My photo
Business Graduate by conventional definition, Social Sector enthusiast by accident. Trying to be Human at the moment.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Ideology.

You are in a laboratory.
You read and research, you derive a formula. 
You mix ingredients according to that formula and create a solution. 
You feel happy. You write out that formula to the rest. 
It spreads. Everyone starts making the solution through that formula. 
You come back to your lab, beaming with success, you decide to call all your friends. 
You launch a grand operation. 

You take the formula to other labs. 
The other labs have same ingredients but different atmosphere. Different environment. 
You continue mixing the ingredients, however, this time the formula yields not a solution but a monster. 
The monster grows. You remain unaware. 

It grows until it turns too big to be denied. 
Sitting here, you debate, whether and how to end the monster. 
Some even tell you the positives of letting the monster remain. 

This is how ideology stems from theology - eventually leading to movements. 
Movements are not good or bad. Any movement rising against tyranny and injustice is good. 
However, not every formula for movement turns the way you want it to until of course you deliberately wanted a monster. 

Not every culture, not every nation in Arab Spring had the same ingredients. Not every nation had the context of Egypt. Not Syria. Not Iraq. 
Not every culture yields the same result. Not every nation is independent of Global Powers with vested interests. 
Some of them want a monster, some don't. 
You are sitting in the lab with the monster as your army goes to war with it here in Pakistan. 

This is how ideologies shape. Religious narratives evolve from theologies. Versions and brands endorsing movements, when movements turn violent, theologies disassociate themselves from it. 

When monster turns big, the blame game starts as to who created the formula. The formula is not wrong. The theologies are not wrong. What is wrong is how ingredients are mixed with vested interests with hegemonic intentions. 

If you know what I mean. 


No comments:

Post a Comment