Daily Times

The other day, I was just idling and reminiscing. I recalled a childhood memory. On one occasion when my mother had rushed to see her ailing father, our maternal grandfather, a Judge of the Sessions Court, Sheikh Laiq Ali, was talking to my mother. He was telling her that she should not have rushed to attend to him. His reasoning seemed odd; which is why this childhood memory stuck.

He felt that my mother, then a wife and mother of two, should give priority to her own family, rather than to her father. He went on to add, “No child should seek to repay its parent by looking after the parent. Nature intends each child to repay the parent by attending to his/her own children”. This was a period of time when such conversations were neither meant for, nor indulged in within the hearing of children. Nor could I have dared question my grandfather on what he meant. I did, however, ask my mother. She merely smiled and responded by saying that I would understand in time.

This memory was obviously prompted by the fact that I too was taken ill recently, and my children too rushed to my care. And they too were similarly reasoned with, quite firmly. Quite obviously, my mother was right and I had understood, in due course of time. I was mildly amused by the memory.

As is the case with memories; they wander, and seek connections. So did mine. I recalled a movie titled ‘Pay it forward’. A very touching movie, with many a poignant scene. It starred Haley Joel Osmond as the central character, playing the 12-year-old Trevor McKinney. Trevor’s social studies teacher, Eugene Simonet, played by Kevin Spacey, tasks his class to devise a plan that would change society.

While the rest of Trevor’s class comes up with rather unimaginative plans, Trevor comes up with something unique. He devises a plan of doing good deeds; which are not to be repaid; but to be paid forward to three individuals. He begins by doing good deeds for three individuals, with no ulterior or selfish motives and his precondition to each recipient was that he/she should pay it forward similarly, to three other people.

All new ideas will invariably be met by derision and ridicule. But, if the thought is put into practice with determination and conviction; success can be a beacon of light

Within the class, Trevor’s idea is received with derision, until his teacher shows his appreciation of it. While the movie has numerous nuances, particularly on abuse of women, the central theme runs around the enormous success of young Trevor’s plan; which, not only spreads all over the US, it crosses international boundaries.

Tragically, but very aptly, young Trevor dies young, doing another good deed, trying to protect a handicapped friend from school bullies, who stab Trevor instead. Equally aptly, Trevor’s abused mother, played by Helen Hunt, finds happiness with his school teacher, Simonet, whose mother was also victim of husbandly abuse; and she finds peace with the very huge, respecting, following that her son’s idea has aroused; all of whom share her grief.

For me, however, the movie carried two priceless lessons. The first was very succinctly expressed by some anonymous sage thus, “If you dream, let it be as big as the mind can make it”. I am reminded of an Urdu couplet by the Allama, Sir Muhammed Iqbal, which runs thus:

Kaha Mansoor ne Khuda hoon mein, bola Darwin boozna hoon mein,

Huns ke bole mere ik dost, fiqre hurkus, baqadre himmate ost

Mansoor al Hallaj, a Muslim mystic of the tenth century AD, said, ‘Analhuq’, or I am God. Meaning that, if I am one of His creations, I must have some of Him, in me. It seems we have not regressed too far today. For his mystic musings, he was stoned to death. Iqbal’s verse goes, ‘Mansoor claimed origins from God, Darwin claims his from the Ape. Let each seer and sage’s mind soar to heights it can reach’. Most unfair to Darwin’s brilliant treatises; but it aptly makes the point it seeks to i.e. even sages are limited by their own brilliance.

From the beginning of time, history has been made by seers and sages who challenged norms. Never by those whose imagination was limited by the thoughts of others. In fact, even all Prophets flew in the face of adversity to take their messages forward. Courage is not merely displayed in battlefields, it is far more desirable, and useful to mankind when it challenges the frontiers of human knowledge.

As an aside, I gather that the most highly paid employee is found in Hollywood, in the person of the individual who provides ‘ideas’ for successful movies.

The second priceless lesson is that, all new ideas will invariably be met by derision and ridicule. But, if the thought is put into practice with determination and conviction; success can be a beacon of light. Trevor was a unique child. He combined his abilities to dream with the determination to execute. More often than not, dreamers and practitioners are different individuals. However, if and wherever, these qualities are combined in one individual, he/she leaves his mark in history.

Concluding thoughts: these are extraordinary people; what about us ordinary mortals? Someone once said something which is, either, very far from profound, or profound beyond belief. He said, “They also serve who only stand and wait”. Even if this is profound, I can merely add sardonically; “they might serve better if they moved in their preferred direction, while waiting”.

The writer is a retired brigadier. He is also former vice president and founder of the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI)

Published in Daily Times, January 7^th 2018.