COMMENT: When chaos equals catharsis —Naqib Hamid

In a society where there is lack of hope, and where no opportunities are left for people to let go of their pain, catharsis may well take an antithetical definition — that of chaos

While mourning yet another suicide bombing in our country, this time in Mohmand Agency, I desperately tried to search for the meaning of a word long lost from our memory: ‘catharsis’. I pondered if any opportunities for catharsis exist in our society. This proved to be a difficult question.

The word ‘catharsis’ means a feeling of emotional ‘letting go’ linked to the need for resolving unconscious and psychological conflicts. This article is a humble endeavour to explore why such a highly needed mechanism for purging one’s self of pain got lost and what are its implications.

As a sociologist, when I take a look at what has been happening in our society of late, a very disturbing picture emerges. There are few opportunities for the catharsis of an individual since our society has become extremely unsafe and the institutions that used to assist in this process are fast becoming dysfunctional. Sports, music concerts, theatre, outings with family, shopping or even praying in a mosque remind us of at least one horrific event in which innocent people have died. The attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team (sports), bombing at the Marriott hotel (entertainment and leisure), and the Moon Market and Qissa Khawani Bazaar incidents in Lahore and Peshawar respectively (shopping) are just a few examples in this regard.

An important mode of relief from anxiety and emotional pain is religion. In comparison, western societies have a different set of means, which can provide people reprieve from pain and angst. Along with a vibrant social life, sexual liberty, freedom to consume alcohol and psychiatric support for those experiencing emotional or psychological conflicts, welfare systems for the poor are present. Our society, however, has always sought transcendence and spiritual catharsis in a more puritanical, religious way.

The capacity of our religious institutions to provide any substantive opportunities for listening to our inner conflicts and sharing our pain is increasingly becoming thin. There are various reasons behind this. First, religion, in its social sense, has taken a disturbing connotation filled with violence, ambiguity and intolerance. Hence, this new and upsetting face of religion is becoming unacceptable for many of us. Second, for a large proportion of the youth that is receiving modern education and has exposure to advanced (mainly western) knowledge, the present manifestation of faith has become redundant since they feel that complex questions on religion and religious philosophy cannot be answered adequately by the conventional ulema. In addition to the clergy, another form of spiritual guidance is the sufi pir. Once an integral part of our civilisation, the pir-mureed relationship has managed to equate itself either with complete decadence or a kind of esoteric understanding of life that does not fit in the practical world of science and rational logic. Last, most of us, whether simple or critical minded, fear going to religious places, be it mosques, imambargahs, Ahmediyya worship places or sufi shrines. In fact, with the attack on the sufi shrine of Hazrat Ali Hajvery, another such centre of spiritual catharsis might have become off limits for many.

Healthy opportunities for sharing also provide respite from feelings of insecurity and injustice. Our traditional extended family system is on the decline, thereby reducing our interaction with the people who care for us. Professional psychological and psychiatric support, which may help in resolving our psychological issues, is also scarcely available. Speaking to the media, an eminent psychiatrist revealed that Pakistan, a nation of almost 180 million people, has only 330 psychiatrists. The rest of them have been lost, thanks to the brain drain.

Unfortunately, our police and law enforcement agencies are as insecure as we are and any attempt to seek their assistance often creates further feelings of insecurity. The justice system involves long delays; therefore people do not seek redress from the courts for injustices meted out to them. Political platforms are disorganised, and public perception of political representatives is that they are too self-interested and indifferent to their problems to be of any help.

A new form of catharsis that our society now has is the media. Talk shows and political satire have great potential to present public issues and give a voice to the masses and, in some cases, they have played this role. Sadly, much of news on the media lately has been very disturbing and agonising. It further increases the stress in our lives. Where do we go now?

When such a state of confusion and anomie prevails in a society, strange and disturbing things are bound to happen. Various phenomena take new forms. This is what has happened to the phenomenon of catharsis in Pakistan. It has taken a dark, negative turn. Newer variations include a wide spectrum of social and self-destructive activities. Violent protests going on in the entire country by religious groups, lawyers and the media are a relatively softer form with everybody wanting to burn effigies and purge themselves of the pain by shouting slogans and beating up people. People inhale and exhale hatred for each other. The more heinous forms of this new rendition of catharsis include the increasing cases of sexual violence in the country. Cases of molestation, rape and murder are taking place every week, sometimes of innocent children who have not even reached the age of puberty. The rise in incidents of suicides in which entire families are ending their lives by choice or under the influence of extreme depression further substantiates the argument. And its most disturbing variation is the phenomenon of suicide bombing — the nexus of an interpretation of scriptures based on intolerance (as well as a host of other factors including social injustice and frustration) and its catastrophic manifestation in the sense of ‘cleaning and purging the society of all who disagree with your worldview’.

It may be sadly concluded that in a society where lack of hope prevails, and where no opportunities are left for people to let go their pain, catharsis may well take an antithetical definition — that of chaos.

Naqib Hamid teaches sociology at the University College Lahore (UCL). He can be reached at naqibhamid@gmail.com