Change upon change, yet one change cries,
Will ever the changeless change arise?”
Pakistan has been under a perpetual cycle of facing external and internal challenges as any other country, from some of which we came out unscathed or we were left utterly flabbergasted. Almost every Pakistani, everyday thinks about changing his or her life at least no matter the age. It is unfortunate that many have lingering desires that went unfulfilled but many got to journey on higher green pastures. Even now, quite the many individuals even dream and engage in the acts of changing the current developing trajectories of Pakistan, that is, many political, social, economic, defense and environmental indicators are pointing towards days of severe hardship.
Trying to foresee the near future, challenges that Pakistan will be facing will only increase. Even if we manage to overcome few current ones now, new ones will surely pile up, be it from the changing global power dynamics and current or potential wars that are being fought to global warming and deteriorating ecosystems that are already haunting us as in the case of Lahore smog’s. So, in the world of extreme hardships and misery, what can we do to improve Pakistan’s conundrums or rather, will trying to change ourselves from the individual level to as a nation really evolve us into something marvelous and a legendary entity that will be something behold.
They say that tough times create strong men and now women more prominently as well. And with these strong men and women doing their part as exceptionally as they can, time of ease surely comes. But, when we start to observe our surroundings, we all find someone that is that exceptional character that is on the journey to make a change, to leave a mark in the annals of history. So, where is the grand change we all are dreaming of? What do we actually lack that is limiting us to our wretchedness and leading us to our demise? When will ever the changeless change arise?
There are a few types of philosophies or ways to observe or implement change in ourselves or our communities. One way is the rational approach that is to assume that change can be planned, designed, and implemented in a logical and orderly manner. It relies on clear objectives, data analysis, and problem-solving techniques to achieve the desired outcomes. The rational approach is often used in situations where there is a high degree of certainty and agreement about the goals and methods of change. Unfortunately, Pakistan has been under uncertain times for a long time with changing policies with every change of a designated person.
Another way is the emergent approach in which we recognize that change is a complex, unpredictable, and nonlinear phenomenon. It emphasizes learning, adaptation, and experimentation as the key drivers of change. The emergent approach is often used in situations where there is a high degree of uncertainty and ambiguity about the goals and methods of change. And here as well, Pakistan is always the one of the very few that is the last adapt to any innovation or change in the ways of the world.
And lastly, there is a third way that is the humanistic approach that teaches us cohabitation. In this we focus on the people involved in the change process and their needs, emotions, and motivations. This seeks to create a positive and supportive environment that fosters participation, collaboration, and empowerment. The humanistic approach is often used in situations where there is a high degree of diversity and conflict among the stakeholders of change. They say that Pakistan is like a beautiful bouquet that has many different flowers of many colors and diversity, but we actually don’t see any sincere effort to enhance our binding forces to become one as a nation. We are spread out, divided into our miniature castles. And hence, we are not even willing to listen to anyone.
We believe that God will not change the situation of a society until they try to change themselves first. It is unfortunate that stakeholders of change concerning Pakistan are not on the same page but rather fighting for our own ideals. The biggest stakeholder in term of amount, the youth is asleep, severely disappointed and is actually afraid of the future besieging them. The competent or mostly known as the intellectual segments of stakeholders of change are in a type of infighting among themselves. The segment that hold the executive and political power to bring change haven’t been able nor seem to be bring about any sort of change for the country. We need to change this nature of ours.
As individuals, especially the youth, needs to wake up and take up the mantle to bring change and prove their mettle in its process. The intellectual need to take a breather and put aside their ideals and focus on selflessly improve whatever they can. The executives and political circles need to get their house in order and start to actually act in ways that benefit the country. As once Barack Obama said “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek” So what are we waiting for, we need to start by what Albert Einstein said “The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”