When Pakistan was created, the British failed to plan because they were planning for us to fail. Imran Khan was elected as the Prime Minister, with monumental expectations. His slogan of justice and financial stability made the public sentiments reach a crescendo. He spoke of Riyasat-e-Medina and Pakistanis expected no less of him. Tables have been turned in a little over three years. Whereas he was previously expected to perform a series of miracles overnight, today he is blamed for pretty much anything that goes wrong. The outrageous praise heaped on Maryam Nawaz on her bridal outfits worn at her son’s ostentatious and over-the-top wedding at a time of unprecedented inflation is an ominous trend. It signals the return of the Sharifs to power. In other words, the best Pakistani leadership is the clan it ousts on public demand but brings back through the ballot box. Rocketing inflation, rising poverty, the rise of militant Islam, an empty treasury, a hostile and toxic neighbour on the eastern side, brain drain and a lack of hope is what plagues Pakistan today. It seems to be an ungovernable state, which would have been undone long ago if it were not for its courageous and strong military. We look outwards for funding, investment, technological assistance and diplomatic support. Whereas other nations are self-reliant. If we apply Ockham’s razor to our issues, it is reduced to one issue, i.e the lack of disciplined effort. Paltry minds resort to conspiracy theories because it is the ultimate refuge of the powerless. All nations that achieve excellence act principled and toil hard. Be it the US, Japan, Britain, Germany or Singapore. An avid Pakistani reader of American self-help literature from our youth expressed that such books were of no use. He said and I quote: “At the end of the day the human instinct of remaining mediocre, instant gratification, being emotional and automatic (instinctual) triumphs in real life.” This statement is very apt and it sums up our attitudes and behaviours, which keep us where we are. At the end of the day, the human instinct of remaining mediocre, instant gratification and being emotional are automatic triumphs in real life. In a 2010 New York Times op-ed, Roger Cohen referred to the Paltry harvest of captive minds. According to him, paltry minds resort to conspiracy theories because it is the ultimate refuge of the powerless. Since they cannot change their lives, some greater force controls the world. In “The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership” the authors Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman and Kaley Warner Klemp, believe humans have three core needs of approval, security and control. When approval and security are inadequate, control amplifies. Frank Yeomans, a professor of psychology at Cornell University, explained that the “malignant narcissist” personality describes someone who takes pleasure in both self-aggrandizement and the destruction of others. Such men, when they assume positions of leadership, reap the “paltry harvest” by spreading conspiracy theories to the “captive minds” of their followers. This perfectly explains why the Tehreek-e-Taliban and the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan appeal to people who feel powerless, deprived and downtrodden. Such leaders weaponize faith and vilify “the other” as the definable person or group to blame for all problems. This is how anyone outside their group is targeted for blame. In the case of the TTP and the TLP, they identify as a group that considers itself as the “true ummah,” a virtuous separate nation of sorts. Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N subliminally identifies as a party of Punjab; making the province a separate nation. The Bhuttos are similarly leaders of the Sindhi nation. These fragments of the actual nation, create multiple nations leading to a spirit of patriotism, not linked to Pakistan, but their self-defined nation. Philosopher Aldous Huxley once said, “One of the great attractions of patriotism ? it fulfils our worst wishes. In the person of our nation, we are able, vicariously, to bully and cheat. Bully and cheat, what’s more, with a feeling that we are profoundly virtuous.” Those indispensable to this drama are the individuals, politicians, and media who benefit by allying themselves with the malignant narcissist. They will make excuses, justify atrocities, and shift blame to retain their money, power and status. In psychology, the simplicity principle posits that the mind tends to regress to simplicity when contemplating the messy complexities of life. The uncertain chaos of modern life, the continuing epidemic and its resulting depression, deepening social inequalities, and last but not the least the incessant consumerism fed by the media, all lead to a situation, where one person-Imran Khan in the present case-can be scapegoated for all structural, systemic and behavioural issues in Pakistan. The game of political musical chairs hence continues between the Sharifs and the Bhuttos with no hope of real change for Pakistan. Nation-building remains a lost dream. It can only be undertaken by the likes of the Quaid-e-Azam, and men of his ilk are born but rarely. The writer is an independent researcher, author and columnist. She can be reached at aliya1924@gmail.com.