The Power of Ideas
First draft is given below; see also Final Draft
The critiques which were used in improving it are listed here:
Underlying theme is not apparent: RESPONSE: In many places, the power of IDEA's was brought out much more explicitly in final draft than it is in the first draft given below.
Fizzles out towards the end: Concluding paragraphs was sharpened and more ZING put into it.
There are two themes: Power of Ideas versus Materialism and ALSO social responsibiity. These need to be tied together. RESPONSE: final paragraphs link these two undeerlying themes.
The Power of Ideas
FIRST DRAFT
Dr. Asad Zaman
Email: asadzaman@alum.mit.edu
Materialistic theories of history suggest that geography and material resources determine the destinies of nations. Karl Marx went further to suggest even our ideas, as well as cultural and social movements are strongly influenced or determined by changes in economic and other material conditions. A delicious irony of history is that, entirely contrary to his theories and expectations, the ideas of Marx went on to change the lives of millions of people in Russia and China for more than half a century. Without any material resources or compelling historical necessities, the vision of a classless society which promised to look after every member “according to their needs,” inspired Russian and Chinese leaders. The reality of communist Russia was so different from the idealized vision that there is a legitimate dispute as to whether it was a force for good or evil. However, there can be no dispute that the ideas of Marx, without any material resources to back them up, changed the course of history.
It is only because materialist views have become widely accepted that something as obvious as the power of ideas to change the world needs to be stated, argued and demonstrated. The terrifying flash of the nuclear explosion in Hiroshima in which "Practically all living things, human and animal, were literally seared to death” is highly visible. The ideas which led to the creation of the bomb, and the philosophies which permitted human beings to inflict such destruction on innocent civilians, are even more powerful, but much less visible.
Historians have searched the history of the nomadic Arabs in vain for material causes to explain their sudden rise to world power after the coming of Islam. It was the universal vision of Islam, explicitly preaching the brotherhood of all men, which shaped the course of history. In the words of the brilliant historian Marshall Hodgson, “Muslims succeeded in building a new form of society, with its own distinctive institutions, its art and literature, its science and scholarship, its political and social forms, as well as its cult and creed, all bearing an unmistakable Islamic impress. … (Islamic civilization) came closer than any had ever come to uniting all mankind under its ideals. Those who have undertaken to rebuild life in Islamic terms have ventured on an enterprise with a high potential reward – that of winning through to the best that is open to mankind; but with correspondingly great risks of error and failure.”
Today powerful media are spreading many ideas antithetical to the central Islamic messages. Ads, movies, magazines and the internet encourage us to enjoy life to the fullest, by adopting a luxurious lifestyle. Islam encourages us to adopt a simple lifestyle, as modeled by the Prophet (s.a.w.) who ate one day and went hungry the next. Ads encourage purchase of goods to “be the envy of your neighbors.” Islam teaches us to bury fruit peels so as to not incite the envy of the neighbor’s children, if we cannot afford to share fruits with them. The Quran (59:9) praises those who give to others even though they are themselves needy. This is in stark contrast with promotion of luxury products and expensive vacations at a time when millions are hungry and homeless.
Placing personal interests over society, and national interests over global ones has caused incalculable damage. The training children receive in families is the building block for society. Placing personal pleasure over commitments and responsibility has led to soaring rates of infidelity and divorce in the West. More than a third of all the children in USA and UK are being brought up in broken families. At the global level, consensus on measures urgently needed to prevent global warming and numerous looming environmental catastrophes has been blocked by selfish squabbling and national interests. The cure for these problems, which are on the rise in Pakistan, does not lie in science and technology, nor in exports, FDI and privatization. It lies in re-learning traditional values which are retreating under the wave of modernization. Treating others as we would like to be treated, placing community welfare above personal welfare, honesty, sacrifice, love, commitment and trust – these are the powerful ideas which have the potential to change the world.