EVERY SOLUTION BREEDS NEW PROBLEMS
Or
CONUNDRUMS OF
PROGRESS
Or
THE BOOMERANG
EFFECT
Or
FROM ANSWERS TO
DILEMMAS
Or
THE BACKLASH OF
PROGRESS
Outline:
1.
Introduction:
Advancement leads to new challenges.
2.
Utilization of metals
increased warfare.
3.
Secularism weakened moral
foundations and family structures.
4.
The Industrial Revolution
spurred economic growth but introduced environmental and social issues.
5.
Treaty of Versailles aimed
to curb German power but fostered Nazism.
6.
Nuclear energy poses
existential threats.
7.
Partition of the
Subcontinent birthed numerous unintended consequences.
a.
Kashmir Issue / Nuclear
b.
Wars
c.
Water Disputes
8.
The Green Revolution in
Pakistan triggered rural unemployment and health problems.
9.
Nationalization aimed to
curb wealth concentration but led to economic stagnation and corruption.
10.
Privatization fostered
cartelization and price hikes.
11.
Islamization fueled
extremism, contributing to the rise of terrorist organizations.
12.
The introduction of CNG for
transportation sacrificed natural gas access for households and businesses.
13.
Causes:
a.
Limited prior knowledge
b.
Short-term priorities
c.
Unintended consequences
14. Conclusion
Since the inception of life, humans have been facing plenty of problems. To encounter these problems, they use ingenious methods by employing available resources and knowledge. But these problems never end rather they continue to emerge in one form or another. Tremendous inventions have been made as a consequence of different problems humans face. From the era of stone tools to the latest digital advances, human inventions and technologies have shaped civilizations and transformed life on Earth. These inventions are focused on resolving problems and to bring sophistication in the lives of fellow human beings. However, the emergence of this march towards complexity and sophistication is accompanied by the emergence of new problems. One can find as many examples as one wants, from every sphere of life, to support the argument that every solution breeds new problems.
To fulfill the growing need for food at an early age, human beings mastered metal to build hunting tools. This was a solution to hunt animals for food. But as soon as humans Learned the use of swords and shields, they also started to use these tools against other humans as well. It is evident from history that with the increase in the use of metals, battles started to occur more frequently. The main purpose of developing metal tools was for a good purpose but eventually, it ended up as a tool of power and war. Thus, a solution to the scarcity of food gave birth to a new problem.
Similarly, the concept of secularism was introduced as a movement towards modernization. It is a belief system that rejects religion’s inclusion in the affairs of the state and asserts the right to be free from religious teachings in individual life as well. Though modernization exponentially improved the growth of society such secularism has also changed the moral values of the society. It has Legalized practices that violate the laws of nature and the Laws of God. The pursuit of happiness has replaced the pursuit of holiness. Secularism has also deeply affected the institution of family. Today, mostly in the West, we see an alarming number of divorces. Both parents and children have separate houses. The number of single parents is not good as they are continuously rising. Marriage is now considered as a purely civil contract rather than a spiritual bond between two people under God. Hence, secularism has come at the cost of a decline in social and moral values.
Furthermore, the famous Industrial Revolution, which started first in Great Britain and eventually spread to the United States in the early 19th century, was a solution to raise the standard of living and boost economic growth. Tough, the Industrial Revolution brought positive impacts. In many areas but today, due to massive industrialization, the very existence of the world has been threatened. The waste of industrial products pollutes the air and contaminates the water. Global warming and climate change are the byproducts of the industrial revolution. Moreover, it has also caused an increase in urbanization which is alarming for the agriculture sector. The capitalist nature of this revolution created economic regional disparities and concentration of wealth in the hands of a few. Though it has made life much easier now, the whole, world is affected by global warming and climate change. Major countries meet every year to discuss these serious problems and try to find efficient means of production to minimize the negative impacts on the environment. Additionally, intense use of natural resources has decreased the level of available resources which is a threat to human existence. Therefore, the solution to economic growth and a good standard of living brought new problems of climate change, global warming, and scarcity of resources.
At the end of World War I, the famous Treaty of Versailles was signed between the five major powers of that time. The real aim of that treaty was to reduce the military and economic power of Germany. Germany was forced to reduce its military power to such an extent that it posed no threat to other countries in the region. The attitude of Great Britain and France along with the dictated and unjust peace created anger in the hearts of the German people. The terms of the treaty of agreements were too harsh on Germany and these terms contributed to the economic and social depression along with the increase in hatred. By taking advantage of these conditions, Adolf Hitler introduced the new ideology of Nazism. The same ideology and oppression became the foundation of the Second World War which resulted in the death of around 60 million people Hence, an expected solution of world peace resulted in a new problem in the form of world war. As rightly pointed out by P.O Thomas: -
"A permanent peace can never be established upon the oppression and enslavement of a great nation.”
To fulfill the ever-growing need for electricity, mankind is busy adopting different means for the production of electricity. Nuclear energy is also one of many non-conventional means to produce electricity. Many major countries Like Germany, France, Japan, the USA, and Pakistan use nuclear energy to produce electricity. But along with its benefits, it has also given birth to many problems. Radioactive waste from nuclear plants is contaminating the soil and underground water which is used for drinking purposes thus, giving rise to health hazard issues. Moreover, of the incidents of Chornobyl and Japan. The threats of nuclear radiation cannot be contained in case of any catastrophe. As. nightly pointed out by renowned physicist, Marie Z. Jacobson:-
"If our nation wants to reduce global warming, and air pollution and want to be safe, we should invest in the best energy options. Nuclear energy isn't one of them."
Moreover, the division of the subcontinent has also caused many new problems Instead of dropping the tensions between the Muslims and the hinders, of the region partition resulted in wars and territorial disputes. Since 1947, both Pakistan and India have fought four wars which resulted in huge human loss and hampered the economic growth of both countries. The dispute over Kashmir is the bone of contention between both countries. For the last 70 years, both countries have lost many economic benefits of bilateral trade to this issue. Both Pakistan and India are agrarian countries and agriculture is the backbone of their economy. Water is an essential input in agriculture and, hence, vital for the survival of both countries. Both countries share a common water dispute that has further intensified the existing tensions. Though a treaty was signed between both the countries it is still one of the major disputes between both nations. Thus, the partition of the subcontinent gave birth to new problems.
Similarly, the green revolution in the 1950s revolutionized the agriculture of Pakistan. The introduction of tube wells, tractors, and high-yielding variety seeds increased the productivity of lands. On the one hand, this revolution benefited the agricultural community but on the other hand, it also increased rural unemployment and widened economic disparities. According to Akbar S. Zaidi:-
“The Green Revolution only benefitted the Landlords of a few districts in Pakistan. It increased their income and poor farmers could not take advantage due to financial constraints. Hence, rich got richer and poor got poorer”.
Furthermore, the intensive use of pesticides and fertilizers is causing many health-related issues as both these inputs contain poisonous chemicals. Most of the agricultural commodities are used in food. So, the use of such chemicals is creating many diseases like Alzheimer's, asthma, and cancer. Thus, along with an increase in productivity, many economic and health problems emerged due to the Green Revolution.
In the era of Zulifqar Ali Bhutto, all industries were nationalized to end the concentration of wealth that was in the hands of a few families. The purpose was to bring equality in economic terms and increase the efficiency of nationalized sectors. Although, the efficiency was increased it slowed down economic growth. According to the Bureau of Statistics of Pakistan, the GDP growth rate during the Bhutto era was only 2.3-1. Compared to 5.4 -/. During Ayyub's era when industry was under private ownership. Furthermore, it also gave rise to biases as government officials started to recruit their relatives and friends irrespective of their professional capacity. Thus, the industry again became inefficient and an increase in corruption was observed. So, nationalization, which was done to discourage the concentration of wealth brought new problems.
Similarly, extensive privatization was done in General Musharraf’s era. Although, it resulted in good economic growth. However, the common consumer faced an increase in the prices of different commodities. As private owners started to form cartels to enjoy more profits. Telecom and fertilizer industries are proof of how different industries increased their profits by illegally, colluding with each other. They decreased their output and increased prices. Thus, due to the non presence of a perfect market, consumers had to pay more than the actual price of products, and inflation took place. As rightly pointed out by Nawab Haider Naqvi and A.R Kemal:-
"Indeed, the real-world experience suggests that across-the-board privatization Leads to an increase in the prices of offered services which is negatively related to the macroeconomic stability of the country’.
Thus, privatization also brings new problems.
Moreover, the Islamization in the government of Zia-ul-Haq has also created many problems. After the attack of the former Soviet Union on Afghanistan, the government of Zia ul Haq started to train both Pakistani and Afghani people to fight against the Soviet Union. Though this was done to protect Pakistan from the hands of the Soviet Union it gave birth to severe problems of terrorism which are still eminent in the region. The emergence of terrorist organizations like the Taliban and Al-Qaeda is a direct consequence of Zia's policy. These organizations are now training militants and extremists which pose a direct threat to the integrity of Pakistan and the peace of the world is in danger because of the activities of these militant organizations. After the incident of 9/11, many countries are fighting a war against these terrorists but are unable to limit their power. Suicide attacks, the rise of ISIS, and the increase in extremist views in Pakistani society are the problems that resulted as a consequence of the war on terror.
Similarly, CNG (condensed Natural Gas) was introduced in Pakistan as a substitute for petrol and diesel which are very costly. CNG was provided as a cheap fuel to automobiles and it was hugely appreciated at the time of its, introduction. But this cheap fuel for automobiles came at the cost of industrial and household consumers. Now, every winter, people face a shortage of natural gas. Industries gas remain load shedding close for four to five months due to the unavailability of natural gas, which has slowed down economic growth. Thus, this solution also resulted in the emergence of new problems.
From the above examples we can infer that almost in every area of life, the solution to something brings new problems with it. The causes of this phenomenon are threefold. First is Limited prior knowledge due to which humans end up leaving a loophole in the suggested solution to some problem. Second is short-term priorities because of which Long-term consequences are neglected and when in the long term we face these problems, we realize our mistake. Thirdly, the Law of unintended consequences completely elaborates why with every solution we face new kinds of problems. It states that: -
"Actions of people and especially of government always
have "effects" that are unanticipated or unintended ". In
conclusion, we can establish that with solution comes new problems. The need of
the hour is to take into account every single aspect of any proposed solution to
avoid further inconvenience. Long-term planning and preemptive measures can
help us to curb any new problem. Sadly, the world still needs to realize the
importance of realizing the possible outcomes of any solution before adopting
it as till recent past we can find many examples when solutions breed new
problems.
