Taking care of myths
Monday, June 1, 2009
Daily Times, Pakistan
OPINION: Nasir Abbas Mirza
Be a misfit in our world. Stay away from us and once again become an aloof, mysterious, no-nonsense and seriously professional outfit. Ribbons and flags will follow automatically
In military matters, myths and perceptions are more important than reality. This may be in conflict with our ideals of truth-seeking and truth-telling, but this order must not be disturbed at any cost. Otherwise the results can be, and have been, regretful.
These regretful results prompted Ayeda Naqvi and Ejaz Haider to write two columns apiece in this newspaper.
In societies that are dominated by religion and the military, myths form an integral part of what people believe. People who live by a myth don’t care whether it is factual or logically consistent, as long as it gives them a way to make sense of their world and find meaning in their lives.
Nurturing these myths at all costs is the responsibility of their respective institutions. While religion does a very good job at protecting its myths by a carrot (heaven) and stick (hell) policy (and some draconian policing), the military has, knowingly or unknowingly, done the opposite. Ugly truths and reality were allowed to creep into the exclusion of myths. The military itself is to be blamed for it.
Let me digress briefly from myths. Today we lament why it is not possible for Pakistanis to “support your troops without blindly supporting your government” just as people do in the United States, or the fact that “the civilians cannot understand the military spirit”. We used to care a great deal about our troops but now we care just a little less.
Over a long period of time, here is what has happened. The distinction between the government and the military gets blurred. More often than not, the military is the government. ‘Other countries have militaries; in Pakistan, the military has a country’ — hackneyed, but to the point.
When cantonments become commercial centres and military officers seem more interested in agricultural, commercial and residential estates, then, when the time comes, it becomes hard to convince people to put yellow ribbons on their doors.
It is foolhardy to be smug about the fact that the military can remain an island of excellence in a sea of morass. If the military, directly or indirectly, ‘upsets the constitutional configuration of the country’ and treats the other institutions of the state as ‘bloody civilian outfits’, then it is only a matter of time that the military would also become part of that morass. The military has never encouraged institution building. Today, the island of excellence needs support of other institutions that are not there.
People quickly develop fickle habits. If the Supreme Court, the High Courts, the police service and the universities can be stormed, abused and kicked around, why not the last holy cow? How long can a building stand on one strong and three crumbling pillars? Either all institutions deliver or none will.
So, in short, we do not have a typical, traditional military. What we have is a type of Military Inc, the apt title of Ayesha Siddiqa’s book. With its tentacles in every sphere of civilian life, is it a corporation or a political party or a state within a state? When we reach a point where the favourite topic of social chatter is the riches of the top brass of the military, then it is time to admit that the jawan is also talking about it.
Another fallout of this civil-military marriage is that the distinction between the military and the civilians also gets blurred and the two become like, well, husband and wife. The typical civilian goes, “Hey, he is just like us...erring, weak, greedy, evil, corrupt and manipulative; a regular human being. What’s so special about him?” At this stage, “my military, right or wrong” has the same ring about it as “my mother-in-law, right or wrong”.
Despite the fact that the Americans wear their patriotism on their sleeves, faced with a similar situation, there would be no yellow ribbons on their doors or flags outside their houses. If they revere their military, they revere their universities, their justice system and other institutions as well.
The difference is that the Americans promote the mystery, myths and perceptions about their military and they protect it like a treasure. They see their soldiers as “just plain, neighbourhood kids” who are going to lay down their lives to protect “the liberty and freedom of American people”. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Who would feel the same way for “a scramble for Middle Eastern oil”? The Pentagon could be (must be?) the most corrupt organisation in the world but you really have to be a diligent researcher or a reader of fringe magazines published from basements to get to know about it. It is nothing like the in-your-face corruption that we have here in Pakistan.
Military myths have been the same in all history. Mysterious tales of heroism, honour, valour and martyrdom abound. How the soldiers care about others — the buddies, the service, the nation — more than they care about themselves. You could easily spoil such myths by saying something like, “it is economic pressures that drive people into the military”. And then there are the history books and news media that give us an endless parade of uniformed heroes, looking noble and handsome.
Military culture has to be different from the civilian culture. While we live in a chaotic world, they must seem to be disciplined and incorruptible (remember we are talking myths). They must live in cantonments as far away from civilians as possible. They must have as little interaction with the civilian world as possible. They are different people who live and think differently. They must shoot first and ask questions later; that’s what the dacoits of Sindh used to say about the military.
Ribbons, flags and other expressions of solidarity and patriotism cannot be asked for, inculcated or forced upon. They come from within. March with the civilians and you become a civilian. Be a misfit in our world. Stay away from us and once again become an aloof, mysterious, no-nonsense and seriously professional outfit. Ribbons and flags will follow automatically.
Source
OPINION: Nasir Abbas Mirza
Be a misfit in our world. Stay away from us and once again become an aloof, mysterious, no-nonsense and seriously professional outfit. Ribbons and flags will follow automatically
In military matters, myths and perceptions are more important than reality. This may be in conflict with our ideals of truth-seeking and truth-telling, but this order must not be disturbed at any cost. Otherwise the results can be, and have been, regretful.
These regretful results prompted Ayeda Naqvi and Ejaz Haider to write two columns apiece in this newspaper.
In societies that are dominated by religion and the military, myths form an integral part of what people believe. People who live by a myth don’t care whether it is factual or logically consistent, as long as it gives them a way to make sense of their world and find meaning in their lives.
Nurturing these myths at all costs is the responsibility of their respective institutions. While religion does a very good job at protecting its myths by a carrot (heaven) and stick (hell) policy (and some draconian policing), the military has, knowingly or unknowingly, done the opposite. Ugly truths and reality were allowed to creep into the exclusion of myths. The military itself is to be blamed for it.
Let me digress briefly from myths. Today we lament why it is not possible for Pakistanis to “support your troops without blindly supporting your government” just as people do in the United States, or the fact that “the civilians cannot understand the military spirit”. We used to care a great deal about our troops but now we care just a little less.
Over a long period of time, here is what has happened. The distinction between the government and the military gets blurred. More often than not, the military is the government. ‘Other countries have militaries; in Pakistan, the military has a country’ — hackneyed, but to the point.
When cantonments become commercial centres and military officers seem more interested in agricultural, commercial and residential estates, then, when the time comes, it becomes hard to convince people to put yellow ribbons on their doors.
It is foolhardy to be smug about the fact that the military can remain an island of excellence in a sea of morass. If the military, directly or indirectly, ‘upsets the constitutional configuration of the country’ and treats the other institutions of the state as ‘bloody civilian outfits’, then it is only a matter of time that the military would also become part of that morass. The military has never encouraged institution building. Today, the island of excellence needs support of other institutions that are not there.
People quickly develop fickle habits. If the Supreme Court, the High Courts, the police service and the universities can be stormed, abused and kicked around, why not the last holy cow? How long can a building stand on one strong and three crumbling pillars? Either all institutions deliver or none will.
So, in short, we do not have a typical, traditional military. What we have is a type of Military Inc, the apt title of Ayesha Siddiqa’s book. With its tentacles in every sphere of civilian life, is it a corporation or a political party or a state within a state? When we reach a point where the favourite topic of social chatter is the riches of the top brass of the military, then it is time to admit that the jawan is also talking about it.
Another fallout of this civil-military marriage is that the distinction between the military and the civilians also gets blurred and the two become like, well, husband and wife. The typical civilian goes, “Hey, he is just like us...erring, weak, greedy, evil, corrupt and manipulative; a regular human being. What’s so special about him?” At this stage, “my military, right or wrong” has the same ring about it as “my mother-in-law, right or wrong”.
Despite the fact that the Americans wear their patriotism on their sleeves, faced with a similar situation, there would be no yellow ribbons on their doors or flags outside their houses. If they revere their military, they revere their universities, their justice system and other institutions as well.
The difference is that the Americans promote the mystery, myths and perceptions about their military and they protect it like a treasure. They see their soldiers as “just plain, neighbourhood kids” who are going to lay down their lives to protect “the liberty and freedom of American people”. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Who would feel the same way for “a scramble for Middle Eastern oil”? The Pentagon could be (must be?) the most corrupt organisation in the world but you really have to be a diligent researcher or a reader of fringe magazines published from basements to get to know about it. It is nothing like the in-your-face corruption that we have here in Pakistan.
Military myths have been the same in all history. Mysterious tales of heroism, honour, valour and martyrdom abound. How the soldiers care about others — the buddies, the service, the nation — more than they care about themselves. You could easily spoil such myths by saying something like, “it is economic pressures that drive people into the military”. And then there are the history books and news media that give us an endless parade of uniformed heroes, looking noble and handsome.
Military culture has to be different from the civilian culture. While we live in a chaotic world, they must seem to be disciplined and incorruptible (remember we are talking myths). They must live in cantonments as far away from civilians as possible. They must have as little interaction with the civilian world as possible. They are different people who live and think differently. They must shoot first and ask questions later; that’s what the dacoits of Sindh used to say about the military.
Ribbons, flags and other expressions of solidarity and patriotism cannot be asked for, inculcated or forced upon. They come from within. March with the civilians and you become a civilian. Be a misfit in our world. Stay away from us and once again become an aloof, mysterious, no-nonsense and seriously professional outfit. Ribbons and flags will follow automatically.
Source
Labels: Militancy, Military Operation, Swat Operation, Taliban, Terrorism
posted @ 9:55 AM,
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