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CHALLENGES are viewed as an integral part of individual and collective life. However, it is pertinent to examine how emerging challenges are responded to in society.
Generally, proactive and reactive approaches have been observed when responding to situations encountered by an individual or society. These approaches have different implications for society.
The proactive/thinking approach encourages taking responsibility for one’s life or for society. Proactive people/societies recognise they are responsible for facing challenges to improve their situation and don’t just sit around blaming external forces for the situation.
Proactive people/societies understand their strengths as well as their shortcomings. They celebrate their strengths and work to improve their shortcomings. They develop the insight to anticipate future challenges and devise doable strategies to deal with them wisely.
On the other hand, reactive thinking is often affected by external forces or the physical environment. Reactive individuals or societies react only when crises approach. Avoiding taking responsibility for the situation, the reactive approach sometimes leads towards blaming others for the challenges. At times, reactive people believe that conspiracies are hatched against them. They usually fail to understand their strengths and weaknesses. They find external sources to blame for their behaviour.
Like many other faiths, Islam stresses significantly on the importance of proactive thinking and action in order to respond to societal issues creatively. The Holy Quran extends lucid guidelines for taking responsibility for worldly and spiritual success. For instance, it is said “And there is not for man except that [good] for which he strives” (53:39).
Likewise, a nation’s transformation depends on its social awareness and struggle for improvement, as the Quran says, “…God does not change the condition of [a] people until they change what is in themselves. …” (13:11).
The life of the Prophet (PBUH) is the best example of how to be a proactive individual by taking social/moral responsibility. This proactive approach on the part of the Prophet was not on specific occasions or specific days. He conducted himself in such a way throughout his life.
The Holy Prophet dedicated his life to reflect on and seek solutions to the issues and challenges of the society he lived in. He actively participated in addressing the social issues confronting society by implementing the social and ethical principles of Islam.
Hence, there are ample examples in the teachings of Islam that stress on proactive thinking and action to develop a better society.
A quick look at the state of the Muslim world reveals that many Muslim societies, like Pakistan, are facing various internal and external challenges. The societies have shown considerable resilience to the challenges; however, it is observed that many of the persisting issues are the product of a reactionary approach to emerging challenges.
For example, in Pakistan issues like rampant violence, falling educational standards, the power crisis etc., have been neglected, which has created an emergency-like situation in the country.
It is observed that at times external forces are viewed as being solely responsible for the daunting challenges and little responsibility is taken to respond to the issues seriously. In spite of even an emergency-like situation little consensus is found on pressing issues. Conspiracies are seen behind every positive or negative event in the country.
In this scenario, there is a dire need to shift the frame of reference. Changing the reactionary culture in society requires educating people about how to take responsibility in order to develop society positively. In this regard, serious steps need to be taken at multiple levels such as through education, the media and the interpretation of faith.
Education is viewed as a powerful tool to reshape a society’s thinking. To cultivate the culture of proactive thinking and approach, the education system needs to be reviewed in terms of policy, curriculum, teaching and learning in the classroom.
Students need to be provided opportunities to be engaged in the process of reflection in order to make them understand the challenges of society. The process of teaching-learning needs to be transformed from rote learning to action-based learning. Students need to be involved in different projects to instruct them about how to be engaged in solving the issues of society by taking responsibility.
The role of the media cannot be overlooked in educating the masses. In Pakistan, the media sometimes creates hype by focusing on conspiracy theories. In this regard the media needs self-reflection about how it can educate and motivate the masses to take responsibility in order to respond to the challenges of society actively.
The media needs to focus on the real issues of society and educate the people on how they can contribute to society. Along with the challenges, positive activities need to be highlighted to provide examples of good practices in society.
Furthermore, religion as a strong social institution can play a vital role in shaping the attitude of people in society. In this regard there is a need to interpret faith so that it can help people mould their attitudes so that they get involved in the development of society as a religious obligation.
In sum, proactive thinking is an important approach to respond to societal challenges actively. The teachings of Islam stress on accepting responsibility for personal and social development.
There is a need to promote proactive thinking in Muslim societies like Pakistan. In this regard, social institutions such as education, media and religion need to play a significant role to inculcate the culture of proactive thinking.
The writer is an educator.
