Changing Lines

Changing Lines

It is said that there is a common belief among anthropologists that you must immerse yourself in an unfamiliar world in order to truly understand your own. It was many years ago while I was a still in high school that I first came across these words. For some reason, I found it not only absurd but also very conflicting that in order to understand one’s own world why must one immerse himself into someone else’s.  It was the contradiction to the most common beliefs in these words that kept me intrigued for a very long time. I was taught that if we do not stay true to our values and culture we will eventually lose our identity ending up confused about who we truly however, on this occasion for once someone is suggesting the opposite.

It was not until a few years ago that I had a chance to travel through Europe and North America for the first time and had a chance to interact with other cultures. After spending a while there I could not help myself seeing my own reflection in everything there was to see. For once it made some sense to the statement that had been stuck to my mind for long time. Everything that I was not familiar with was a reflection telling me something about myself, good or bad but there was clearly a message in everything. On the other hand, all those things that I had been taking for granted all my life became the most essential parts of my identity.

This was the unfamiliar world that anthropologists had referred to. What they actually meant by this was that when you compare your world to another is when you clearly understand how better or worse yours is than others. The Pakistani culture is no doubt diverse and rich unlike most of Europe. Everything about Pakistan is unique the history, the cuisine, music, dresses etc. One can only appreciate his own self if he sees if from someone else’s eyes.

Having said so, there are also many harsh realities that dawned upon me during this journey of self actualization. The most appalling is the existence of another culture which lies parallel to our ideal culture. Ideally our culture is based on diversity, tolerance, honesty and the celebration of individuality. However, all these characteristics are a rare commodity in today’s Pakistan. The actual culture is what is actually going on. The very principles of Islam upon which the foundation of this country was laid are now being practiced somewhere else but not in Pakistan. Our society today is confused between two extremes; those who claim to be so called liberals where as they are merely residual spin off to the western civilization and those religious one who are there simply to balance out the one extreme with another. The story of Pakistan was always meant to a beautiful one but it is told in tragic way. The problem is that we never changed in all those years. We never immersed into another world.

Pakistan is not the country that it was when I was growing up in 90s and definitely that it once was in 60s or 70s. Everything has changed now, the population, the life style, culture and media. Pakistan is no more a predominantly agricultural country. Our cities are growing faster than ever before. The only thing that has not changed is us, the people or I would rather say we never tried to change. History is evident that whenever nations accepted the realities of this changing world and adapted them without leaving their local realities, they evolved into something much greater.  

Whether the times are good or not we have to keep changing. Whenever we had good times we never tried to preserve it and when we had bad times we simply accepted it as our fate and missed the good old days. I thinks its time we ask ourselves, are we ready to immerse into another world?

written by:
Mishal Fatima