Measuring happiness

What is happiness and can it be measured? These questions, particularly the former, have perplexed philosophers and thinkers for over two millennia. Now the government intends to find out, by setting up a happiness, or well being index, premised on the idea that money is not all there is to happiness.

That happiness is not solely about money cannot be denied. There are, indeed, plenty of stories about extremely rich people lacking peace of mind and contentment. But neither can it be denied that there is a marginal point beyond which money does matter and the rather middle class pre-occupation with finding happiness beyond money becomes irrelevant. That point is certainly reached if you are jobless, struggling to keep a roof over your head and have to think hard about which necessities of life to prioritise.

To suggest to a person in such a situation, and there are many and indeed will be many more when the government's cuts begin to bite, that happiness is not about money but about beauty, aesthetic appreciation, etc, is plainly cruel.

Iqbal

Yesterday was the birthday of Allama Mohammed Iqbal, the great poet and philosopher. Iqbal is much admired and respected in Pakistan, considered by many as the intellectual force behind the idea of Pakistan. Iqbal was an intellectual giant, a free thinker, indeed an innovator.

For Iqbal, khudi, or the cultivated self, was central. This 'self' should not be confused with selfishness. Khudi is about the cultivation of the spiritual and moral self, such that Iqbal says:

Elevate your khudi to such heights that before every decree,
God Himself asks you: "Tell me, what is your wish?"

It is difficult not to note the German influence on Iqbal, particularly about his ideas on the spiritual self and its role in history.

Thinkers of Iqbal's calibre are much needed today in Pakistan, though one wonders how much they would be appreciated. One also wonders to what extent it is that the real Iqbal, Iqbal the philosopher and free thinker, indeed the sceptic, is currently respected and appreciated, rather than the mythical Iqbal?

Tuition fees

The sharp rise in tuition fees announced this month is grim news. A barrier, probably an insurmountable one for many families on decent salaries, has been erected towards meeting aspirations. For once it seems as if the children of people who graduated in the late 1980s, through the 1990s and parts of this decade, will be worse off than their parents. It can only be a backward step if the succeeding generation is worse off than the preceding one.

There is, of course, no law of development: progress is not inevitable. But some things are in our control, including policy on access to higher education. Such access is probably the most important motor for social mobility. The current changes in fees have added the brakes.

English test for immigrants

Later this month, immigrants wanting to come into the UK will need to pass an English language test before entering the country. The test itself will be a fairly basic spoken test, requiring no more than 40-50 hours of tuition. There will be no test of reading and writing.

Most affected will be spouses coming over from South Asia. It is a fair bet that places like Mirpur will see the rise of tuition centres aimed specifically at grooming people to pass the test. The test will, of course, cost money (to be paid by the visa applicant), and where money is involved, foul play is not far off. Unless the administration of the test is micro-managed in all affected countries from London, ways will be adapted of passing applicants who are willing to pay an additional 'fee'.

The illiberal measure will no doubt inconvenience many genuine cases, but few can doubt that a good command of English is pretty useful when living in England! A more liberal approach would be to fund language classes in England.

In reality, the rationale for the measure is to discourage immigration, particulary by marriage, from certain countries. Such marriages cannot be banned obviously, but measures such as the language test, by erecting an additional barrier, are intended to influence and change cultural practices. Ultimately, cultural practices will change; not because of measures like this, but because young people are themselves demanding more control of their lives.

Whither humanity?

There is no dearth of stories with a moral angle to emerge from Pakistan. Take this one, from BBC South Asia, describing how an Ahmadi family was forced to re-bury a relative because he was buried in a Muslim graveyard.

Ahmadis have had a raw deal in Pakistan. They were prominent in the Pakistan movement and in Jinnah's Muslim League, at a time when the predecessors of some of today's religious parties were opposed to the idea of a separate homeland for Muslims.

But in a country where reality is mobius-strip like, where foul is fair and untruth is truth, such historical inconveniences do not matter.

Not cricket

Woe is Pakistan! The tragedy of the floods is still unfolding, as if in slow motion. Last week, we had the horrendous lynching in Sialkot. Now cricket, Pakistan's national sport, is in the news for all the wrong reasons.

Video footage of money being counted, and the over and ball number when the no-balls will be delivered being described, with further replay from the actual matches showing precisely those balls being no-balls, makes one want to throw up. Even the commentators wonder about the no-balls, asking whether it is inexperience and at one point saying how there have been a few no-balls. It is like an adulterer being caught with his pants down and in a pose that is a lot more than merely preparatory, as they say in legal jargon.

Although there is widespread anger in Pakistan and here, it isn't tinged with surprise. Many have suspected the integrity of Pakistani cricket for a while. We have been here before; the Qayyum report into the last betting scandal cast a shadow over Pakistani cricket in general and certain players in particular.

In cyberspace, people have asked whether there is any wonder about the corrupt state of Pakistani cricket when the head of the state, Zardari, himself is made of the same corrupt material. After all, Pakistan's cricketing management is stuffed with Zardari's cronies.

Not another coup

The 'London Wala' as he is contemptuously called by opponents who do not want to utter his name, or the one from London, MQM leader Altaf Hussain, has called for a military coup in Pakistan. All the reasons he cited, such as corruption and medieval feudalism, are real, if endemic, problems in Pakistan. Yet his call is simply wrong and mischievous.

As Pakistan's history shows, the military is a part of the problem.

If one ongoing ill defines the legacy of the first military dictator, Ayub Khan, it is corruption. His family did handsomely and has been in politics ever since. The next one, Yahya Khan, known for his debauchery, presided over the dismemberment of Pakistan. Then came Zia, who, though less corrupt, introduced the poison of extremism and the Kalashnikov culture.

Finally came Musharraf, who, also hanging out in London these days, laid the ground of the current anarchy in the country.

Yet all these dictators co-opted civilian politicians. Military dictators do not operate in a vacuum. Even Z.A.Bhutto was a Minister in Ayub's government.

Zardari least of all deserves to be President; but the solution is not a coup. At present, the sole focus should be on dealing with the floods. Once the emergency is over, Parliament can assert itself.

Brutality in Sialkot

In the midst of the worst flooding in its history, that has visited untold suffering on millions of people, another heart wrenching story came out of Pakistan yesterday. The brutal lynching of two brothers in Sialkot has shocked people in Pakistan and beyond. Video footage of the incident makes ones hairs stand on end. The brothers are clubbed to death and then when dead, are strung up. Chilling video of the brutality is easily available on YouTube.

At first, it was suggested that the brothers were 'dacoits'; today there are reports that this incident, which should prompt national soul searching, was over nothing more than cricket. Witnesses who know the family of the victims testify that the family are highly respected and shareef. One of the brothers was also a hafiz. Whatever the matter, no one deserves this.

It is simply beyond comprehension as to why this brutality could take place in the presence of so many people and effectively supervised by the police. When crimes take place in the darkness of the night, it is possible to shrug our shoulders and bemoan the state of society. But what can we say when a whole city, the city of Iqbal and Faiz, turns out as a spectator of such brutality?

The shoe

Throwing shoes at someone is particularly resonant in Asia and the Middle East as a form of insulting those who are deemed to be immoral. So it was with the shoe that was hurled at Zardari. Even if we ignore the corruption, palatial buildings and chateaus, which is a massive concession, it is still the case that Zardari should, at a time of unprecedented flooding in Pakistan, be there helping the people. In the bits of the speech which I caught on PTV, he referred to the floods as 'aani-jaani', as things that come and go. Tell that to the hundreds of thousands of people who have lost their humble homes. They will struggle for decades. It seems Zardari either doesn't understand or care about the gravity of the floods. Of course, should the country drown, he can always retire to his chateau or central London flat.

According to reports by the independent ARY TV (which I understand is now being harassed by the Pakistani government for revealing the shoe affair), the shoe thrower was an 'old man with a white beard'. I salute the old man with the white beard. His symbolic act has expressed the sentiments of millions of Pakistanis.

Pakistan 'People’s Party'

A stomach-churning event is billed to take place in Birmingham on Saturday. Bilawal ‘Bhutto’ Zardari (the middle name was hastily added following the assassination of his mother), will assume political duties, now that he has graduated. I say stomach-churning because the very idea of dynastic politics, where an aristocratic leader class is groomed in Platonic fashion, is against the spirit of democracy. Add to that the fact that Bilawal, who has spent most of his time outside Pakistan, has very little in common with the Pakistani masses. Even now he will spend most of his time in Dubai.

The event is being promoted as a chance for Bilawal’s father, Mr Ten Per cent, to meet with British Pakistanis. In reality the audience will be composed of die-hard People’s Party supporters. I have yet to come across a British Pakistani who does not add an expletive when uttering the president’s name. No doubt sycophants will be on hand at the event to drown the president in praise. Flattery is commonplace in Pakistani politics, but it is particularly pronounced in the ‘People’s Party.’ That accounts for the fact that several not-so-able people have been given ministerial portfolios by the federal government.

But the flatterers will be plain wrong. This is the most corrupt politician Pakistan has ever had – and that is saying something, because corruption has been endemic in Pakistan for decades. For example, initially he denied ownership of the 335-acre Rockwood House in Surrey, reportedly bought for 4 million pounds. According to the Telegraph, he proclaimed: “How can anyone think of buying a mansion in England when people in Pakistan don’t even have a roof over their heads?” The Telegraphs adds: “It was only after the house had been sold and the Pakistani authorities tried to seize some of the money that he acknowledged his ownership.”

Zardari is a far cry from the patrician Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who, by instinct an autocrat, at least possessed tremendous charisma, leadership qualities and intellect. Pakistan would possibly be a better place now if Bhutto possessed these qualities without an equally strong hunger for power.

Both father and son should be in Pakistan, meeting the millions of victims of the floods.

Chattroh

On 28 June news began circulating that two people (British Pakistanis) had been murdered in Chattroh: (see http://www.dadyal.com.pk/?p=1541, which includes a news report). According to the Urdu Daily Ausaf later that week, all the parties were closely related and, apparently, land disputes and the ‘argumentativeness’ (my translation of the word used by the paper) of the womenfolk were behind the murders.

I cannot comment on this particular case or the ‘argumentativeness’ of women, but the whole issue of land distribution in Mirpur does appear to be an explosive one. The district is a relatively peaceful place compared to the rest of Pakistan. Any murders are generally related to land or 'honour'.

Part of the problem is that the land laws there are so archaic that no one really understands them. Another issue is that the value of land has increased only relatively recently. Before that, land was essentially for farming. When elders died, there was no attempt by their heirs to update the records. You basically owned land by general agreement and acquiescence, rather than by strict legal title.

Even then, however, a small astute minority was able to play the system, in collaboration with venal land officials, and get documents altered and land boundaries expanded. These issues are only now coming to light, when the succeeding generation of British Pakistanis, are querying their land ownership before building new houses.

Constant talk of raising further the limit of the Mangla Reservoir, which will submerge more villages, adds to the demand for habitable land. I've already mentioned corrupt land officials, who are not averse to supplementing their salaries with handsome bribes. Miscreants and reprobates from villages across the Mirpur district are often close to land officials.

General Election 2010

Once again the General Election is upon us. At the last election (2005), I was an enthusiatic blogger; in the current one, I am less so. So here are some observations on the election due in a few weeks.

First the prediction: Polling has become remarkeably prescient in recent years; the message they are giving in the current election is mixed. The most likely outcome is a hung Parliament, with Labour being the largest party. The reason for this is partly systemic - the way the constituency system works, as at present, favours Labour. You could form a government here without a moral majority.

What would I like to see, not that it matters? I think I would prefer Labour returned, albeit with a chastened majority and a party humbled by the loss of some prominent seats.

Locally, in the newly restructured constituency of Hall Green, even the retiring MP for Selly Oak, Dr Lynne Jones, has called on people to vote for Salma Yaqoob, the Respect candidate. So much for the calibre of the current MP, Roger Godsiff, who is seeking re-election. At the last election, (when it was the Sparkbrook constituency) Salma Yaqoob came an impressive second and was close to creating a major upset for Labour locally.

In the current election, I think the Respect vote will hold, but victory seems more unlikely. The new Hall Green constituency includes the largely middle class, and white, ward of Hall Green. Any anti-Labour feeling there is more likely to transfer to the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives. With the anti-Labour vote thus divided, Labour will win again, even if their candidate does not deserve to win.

Rise of rationality

Homeopathy is going out of favour (in official circles). Whether this is because rationality is on the up, or because financial woes mean we have to make choices, I am not sure. The term 'alternative medicine' includes a whole range of techniques, from the ridiculous to the plausible and effective (for some conditions). Homeopathy falls on the ridiculous side of the scale. It is based on incorrect premises - that like cures like and repeated dilution, to the point where what remains is 100% water, increases potency. Based on this logic, forgetting to take your homeopathic tablet is tantamount to overdosing!

That doesn't mean people will stop taking alternative medicine;it remains as popular as ever.

In our Mirpuri community, alternative medicine is very common. It can include anything from herbal concoctions to spiritual incantations. The latter might include reciting something x times. This is fine, but, in my opinion, it is something that should not be paid for. Prayer is free and we should not fall into the trap of paying spiritual healers.

Immanuel Kant

This month will see the 205th death anniversary of Immanuel Kant, the great German philosopher. I suspect most people are not bothered, but in recent years I have developed an interest in Kant's writings.

Kant wrote on a wide range of issues, including science, but his three Critiques essentially ask and answer three questions: what we can know, what we should do, and - among other things - how we can appreciate beauty. These questions are raised in the Critique of Pure Reason, Critique of Practical Reason, and the Critique of Judgment. Kant had an extremely difficult to follow writing style, even by the standards of German philosophers. It is probably fair to say no one person understands everything he said.

The Critique of Pure Reason is probably the most well-known of the three Critiques and the most widely discussed in academic circles. It is folly to attempt to summarise it in a blog. Suffice it to say that in answer to the question what we can know, Kant gave prominence to the perspective of the knowing subject.

What I admire most about Kant's is his critical attitude. His best known essay, and probably one of the more readable pieces he wrote, is "What is englightenment?" In that, he states that the key to enlightenment, or knowledge and understanding unaided by assistance from authorities, is the urge to know. "Sapere aude", "dare to know" he says.

It is this attitude that is most needed in the Muslim world today and it is also the approach of Iqbal, to a greater extent than some of his most ardent admirers would admit or know. Indeed, Iqbal's Reconstruction of Religious Though in Islam is filled with references to German philopsphers, including Kant.

'Do not go out unless absolutely necessary'

Of the pieces of advice dished out during the cold snap, the most useless and vacuous must be the advice not to venture out unless absolutely necessary. What weight and value does such advice carry? Who is to decide what is necessary? Presumably if you are a doctor or nurse, your work is necessary. What if you work in a fast food chain flipping unhealthy burgers? Far from being necessary, staying at home might even help the nation's arteries.

I am not suggesting we can't cope with bad weather. The UK is a fairly temperate place, which means we are not used to coping with extreme weather and do not have the systems in place to deal with it. In fact the longer it lasts, the better we seem to cope. In Birmingham, snow really arrived in the middle of last week and this led to school closures and work places were also affected. Yet driving conditions, and conditions for pedestrians, were far worse yesterday, when there was hardly any disruption. Which just goes to show that if this became a regular occurrence, we would just adapt pretty fast.

Finally, various figures have been thrown around to illustrate the scale of financial loss owing to the bad weather. It does look as if these figures are just plucked from the air. How can such calculations be made so quickly? In any case, it is not as if the loss falls in one place; as if suddenly a single account has had millions debited from it.