Values are the endangered species

Houbara Bustard, Giant Panda and Leatherback Turtle are all endangered species. An endangered species is a species which has been categorized as very likely to become extinct by international bodies like international union for conservation of nature i.e IUCN. Signatory countries are bound by laws to ensure conservation and any breaches in these laws are punishable through national and international legal proceedings.
What is amazing is that while rare animals are rightly being protected and preserved, human values that are almost at the verge of extinction are not being given the emergency treatment they deserve. Values are the rarest species left on this planet and are getting more and more endangered with the passage of time. Core values of integrity, trust, respect are all being tossed out of the new world landscape, be it countries, governments, corporations, academics or households. This values decimation is causing a black hole in the human universe.
As a country Pakistan has fallen behind not only the world but its neighbours too and we are not just talking about India and China. We are talking about Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal in terms of economic and human development. The comparison is normally on the macro-economic variables like GDP growths etc. The economic logic is that since Pakistan is suffering from revenue deficit, budget deficit, trade deficit, it will continue to have a growth deficit. However the common denominator behind and under these persistent deficits is values deficit that is eroding the very fundamentals on which these numbers are built and consolidated upon.
Every single country or industry is rocked by shocking scandals. American Presidency that was based on famous values enshrined in their constitution by the likes of the great Abraham Lincoln whose governance system based on equality and justice was paramount in transforming America as a land of opportunity for all, is these days suffering from recurring violence and unrest. President Trump has become a symbol of crude political injustice. His support to white supremacist movement, his protection to the National Rifle Association and his flagrant promotion of his daughter and son in law as chief business strategists is creating huge unrest in a society that not too long ago prided itself on being an open, just and fair society.
This trend is visible in many countries in the world. Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Italy all are struggling to deal with governments that are suffering from corruption and nepotism. Similarly the corporate world is shook regularly by scandals that were never so rampant. Volkswagen the epitome of professionalism for the last few years is reeling off from the software cheat devise that wrongly reports emission levels in its cars. Samsung was caught in the corruption scandal of the President of South Korea for paying off a foundation funded by the President's best friend. These are companies that advertise values of responsibility and quality and have done exactly the opposite.
Similarly the social fabric of the society has become marred with scams. Sexual harassment cases, cheating in schools, fake CVs are all norms that are discussed but taken for granted as part of a system that has become too rotten to be cleansed. This attitude that values are good to talk, preach, hang on the wall but are not practical is what has made them restricted to religion sermons or flowery C-Suite speeches. Thus the most endangered species in the world are values which have disappeared from the society, be it in families or be it in workplaces. This extinction is the cause of extreme unrest in the world. The value system that has taken roots in the country is based on the belief that rules are made to be broken. The problem is that when a certain behavior gets away by breaking the rule then that behavior based on a certain negative value is considered as norm. Let us examine norms that have made values extinct.
- Honest Guys come last: This saying in Urdu "Sharif aadmi ki koi zindagi nahi" (honest man has no future), has made integrity become endangered species. The honest guy is made to look as an idiot who is living in a fool's paradise. He is looked at with pity, humour or mockery. The reason for this conduct is because all around in the society we see people who hoodwink, deceive and lie become successful. We call them practical, worldly-wise and smart. They seem so much more intelligent and astute with his ability to spin stories and manipulate people and circumstances.
- Rules are for fools: This is perhaps the biggest entrenched belief system in our culture. From breaking signals to breaking queues, from skirting the law to blatantly disrespecting the system the rule breaker is the hero. We are in awe of the guy who will zoom down traffic lights, saunter past long queues to get his papers accepted and with one flash of his four wheel Parado make the police wardens salute and let him circumvent the system. On the other hand values like punctuality, self-respect are so boring and so outdated.
- All that glitters is gold: The focus on the external, the visible, the richer and the flashier is what is most sought after. The lavish home, the big buck car, the designer clothes, the branded gadgets you carry define who you are. Values like simplicity, frugality and humility are considered "loser traits". People who practice them are "weird and so not with it".
The real values that have already eroded and been written off is the belief that you get what you deserve, which is epitomized in the saying that in the long run what you shall sow you shall reap. The obsession with short cuts, quick bucks, instant gratification has made values become a victim of apop culture where you want immediate, popular results. The values of patience and hard work are replaced by jumping the lines and having the right connections to move ahead.
This myopic thinking has created disbalance in today's world-a world where countries and societies are suffering form more violence and inequality, companies are being destroyed by financial melt downs and families and individuals are more unhappy and distressed than ever. For the world to become a better place to live in, the preservation, conservation and practice of core principles and values is the only solution to restore balance, contentment and fulfilment in lives of human beings.
(The writer can be reached at [email protected])