Individualism over Collectivism

About the Author(s)

Fatima Khan

Author is a 3rd year Law student at Punjab University Law College. Writing has always been her way of making sense of the world. She strive to pen down the facets of the world that are often obscured from the view.

Right when the javelin hit the ground of Stade da France, marking it a historic throw of 92.97 meters, soared a new National hero in Pakistan Arshad Nadeem, bestowing upon us a once-in-a-lifetime moment to hear our national anthem echo through the Paris Olympics. Arshad’s journey from Mian Channu to Paris is indeed the epitome of how passion thrives one to rise to the heights of glory even when the scarcity of resources keep pushing us back to the ground.

With Arshad’s historic feat resounding across the country, several government officials stepped forward to commend and reward his relentless efforts that made us all proud by announcing cash prizes and luxurious gifts for him. While Arshad is truly deserving of all this appreciation, I believe it is high time government should be more focused on curating paths for many more potential Arshad Nadeems rather than solely bestowing an individual.

I am not by any mean writing this to express any jealousy towards Arshad for heroes are meant to inspired from, not to be envied. Rather, I wish to draw attention to the regressive thinking pattern of our leaders who tend to prioritize individual accolades over institutional development. As a nation it has always been our problem that we elevate individuals to the status of cult figures while neglecting the very institutions from which these individuals emerge. This approach centralizes power in individuals, leading to the weakening and eventual collapse of institutions. While it is important for government  to acknowledge Arshad’s achievements with gifts and prizes, these gestures should be secondary to the greater cause.

Arshad Nadeem is living reality of the fact that Pakistan is brimming with such passionate athletes who have the potential to represent the country on the international stage but are held back by a lack of resources. It is imperative that the state should invest in nurturing the talents of such individuals, ensuring that we have many more such historic moments to celebrate in the future. It would have been far more impactful if CM Punjab Maryam Nawaz on her visit to Mian Channu had announced the establishment of a sports complex there which would have helped foster an environment where sporting culture could prosper and number of unprivileged athletes could be able to polish their talent , rather than simply gifting Arshad a car.

Progress is not a matter of merely uplifting the standards of a single individual rather it is a continuing process of cultivating an environment for the masses to prosper. Sadly our government’s interest in lay man only shows up when there is something to celebrate, but it’s nowhere to be seen when such individuals are striving hard day and night all on their own without any governmental aid and support. I sincerely wish our leaders have the capability to think as far as Arshad has the ability to throw his javelin.