Monday, June 1, 2009

Thoughts about Simurgh

"Simorgh is where one and many are the same thing", writes Khurram Ali Shafique while commenting on one of my blogs. As recently this concept of Collective Self is penetrating into me more than any other idea, I have started thinking futher into it. Is it just another concept which is "too Idealistic", or is there a practical side of it too? I tried to think about this concept, and here are my thoughts regarding it:

1) If our collective self and individual self become the same thing, then we might be sharing similar problems. Problems of the nation will be problems of an individual layman who belongs to it. But my question is: Is that possible? A mad example comes to my mind: When electricity load shedding increases, individual person and nation both suffer. But this is also an ideal thought, as we can see all of us don't have same level of electricity load shedding, and there might be areas in Pakistan where there might be no electricity. So I'm left with no examples still in place where nation and individual suffer the same.

2) Nation and Individual might be having similar interests, where individual interest will lie in the interest of nation. I've thought about this concept, but well I don't see any example of it really existing. An increase in taxation rate might be good for nation overall, but individual suffers.

3) There will be consensus, but this consensus is a different concept from democracy. Where democracy exits, there is rule of majority. But consensus implies that there is absolute consent of the whole nation. This again sounds something, which cannot be seen in today's world till yet.

There is so much of Idealism hidden in the concept of Simurgh. Even sometimes I fear that this kind of unity can only exist in theories.

When I think about this too much, there is only one light that shines in my mind. Perhaps if we float this concept, only then we will be able to attain such a state of Collective Self. Becuase if this concept will become popular, we will start feeling like one nation and that may cause ourselves to become something near to Simurgh.

12 comments:

Khurram Ali Shafique said...

An example of where individual and nation become one: self-respect of Rashid Minhas and prestige of his nation became one in those final 10 minutes. It can hardly matter whether he crashed his plane because he didn't want to become POW, or whether he did that in order to save his country from humiliation - both were the same.

Rehan Damani said...

We can say that Rashid felt the presence of collective self? Perhaps if our whole nation also starts feeling the same, we can also attain the state of Simurgh.....

Aly said...

there is a higher state than that of simurgh's, aptly portrayed by rumi..
rumi's deification as i'd like to call it is as state of utmost humility and self abasement.

and no i am not ali hakeem but ur close. khair so would you mind shedding some light on what-so-ever-happened in those gloomy years after 'hss?

Rehan Damani said...

Well I'm not a Rumi expert but Khurram Ali Shafique is. He may shed some light on what you said as soon as he visits my blog again.

And you must be Ali Raza then. I will tell you whatever happened after hss when I'll know your identity.

Aly said...

Ali raza, who's he? no wonder you don't remember since we had 5 Ali's in our class.
khair i am not asking you to tell me personally, a blog post will suffice.
and thank you for your reply..

Rehan Damani said...

Ali bubloo?? I think this time m right lol

ReeBz said...

I think i should get at least some basic info about simurgh,cause i'm way too blunt to comment or even understand it :/

Rehan Damani said...

I'll try to fulfill this need soon !!

ReeBz said...

i'm very much interested in it. hope you come up soon then!

Aly said...

and i am waiting for that post as well..

Khurram Ali Shafique said...

Ali, someone in "a state of utmost humility and self abasement" does not usually claim to be higher than someone or something else :D. But if you give us the reference of the book where Rumi made that statement we might learn something new!

Aly said...

yes i agree, i didnt say that the person is clamining to be higher than someone/something, he is loosing him self his conscience, his being in hopes of intwining with God, like tendrils but giving up his own identity.