Anthropology and the Popular Style of Temperament

 

The central theme of this writing is “Anthropology and the Popular Style of Temperament.” I claim that our temperament does not reflect our personality, but rather reveals a dual personality within us. We are not what we appear to be on the surface. Whenever we speak or feel affection, love, and intimacy towards someone, we strive to reassure them by hiding our true selves behind a facade of a fictional character. This is why until now, relationships could not be sustained in real terms, nor could true, loyal love be symbolized. We have believed that societal progress and social survival can be guaranteed by two, three, four points, and self-made initiatives. What is the reason that centuries have passed, but the true sun of humanity has not been able to rise? This question will silence many philosophical languages and render countless scholars speechless. It is certain that the answer to this question will become so entangled in the complexities that debates will become lengthy and the semblance of satisfaction will never appear. Therefore, without further prolonging the discussion, we will say that days are passing and nights are departing, every moment a cry for our humanity.

There are moments when our entire existence becomes so bitter that in a few moments, it becomes a tool for millions of people to descend into the abyss of death (hinting towards Hiroshima and Nagasaki). Sometimes we have determined to divide nations and religions, creating mutual war and conflict to create a gulf that future generations will have to suffer from (hinting towards the Crusades). Sometimes we have also drawn the strings of religious extremism and claimed that service to religion can be achieved through this action (hinting towards the bitter history of Muslims in Baghdad, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and the Indian subcontinent). Ultimately, it turned out that every sect and religion turned against each other. There was conflict between Shia and Sunni sects among Muslims, and in the Christian world, Protestant and Catholic sects continued hostility towards each other from all aspects. It is a separate issue that in today's Christianity, religion is more represented than sect, while the tragic fact is that in the Muslim world, religion holds the secondary status, but the sectarian echo is still prevalent.

The psychological mood of today's Muslim society has become so deteriorated that intolerance and unjust systems have permeated to the roots.

These are the historical events that have unfolded on a social level. Now, let's also consider that individual aspect of human temperament that has always been negative. Numerous clear examples and events will contribute to prolonging the subject. A couple of examples (related to Pakistani society) will suffice to explain the position. As we all know, the religious element in our society is as prominent as the expectations. The shadows of religious values are deeply ingrained in people's temperaments. The common attitude of society is so apparent that if anyone even slightly speaks against religion, an immediate reaction is evident. Every individual, whether special or ordinary, has learned this:

“Everything is acceptable, but daring to challenge religion should never be done. Religion is ingrained in our every essence. Even if we may not be religious in practice, the principles and details of religion are intricately woven into us.”

This is a common attitude in Pakistani society. Each person prefers to become a “Guardian” of religion rather than just learning and practicing it. Even more astonishing is that in our society, as much as the influence of religion is, the morals appear to be weakened. People have immense potential for awareness, but it is common for them not to be acquainted with the true essence of that awareness. During the past decade, how many innocent children have grown up and lost control as the concept of 'awareness' has emerged beyond their grasp. Believers of a religion based on education and morality, if they stray from the path of humanity and become like wild horses, understanding human nature there is not just difficult but almost impossible. Can you believe that a person who outwardly appears upright in behavior, conduct, and manners may turn into a beastly figure in just a moment? When such a person has been involved in an incident and there is nothing left to do except regret, then we say:

“Yes! We are still passing by the essence of understanding. We have not learned the whole phase of survival from our existence. Despite knowing the human psyche, we have not learned about the quality of adaptation.'”

In light of the aforementioned examples, I would like to say that whether time is far or near, in every era, the bitter experience of not understanding the human nature has persisted, and this cycle continues. For instance, here I will present three points and also provide a summary. The three points are as follows:

First: Our personality has become different from our actions.

Second: Our mood has drifted away from our essence to become part of something else.

Third: Our words are completely contradictory to our actions. We say one thing and do the opposite.

As a conclusion, the unresolved issue of society is the test of human temperament. You may make countless efforts and claim that you have surpassed all limits in understanding a certain individual, so much so that you can confidently say you know them inside out. My opinion is that your claim is as absurd as dreaming of conquering America from miles away (even though the desire to settle them surpasses the desire to conquer it), or if you are a devout Muslim, it is like wanting to annihilate the 'infidels,' or proudly associating yourself with the warriors of Ghazwa-e-Hind, to the point of absurdity. I am presenting these examples because the general mood of our society has become such that we greatly prefer the world of dreams and fantasies. Each of us has fostered a world of illusions. Countless comments and numerous conversations are enough to elucidate this mood of ours. Consider the glittering and everyday example of family life. It will be apparent to you that despite repeated rehearsing of this example, it can still be recounted with a fresh twist.

In our society, two crucial pillars like husband and wife spend several springs of life together. Sometimes their companionship extends to the brink of survival and to the threshold of the grave. Can the temperament of both of them, mutual understanding and sagacity, and mental harmony be termed as an ideal example? In my belief, not just in contemporary times, but in every era, this quality of not understanding each other will pose a dilemma. It is not surprising that this sequence will continue until the end of the world. Despite being very close, these two individuals cannot be familiar with each other's temperament, so how can one understand the mood of the entire society? This is why efforts and endeavors are continuously underway to understand this aspect of human life, as deep as it is in depth. New thoughts, theories, and ideas are being formulated and are contributing to the increase in human knowledge. We can only wait for when the field of temperament ology will take a step forward and people will understand the human mood with great ease.

 (By: Dr. Riaz Razee)