Shrinking Shadows

If the line between heroes and villains will keep on getting blurred whom shall we cheer in the war against evil? If heroes will morph into villains at the drop of a hat and blackguards will be instant luminaries by just playing to the galleries who will Cinderella turn to for realization of her dreams? Who will tell the vice from virtue for us and not let the defining moments pass unheeded?

Gone are the days when sitting on the fence very few could ill afford. It is now the most secure and coveted spot 'successful' leaders are increasingly found to keep warm. If burning the boats found currency in medieval ages, keeping all (personal)options open is the order of the day. If in the process the led are left with no options except to wander in the wild for generations, Moses can't be blamed. Rallying round the righteous used to be highly stimulating and the boon of the life and to denounce the depraved was never inhibited by the possibility of dire consequences.

Villains ennobled the spirit no less. By being evil incarnate they succeeded in provoking even the least imaginative. Their role resembled vaccine which invigorated the spirit against lurking immoral onslaught. One loved his heroes for what they encouraged to do and respected the villains for driving home the roles to recoil from. Who will look down upon Heathcliff and take Kaido of Heer for granted.

Blackguards struck awe in one's heart for being not only good at being bad but also for having unswerving resolve to push their agenda. Because of their total commitment heroes were left with no choice except to match the performance. It will not be much of exaggeration to say that heroic feats were inspired by superb villainy.

Today's rogues have shamed their ancestors. They lack the courage their forefathers displayed in pursuing what was dear to their evil but not hypocritical hearts. They court villainy but are no duelists. They want to have good of both the worlds. They hunt with the hunter and run with the hare. They come in all garbs and guises. They preach death but want to be called fountainhead of all life on this planet and beyond. They are seen shedding tears over corpses they themselves 'enthused'.

Reprobates thrive on the naivety of Pakistani laity and are good at manipulating simple beliefs to serve their warped minds. Their morbid tirades are stark model of insincerity but successfully catch the attention of unimaginative. When they are put to shame by cold logic the devils, frothing at the mouth, threaten to elicit divine wrath. They are hell bent on exacting their one pound of flesh from the body politic of this God forsaken country.

One charmer turned politician is panicking for want of accomplices to his confusion. He is increasingly terrified of wilderness he has wrought himself into. Not only deepening diffidence in his eyes is a sorry sight but good name he has earned in other fields also stands in mortal danger of going down the drain if he doesn't mend his stance and a half. Many Pakistanis groan to see him degenerate into a run of the mill politician instead of a promising one he initially evinced every sign of evolving into. His avowed grudge against everything western , after having been worthy of the west for a long time is intriguing. Calling Taliban 'own people' has put a big question mark on the values system he calls his own and never tires of advocating.

Pakistan has had more than her share of demagogues and survived them all. The present array of firebrands is also fighting for its existence instead of paying heed to the writing on the wall. They are hanging on well-established long tradition of distorting facts and raising false alarms to solicit and increase dependence on them. But since ignorance and superstition, their cherished power bases, are fast eroding they will soon be out of business to reconcile with going down unhonored and unsung. At the breaking of dawn they are ordained to exit like Hamlet's father's ghost.