Life on the Periphery in the Absence of Humanism

"It says something about the character of a nation when...."

During discussion recently with a newly arrived Pakistani on scholarship the topic turned to the “Character” of a nation that distinguishes it from other nations.
The newcomer gave examples of instant hikes in prices of essential commodities during recent crisis, such as floods and earth quakes which adds to the misery, particularly of the poor.
Contrast this to ---During the Kobe-Japan earth quake of few years ago an Australian news reporter was shown standing patiently in the queue to purchase a battery-torch as there was no electricity for days after the earth quake. When at the counter, he asked the Japanese lady-shopkeeper as to why she was selling torches at the same price as before the quake. She replied “it is not our character to profit from others misery”.
Is this why Japan is where it is today?
Rashid

Well done Syed Shah.

The milk of human kindness cannot flow where there is a flood of anti-human Wahabist petro dollars.

Throw away Wahabism if Pakistan is to progress at all.
Denounce Quran. Stop this nonsense called Islamism. Only then can Pakistan progress in the modern times.

Welcome to the alienated world, Syed Shah. Its outposts in Pakistan are indeed more tawdry and miserable than in more affluent societies. But believe me, there's nothing unique to it here.

Also, there's plenty of humanism to be found if you know where to look (hint: stay away from the Dunkin Donuts franchises), so kindly do not let your solipistic indulgences keep you from recognizing this. And please don't use so many big big words in a sentence yaar!

I really wish if YLH could read this. The irrelevance of blaming Gandhi for the jihadis of pakistan while ignoring teh person whose photo adores every office in pakistan, the man behind the two nation theory, and take some ownership of what is pakistan today.

It has nothing to do with gandhi, , nothing to do with Zia, everything to do with you, your attitude of blaming the others.

Thanks sayed for a honest article. for the first time a pakistani has admitted to the reality of pakistan, the decline of pakistan.

"It is hard to arrive at the precise moment when this transformation took place; the defining instant at which, unnoticed by the clergy and the intellectuals alike in their blinkered debate to resolve the meaning of Pakistan, the land of the pure regressed into an oasis of tawdry peripherals. Pity, for either alternative might yet have proven to be superior to this Buridanesque middle ground of impotence and moral atrophy."