सक़ाफ़त, अदब और जमहूरियत

By Wazir Agha

The interplay and conflict between culture and nature have not existed since the beginning of time. The phenomenon of culture began merely a few thousand years ago, whereas nature has been at work for eons. On this planet, a major symbolic manifestation of nature is the jungle, which is free from the dictates of order, direction, and history. The jungle grows wild. It is an unbridled and continuous expression of the earth's power. Because ancient human tribes were completely connected to the jungle, they, like the jungle, were ignorant of history, indifferent to direction, free from time, and frozen in the present moment. Like the jungle, they perpetually moved in a circle. They were an inseparable part of nature, but then, just a few thousand years ago, the seed of culture sprouted, and it began to acquaint nature with order, direction, and history.

The literal meaning of culture is cultivation and refinement. When humans carve out paths and trails within the jungle, clear certain areas to grow crops, or transform the jungle into a garden, they essentially bring culture into existence.

In the jungle, the sky is hidden from sight, which causes the senses of touch, smell, and hearing to become more active. However, when paths and clearings emerge within the jungle and the sky becomes visible, the sense of sight is activated, and with its activation, distances emerge. Culture provides light to the blind eyes of nature. It acquaints nature with distances and heights. This process can also be termed the metamorphosis of nature.

But the process of culture is not continuous. The reality of nature is that it is constantly sprouting from the earth. Culture certainly prunes, refines, and adorns it, but as soon as the momentum of culture breaks and it begins to tread the well-worn ruts of civilization, nature once again becomes unbridled.

Civilization and culture are two sides of the same coin. Culture is the creative side, while civilization is the imitative side. Culture manifests itself in the fine arts, scientific discoveries, and inventions, as well as in the form of innovation, diversity, and spiritual attainment in everyday life. Civilization, on the other hand, is temperamentally subordinate to the tendency of imitation. Its life's purpose is to manufacture products according to an established model.

Culture emerges from the unseen, and it is impossible to predict when it will arrive or how long its freshness will last. However, when it does arrive, it sooner or later transforms into civilization and spreads throughout the entire society. The process of culture is akin to the blooming of a flower, which is a matter of mere moments, but whose fragrance—that is, civilization—keeps the entire society perfumed for a long time. Culture is the blooming of the flower, and civilization is the state of being steeped in its fragrance. But as time passes, the flower's fragrance dilutes and begins to lose its effect. This is the era when civilization, imprisoned by customs, rituals, traditions, and habits, begins to lose the internal power of culture as it treads the deep ruts of society. This is essentially the process of being confined within a circle once again, until a fresh wave of culture liberates it from the prison of the circle once more.

Nature is circular in its attributes, whereas culture is akin to an arc that breaks out of the circle's circumference to give birth to civilization. The birth of civilization from the womb of culture is, in fact, the pinnacle of culture. But after a short while, the arc morphs back into a circle. This is the point of culture's decline. Societies that stagnate at this point of cultural decline—meaning they become entirely subordinate to civilization—have their vitality severely impaired. Conversely, the growth of societies that continually experience ever-new waves of culture remains unhindered. Nature is essentially another name for proximity, cohesion, or contiguity, whereas culture is accustomed to taking leaps like a metaphor. Societies that forget the act of leaping fall prey to contiguity and cohesion, becoming dense, directionless, and stagnant. On the other hand, societies that are as dynamic as a metaphor give birth to history and transcend the boundaries of habit, repetition, and dogma.

Just as culture refines nature, literature refines human emotions. A jungle also resides within the human self. Literature transforms this jungle of emotions. As soon as they enter the realm of literature, emotions sprout wings and begin to soar in the form of imagination. This reduces the tension and heaviness of the emotions. If one glances at the gradual evolution of poetry itself, it becomes apparent that it has always been inclined toward imaginative creation and intellectual flight, having transcended the stages of idol-worship and physical description. That is to say, it has continuously moved out of the atmosphere of the geet (song) and entered the realm of the ghazal and the nazm (poem). The geet is a process of idol-worship and physical description in which emotion has not yet become unburdened, whereas in the ghazal and the nazm, the refinement of emotion begins to emerge through the workings of the imagination.

When culture molds into civilization, a spring-like atmosphere prevails for a time, but then, gradually, it becomes subservient to traditions, codes, and conventions, and grinds to a halt. The same is true of literature. When literature is swept up by a romantic movement, it tears off its old garments. A scene of fragmentation and upheaval emerges everywhere, causing many eyebrows to raise. But then, from within the romantic movement, a classical movement is born, which provides literature with a new attire. The point where the romantic and classical movements converge deserves to be called the renaissance of literature, for it is at this juncture that the finest literature comes into being. But then, gradually, the grip of classicism begins to tighten. Rules and regulations, traditions and constraints, molds and forms are deemed sacred, and literature begins to suffocate.

This is the era when literature falls prey to ready-made verbal constructs, hackneyed and overused similes, and symbols that have stagnated at the level of mere signs, causing it to travel in a circle. This era can also be termed the age of the cliché, in which evidence of repetition is found not only in style but also in the text itself. Ideas repeated a thousand times, having surrendered their freshness, individuality, and diversity, begin to be used in literature for mere decoration and display. Instead of profound insights and thought-provoking ideas, mere sentence-crafting and witticism are promoted.

The function of both culture and literature is identical. There is also a similarity in their patterns and structures. Both emerge from the unseen, spread their fragrance, and when that fragrance dilutes, they manifest anew from the unseen to bestow a fresh fragrance upon literature and society. Now, it remains to be seen whether the function and pattern of democracy are also like those of culture and literature, or if they are different.

Just as the jungle is a source of immense growth alongside animalistic or brute force, and just as a lava of emotions constantly boils beneath the surface of literature, society too always possesses a collective power. When this power spirals out of control, it results in warfare, destruction, and the collapse of human values. Conversely, when it is tightly controlled, it becomes concentrated in the hands of a king or a dictator. Human history is replete with instances of society's power either becoming concentrated or spiraling out of control. From Hulagu and Genghis Khan to Hitler and Stalin, we see prime examples of the concentration of this power.

Similarly, from the French and Russian Revolutions to the riots of the subcontinent, we find examples of this power breaking loose. The distinguishing feature of democracy is that it allows social power neither to become concentrated nor to spiral out of control. It refines this tremendous power in the exact same way that culture refines the power of nature and literature refines the power of emotions.

In a dictatorship or a monarchy, the individual ceases to exist. Everywhere, one only sees uniform types bound in the golden chains of servitude and obedience. However, when democracy transforms this social power and distributes it among the people, individuals begin to emerge, breathing a new soul into society. The concepts of social justice, transparency, tolerance, and forbearance, which fade during the eras of dictatorship and monarchy, now begin to manifest with a new brilliance. Yet, much like culture and literature, democracy too dawns only intermittently. In the intervening periods, just like them, it becomes confined to a repetitive cycle, reducing it to something merely formal and ornamental.

The era when democracy, deprived of its renewal and innovation, becomes subservient to mere rituals and conventions, is a time of great agony. During this time, social justice becomes a rarity, transparency vanishes, and tolerance disappears, while the law of the jungle begins to mock human laws. In such circumstances, if a fresh wave of democracy does not arrive to revitalize democratic institutions and distribute power in accordance with social justice, the growth of society comes to a halt.

Finally, it must be reiterated that, just like culture and literature, the arrival of fresh democratic waves is essential for the health and growth of society. Otherwise, while the process of cultivation may be visible on the surface of the earth, beneath it, the jungle is always ready to burst through the cracks in the ground and upend the entire process of cultivation. In the blink of an eye, all cultural values can be torn to shreds by the bloodthirsty claws of nature.

Therefore, it is necessary that culture, literature, and democracy all periodically experience a renaissance. In England, there are vast, beautiful lawns. Once, a Pakistani asked the English groundskeeper of a beautiful lawn, Sir! How did you 'create' such a beautiful lawn? The English groundskeeper smiled and replied, Brother! It is not a difficult task. You select a piece of land, level it thoroughly, and then plant some fine grass on it. After that, water it. When the grass grows a little, mow it, then water it again, then mow it again, then water it again, then mow it again. Keep doing this for three hundred years, and you too will have such beautiful lawns.

The democratic process is also a process of periodically trimming and pruning the grass, but how many of us actually realize this?

By Wazir Agha

The interplay and conflict between culture and nature have not existed since the beginning of time. The phenomenon of culture began merely a few thousand years ago, whereas nature has been at work for eons. On this planet, a major symbolic manifestation of nature is the jungle, which is free from the dictates of order, direction, and history. The jungle grows wild. It is an unbridled and continuous expression of the earth's power. Because ancient human tribes were completely connected to the jungle, they, like the jungle, were ignorant of history, indifferent to direction, free from time, and frozen in the present moment. Like the jungle, they perpetually moved in a circle. They were an inseparable part of nature, but then, just a few thousand years ago, the seed of culture sprouted, and it began to acquaint nature with order, direction, and history.

The literal meaning of culture is cultivation and refinement. When humans carve out paths and trails within the jungle, clear certain areas to grow crops, or transform the jungle into a garden, they essentially bring culture into existence.

In the jungle, the sky is hidden from sight, which causes the senses of touch, smell, and hearing to become more active. However, when paths and clearings emerge within the jungle and the sky becomes visible, the sense of sight is activated, and with its activation, distances emerge. Culture provides light to the blind eyes of nature. It acquaints nature with distances and heights. This process can also be termed the metamorphosis of nature.

But the process of culture is not continuous. The reality of nature is that it is constantly sprouting from the earth. Culture certainly prunes, refines, and adorns it, but as soon as the momentum of culture breaks and it begins to tread the well-worn ruts of civilization, nature once again becomes unbridled.

Civilization and culture are two sides of the same coin. Culture is the creative side, while civilization is the imitative side. Culture manifests itself in the fine arts, scientific discoveries, and inventions, as well as in the form of innovation, diversity, and spiritual attainment in everyday life. Civilization, on the other hand, is temperamentally subordinate to the tendency of imitation. Its life's purpose is to manufacture products according to an established model.

Culture emerges from the unseen, and it is impossible to predict when it will arrive or how long its freshness will last. However, when it does arrive, it sooner or later transforms into civilization and spreads throughout the entire society. The process of culture is akin to the blooming of a flower, which is a matter of mere moments, but whose fragrance—that is, civilization—keeps the entire society perfumed for a long time. Culture is the blooming of the flower, and civilization is the state of being steeped in its fragrance. But as time passes, the flower's fragrance dilutes and begins to lose its effect. This is the era when civilization, imprisoned by customs, rituals, traditions, and habits, begins to lose the internal power of culture as it treads the deep ruts of society. This is essentially the process of being confined within a circle once again, until a fresh wave of culture liberates it from the prison of the circle once more.

Nature is circular in its attributes, whereas culture is akin to an arc that breaks out of the circle's circumference to give birth to civilization. The birth of civilization from the womb of culture is, in fact, the pinnacle of culture. But after a short while, the arc morphs back into a circle. This is the point of culture's decline. Societies that stagnate at this point of cultural decline—meaning they become entirely subordinate to civilization—have their vitality severely impaired. Conversely, the growth of societies that continually experience ever-new waves of culture remains unhindered. Nature is essentially another name for proximity, cohesion, or contiguity, whereas culture is accustomed to taking leaps like a metaphor. Societies that forget the act of leaping fall prey to contiguity and cohesion, becoming dense, directionless, and stagnant. On the other hand, societies that are as dynamic as a metaphor give birth to history and transcend the boundaries of habit, repetition, and dogma.

Just as culture refines nature, literature refines human emotions. A jungle also resides within the human self. Literature transforms this jungle of emotions. As soon as they enter the realm of literature, emotions sprout wings and begin to soar in the form of imagination. This reduces the tension and heaviness of the emotions. If one glances at the gradual evolution of poetry itself, it becomes apparent that it has always been inclined toward imaginative creation and intellectual flight, having transcended the stages of idol-worship and physical description. That is to say, it has continuously moved out of the atmosphere of the geet (song) and entered the realm of the ghazal and the nazm (poem). The geet is a process of idol-worship and physical description in which emotion has not yet become unburdened, whereas in the ghazal and the nazm, the refinement of emotion begins to emerge through the workings of the imagination.

When culture molds into civilization, a spring-like atmosphere prevails for a time, but then, gradually, it becomes subservient to traditions, codes, and conventions, and grinds to a halt. The same is true of literature. When literature is swept up by a romantic movement, it tears off its old garments. A scene of fragmentation and upheaval emerges everywhere, causing many eyebrows to raise. But then, from within the romantic movement, a classical movement is born, which provides literature with a new attire. The point where the romantic and classical movements converge deserves to be called the renaissance of literature, for it is at this juncture that the finest literature comes into being. But then, gradually, the grip of classicism begins to tighten. Rules and regulations, traditions and constraints, molds and forms are deemed sacred, and literature begins to suffocate.

This is the era when literature falls prey to ready-made verbal constructs, hackneyed and overused similes, and symbols that have stagnated at the level of mere signs, causing it to travel in a circle. This era can also be termed the age of the cliché, in which evidence of repetition is found not only in style but also in the text itself. Ideas repeated a thousand times, having surrendered their freshness, individuality, and diversity, begin to be used in literature for mere decoration and display. Instead of profound insights and thought-provoking ideas, mere sentence-crafting and witticism are promoted.

The function of both culture and literature is identical. There is also a similarity in their patterns and structures. Both emerge from the unseen, spread their fragrance, and when that fragrance dilutes, they manifest anew from the unseen to bestow a fresh fragrance upon literature and society. Now, it remains to be seen whether the function and pattern of democracy are also like those of culture and literature, or if they are different.

Just as the jungle is a source of immense growth alongside animalistic or brute force, and just as a lava of emotions constantly boils beneath the surface of literature, society too always possesses a collective power. When this power spirals out of control, it results in warfare, destruction, and the collapse of human values. Conversely, when it is tightly controlled, it becomes concentrated in the hands of a king or a dictator. Human history is replete with instances of society's power either becoming concentrated or spiraling out of control. From Hulagu and Genghis Khan to Hitler and Stalin, we see prime examples of the concentration of this power.

Similarly, from the French and Russian Revolutions to the riots of the subcontinent, we find examples of this power breaking loose. The distinguishing feature of democracy is that it allows social power neither to become concentrated nor to spiral out of control. It refines this tremendous power in the exact same way that culture refines the power of nature and literature refines the power of emotions.

In a dictatorship or a monarchy, the individual ceases to exist. Everywhere, one only sees uniform types bound in the golden chains of servitude and obedience. However, when democracy transforms this social power and distributes it among the people, individuals begin to emerge, breathing a new soul into society. The concepts of social justice, transparency, tolerance, and forbearance, which fade during the eras of dictatorship and monarchy, now begin to manifest with a new brilliance. Yet, much like culture and literature, democracy too dawns only intermittently. In the intervening periods, just like them, it becomes confined to a repetitive cycle, reducing it to something merely formal and ornamental.

The era when democracy, deprived of its renewal and innovation, becomes subservient to mere rituals and conventions, is a time of great agony. During this time, social justice becomes a rarity, transparency vanishes, and tolerance disappears, while the law of the jungle begins to mock human laws. In such circumstances, if a fresh wave of democracy does not arrive to revitalize democratic institutions and distribute power in accordance with social justice, the growth of society comes to a halt.

Finally, it must be reiterated that, just like culture and literature, the arrival of fresh democratic waves is essential for the health and growth of society. Otherwise, while the process of cultivation may be visible on the surface of the earth, beneath it, the jungle is always ready to burst through the cracks in the ground and upend the entire process of cultivation. In the blink of an eye, all cultural values can be torn to shreds by the bloodthirsty claws of nature.

Therefore, it is necessary that culture, literature, and democracy all periodically experience a renaissance. In England, there are vast, beautiful lawns. Once, a Pakistani asked the English groundskeeper of a beautiful lawn, Sir! How did you 'create' such a beautiful lawn? The English groundskeeper smiled and replied, Brother! It is not a difficult task. You select a piece of land, level it thoroughly, and then plant some fine grass on it. After that, water it. When the grass grows a little, mow it, then water it again, then mow it again, then water it again, then mow it again. Keep doing this for three hundred years, and you too will have such beautiful lawns.

The democratic process is also a process of periodically trimming and pruning the grass, but how many of us actually realize this?