitness accounts of the same accident, you begin to wonder about history' unknown. While the source and origin of this quote is unknown, at least to the author, the veracity of its content can probably not be denied. Accordingly, synonymous with the title of this article, the phrase true history is than an oxymoron. Just to refresh, oxymoron is a figure of speech by which a locution produces an incongruous, seemingly self contradictory effect.
This inference, that history maybe untrue, is lent further credence if Mr Winston Churchill's was right and history is indeed written by the victors. After all, acknowledging opponent's achievements is alien to human nature, except when eulogising them as graceful losers. Remember, the man of the match is almost always from the victors. There are no medals for runners up, in sports or in the annals of power so why should paper be wasted in extolling losers. It would be extremely amusing to read the history of World War II written by the Germans.
Superman syndrome further complicates life for historians. Bragging about our achievements is natural to men and frankly abnormally natural for golfers. One hears that fishermen really exaggerate about the one that got away, but as a golfer one can assert that the best yarn is spun when recounting yardage of the birdie putt! Curiously, luck or fate never figure in success, on the other hand failure yearns for scapegoats and nature, luck and fate are the earliest casualties. Imagine, no one seems to have accepted blame or has been blamed for the Euro debt crisis which has wiped out wealth indiscriminately and inordinately. It would be amusing if they end up suing nature for that one!
So if history is written by the victors suffering from an abnormally bloated ego, a direct consequence of their achievement, than is it any better than science fiction?
Okay, for the very naïve, there is no such thing as a truth fairy. For the average student, remember the story about the King and the spider in the cave. Well the King was Robert Bruce and there never was a spider, all that was bull excrement, for want a better of word which could be censored here. And there is no proof that an apple fell on Newton. Specifically for my generation, Thomas Edison may have introduced the first practical light bulb but others had produced an incandescent light before him.
The classic is that outside of Homer's Iliad, there is no evidence of the Trojan horse or of Achilles. There is even debate of whether or not Troy existed and where exactly was it. What is really a mind boggling revelation is the amount of evidence supporting dinosaurs and early man. In any case who in his right mind wants to be related to monkeys?
The problem with treading down this path is that after a while everything becomes susceptible, except that which is confirmed by religion. Eventually apathy sets in since, other than matters of fate, our belief system also struggles with accepting facts contrary to our interests and perceptions. Faced with unwanted truth we find solace in postulating conspiracies which massage our ego. These conspiracy theories, while mostly intended to provide a palatable explanation, sometimes verge on the fantastic. Worse still, everyone has a theory or opinion.
There can be a view that such debates and discourse is fundamental for building national character and awareness, however conversely these cloud the core issues faced by the nation. Faced with unemployment, power shortage, gas shortage, water supply challenges, shortage of health and educational facilities to enumerate a few, continuously creating political hype and drama over one issue or the other is perplexing. Compared with soaps, news channel have become a better source of mass entertainment.
Perhaps the above comments are slightly harsher than the ground reality and in certain instances investigative journalism and expose has incited corrective measures, nonetheless a plethora of non issues has at the same time distracted attention from key challenges. While there is regular breaking news professing an "ides of March" scenario, the country continues to reel in darkness for want of power.
Arguably most of the debate on constitutional and political issues may not even impact the poor man on the street. Struggling with providing for their kin in these challenging times the general populace can only view the ruling class as insensitive for pursuing their own interests. This frustration, in time, transits to indifference and rebellion. If ends don't meet what difference does it make what the means are?
In substance then, if the truth is and will remain a mirage, and each of us will only believe what we want to believe, and most importantly what difference does it make, aren't we disoriented? Whatever the eventual outcome of such debate how will it provide a loaf of bread for the silent majority struggling with poverty and hunger? The proponents of the holistic view espouse the evolutionary process embedded in the democratic process, but do we really have the time? Especially when history is unable to evidence such evolution beyond reasonable doubt and since most of us abhor the thought of having "evolved" from monkeys.
Worse still, continued brinkmanship under a nation-wide spotlight, however honourable the intent, eventually has a disastrous outcome. Irrespective of who walks away with the laurels, the country losses. If our key objective is to attract investment for economic growth, we sure have a funny way of pursuing it. Seriously, who in his right mind would consider investing in a country which is lacking infrastructure, fighting a war and is branded as corrupt and, icing on the cake, is politically unstable.
Rationally, if opinion makers have any leverage, a better utilisation is to advocate a resolution rather than adding fuel to fire. If real power actually vests with the people, then their spokesmen are honour bound to exercise it in the best interest of the people for the real truth.
What then is the real truth? The truth is that a significant portion of the population lives below the poverty line, unemployment is becoming endemic, there is a shortage of power and gas and already insufficient resources are consumed in subsidising inefficient public sector endeavours. Disastrously in the current environment our own entrepreneurs are reluctant to invest in the country which obviously impacts economic growth.
The real truth is undeniable and is concretely and sufficiently evidenced.
Rather than blaming past performance lets change our mindset and provide a roadmap for the future. Today the civil society enjoys a positioning never achieved before in the history of Pakistan, clearly due to an independent media. As the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility. Rather than point scoring and selfish pursuits, there is a need for the intelligentsia to maturely direct efforts towards tackling the "real truth".
Chat shows should invite leading technocrats to provide credible solutions for creating employment and facilitating domestic investment. Rather than criticising railways, national airline and steel mill it would be more productive to come up with practical suggestions for a turn around. Highlighting government's inefficiency in tackling inflation may be good business sense for the media, but proposing alternate options, on the other hand, is definitely more patriotic. Solutions with roadmaps for the real truth are where the government should be engaged and pursued relentlessly. The truth is about survival, not about vanity.