"If you think of yourselves as helpless and ineffectual, it is certain that you will create a despotic government to be your master. The wise despot, therefore, maintains among his subjects a popular sense that they are helpless and ineffectual"-Franklin Patrick Herbert, American science fiction author.
When a nation is made to believe that it is helpless and lacks the attributes which are vital for a vibrant society, effective management, and sustained growth, it develops a condition that psychological theorists call 'learned helplessness.' Yet others have expressed 'learned helplessness' differently.
They describe it as:
-- A tool in the hands of perpetrators to manipulate people, places and things to keep them subservient.
-- A mask behind which is hidden, a fear of success.
-- A lack of self-trust.
-- As a coping mechanism which people employ in order to survive difficult or abusive circumstances.
"Learned helplessness", as demonstrated by empirical data in 1965 by psychologist Martin Seligman, arises from apathy. Once a person knows he is helpless, he stops making any effort to change his circumstances and develops apathy as a way of life. The feeling of powerlessness is so strong that it completely overwhelms the faculties of understanding or the desire to take practical action to alter the negative state of affairs. In fact, the continuous tolerance towards pain and agony benumbs both body and soul, with the result that living beings easily adapt to further misery without as much as even a whimper of protest or complaint. This is perhaps the reason why we, as a nation, are quick to ignore inconveniences, injustice, lack of fundamental human rights, violence, terrorism, regression and what not, all caused by the incompetence of both our civil and military rulers. The British legacy of 'divide and rule' policy, so enthusiastically pursued by rulers since the demise of the Father of this Nation had to culminate in today's unrest and dissatisfaction prevalent amongst the people of this country.
Today, Pakistan is witnessing all kinds of conflicts - economic, socio-political, centre-provincial disagreements, sectarian, tribal, ethnic and religious fights, in addition to frequent terrorist attacks on innocent civilians and target killing occurring on daily basis in the largest metropolis of our country. The chaotic situation arising out of continual indifference is assuming alarming proportions, threatening the very existence of the state.
Repeated and failed attempts to accomplish peace and prosperity while subjected to uncontrollable event, causes the brain to "learn" that success cannot be achieved. Once "conditioned" to this belief, the individual surrenders all hope and effort, even when he is subjected to an event where control is possible. In effect, one learns to become helpless. This malaise has gradually gripped majority of the Pakistanis with the result that as a nation we have fallen back in a deep slumber not realising that the fire spread all around us is stealthily closing up to devour our very existence if we do not quickly awake to the ensuing destruction.
Undoubtedly, there are isolated attempts by various groups in general and the media in particular, to kindle the flame of awareness amongst the masses but unless there is political will on the part of the ruling class to display an appropriate attitude and determination to rescue the nation from total annihilation, the ailment of "learned helplessness" cannot be cured. Not only the ruling elite but each one of us individually and collectively is responsible for performing his/her duties honestly and diligently besides, overcoming the patho that has found its way in our blood stream and which prevents us from standing up as one strong wall against our aggressors, who very conveniently find their way to positions of power only to continue with their oppression and forcing their own people into sublimation.
The tragedy of Pakistan besides corruption and bad governance is unholy alliance between the establishment (both civil and military) and political elite. This anti-people alliance dispossesses the people from the wealth of natural resources and economic benefits of the country. Unless this unholy alliance is destroyed, there is no hope of establishment of true democracy and rule of law in Pakistan. In the forthcoming elections, the elites will not allow masses to dethrone them from power - the so-called vote power is being eulogised to ensure that present set up continues and people again select the old faces who always join hands to pass laws in the parliament for self-aggrandisement, the case in point is bulldozing of all rules and procedures in adopting the financial 'NRO' (tax amnesty schemes).
The masses of this country have become apathetic after continuously witnessing the hopeless conduct of their political leaders, who have persistently failed to do anything for them during their rules [the leading parties PPP and PML (N) got many chances to serve the people but they opted to make money and/or please the mighty generals]. Such apathy arising from "learned helplessness" is the reason why the masses are not ready to come on streets as was the case when Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto started a movement against the military power of his day or Sheikh Mujeebur Rehman successfully launched mass movement against atrocities in the then East Pakistan. In those days, people had faith in their leaders and were ready to fight for their rights and any just cause. Now there is no credible political leadership that can regain the lost "mass support" or motivate people to overcome their state of helplessness. The real challenge in today's Pakistan is how to galvanise the people to defeat "learned helplessness" and apathy. If the process of running worthless parliaments continues without bringing change in the lives of ordinary people, we will never be able to break the shackles of "learned helplessness".
Pakistan's ruling elites - military-judiciary-civil complex, businessmen-turned-politicians and absentee land owners - are suffering from many maladies: self-righteousness, self-praise, phobia of losing power and/or money and despair arising out of affluence. Their problems are self-inflicted-they are captives of their own self-interests and victims of self-aggrandisement. The concentration of power and wealth in their hands, coupled with lust for control, is giving rise to perpetual institutional confrontations, civil commotion and economic collapse - risking the survival of the State.
In the prevailing conditions, the vital questions are:
-- Who is pitting different segments of society against each other to perpetuate internal conflicts rendering the state ineffective?
-- Who is encouraging tribal battles to weaken the eastern porous boarders?
-- Who is promoting religious extremism, through certain madrassas which are funded by the government, to counter liberals?
-- Who is allowing smuggling and distribution of arms?
-- At this critical juncture of history, it is the people of Pakistan who will have to decide their fate. If they once again fail to reject traditional politicians, no one will be able to avert another period of self-inflicted enslavement of the rich and mighty that renders a nation neither amongst the dead nor alive - the worst possible punishment history can inflict on apathetic people. The people will have to abdicate "learned helplessness" if they want to become an honourable and independent nation.
(The writers, tax lawyers and authors of many books on Pakistani tax laws, are Visiting Professors at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). The views expressed in this article are not necessarily those of the newspaper)