Is Pakistan's Flooding a Curse or a Blessing?

Let's start with a more fundamental question:  Does God offer punishments for all bad deeds in this world?  Are nations always collectively "punished" for their waywardness?

The short answer is: No.  While many nations were distroyed completely in pre-Islamic history, there has been no complete destruction of any nation in the last millennium.  From a theological standpoint, utter destruction took place because a prophet was present in those nations - like Lot's or Noah's nations - and they had refused to yield to any amount of guidance and moral advice.  That process of ultimate national destruction stopped when Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) closed off the cycle of messengers guiding nations directly.  As there are no more prophets emerging in societies, ultimate destruction has also been forgone.

However, we still do see all kinds of natural disasters and calamities hit countries and nations.  One can argue that these are an indication of the wrath of God - I would beg to differ.  Similar arguments were made about the earthquakes that hit San Francisco (1989) and Los Angeles (1994) as the God's wrath against the gay community and the film/porn industry, respectively.  I find these arguments weak because neither of those social aberrations have gone away as a result of those two earthquakes.  In other words, we cannot assume that God's wrath is so imperfect that not only it does not remove a perceived or real social problem but actually amplifies it.

An alternate explanation is that natural calamities can be seen as a wake-up call, and hence an opportunity.

Let me make the case for Pakistan's floods.  I see four very distinct opportunities.

First, it brings the societal evils and problems into a sharp focus (please refer to my earlier blog on a break-down of these: A Moral GPS in Pakistan?).  That, by itself, offers a way to re-think how we behave as a society.  At a minimum this dialogue opens the door for a discussion on ways to fix some of the societal problems.

Second, the flooding has helped create new social welfare structures and an opportunity to offer social service to the millions who have been displaced.  These new structures are outside the usual governmental circles, and often, a bit chaotic.  But such institutional arrangements, Imran Khan's flood relief fund being an example, can indeed serve some long-term functions in the society.  These also bring about a sense of social cohesion which is otherwise missing.

Third, there is an opportunity to reform our feudal land distribution model.  With major displacements in the agrarian population, the situation is ripe to re-think the whole structure through a land-reform process.

Fourth, the natural ecosystems would likely undergo a significant replenishment in the aftermath of the flooding.  This includes provision of valuable minerals and silt particles, which are critical for land fertility.  Similarly, a lot of aquifers in the flooded regions will be replenished.

Will any of these opportunities be actually availed in Pakistan.  My own guess is that the first two will be capitalized on significantly.  There is little chance that the third one will even be considered.  And the fourth one does not require any human intervention.

So while the destruction of lives and property in this national tragedy cannot be minimized, we have to see the silver lining of these gray clouds.  And we should be looking for best utilization of the opportunities we have been offered.