Rising From the Ashes
Natural and economic disasters, wars, revolutions and
genocides, have dotted the timeline of history leading to the collapse of
countries and sometimes whole civilizations. At a personal level, people hit
rock bottom with life-altering injuries, loss of loved ones, collapse of
business ventures, loss of home and community due to wars, natural disasters or
even bad personal decisions.
People need hope to pick themselves up and carry on. One of
the most revisited images through the ages is that of a mythical bird, the Phoenix,
rising from the ashes of its own destruction. The Phoenix builds a nest of
scented wood and resin. The sun’s rays burn the bird and the nest to ashes, as it
emerges once again in a new form. Something old needs to be let go to make
space for the new.
There is much talk of the downward spiral of the economy of
Pakistan and its institutions. A country that already rose once out of the
trauma of Partition, Pakistan has been dogged by nay-sayers, who devised terms
like “failed state”. In his article, Failed States are a Western Myth, Elliot
Ross records it was first used in 1992 in an article in the US Foreign policy
journal “as a rationale to impose US
interests on less powerful nations”.
A tapestry in the United Nations Security Council, depicts a
Phoenix symbolizing renewal after the Second World War. All of Europe had to rise
from the ashes of two deadly world wars with a combined death toll of almost
100 million and many million wounded. Cities were reduced to rubble. There were
food shortages, and a shattered economy. 1945 was called Year Zero
Britain faced the destruction of its capital city, its
economy, the loss of many lives, as well as control of its Colonial Empire. The
government prioritized the emotional restoration of its people. Britain became
a welfare state, with a free National Health Service. Women, who played a
crucial role during the war, were given the right to vote. The 1951 Festival of Britain displayed British
achievements in science, technology and the arts to bring back a sense of pride,
and take away attention from the long process of recovery.
Unlike Britain, Germany was not a free state in the
aftermath of the war. Occupied by the Allies, its currency was worthless, 70%
of housing was destroyed. The economist, Walter Eucken, authored the "German
economic miracle". His radical plan included a free market, a strong
welfare system, an independent central bank, and a new currency. Despite criticism, it worked, and the change
was visible almost immediately. People had an incentive to work. Industrial
production was four times higher than it was just one decade earlier.
The ‘Miracle on the Han River’ in South Korea after the
Korean war (1950-53), was achieved by a strong government that rejected aid,
swept away corruption, limited farm holdings to 7.5 acres, spread education on
a war footing in every available space from abandoned factories to tents.
Dispossessed landlords put their wealth into business and educational
institutions. An Ease of Doing Business environment
attracted investors. Family based companies or chaebŏls were encouraged, emerging
as Hyundai, LG and Samsung, and more of Korea’s
GDP is spent on Research and Development than by US or Japan.
It has not been a smooth journey for these nations. Their art,
music and literature reflected the anxiety of the times – the ashes of
transformation. The tug of hope and despair is expressed by singer, Sajjad Ali,
Mein doob raha hoon abhi dooba toh nahi
hoon (I'm drowning right now, but I haven't drowned yet).
Durriya Kazi
January 15, 2023
Karachi
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