Its The Character And Not Resources Which Build A Nation

Nations we all know, have evolved to be strong identities of human beings. We all are associated with our nations in quite an inseparable way. A common culture, a common language or a common creed was what used to make a nation. But today, the nation has morphed into nation – states, where territory controlled by a single government and inhabited by a distinct population with a common culture that shapes the identity of its citizens. Though religion also plays its role in making a nation or a nation – state, but the modern boundaries across the world have pushed it under other major factors such as colour, creed, economy and national interests.
What makes a nation great, is the topic of my speech today. Is it its resources or its character? What makes or breaks a nation? I am sure, that by the end of my speech, my audience would be fully convinced that its always the character of a nation which matters.
The resources of a nation come in various forms. A brief history of the world tells us that resources right from the inception of the human civilization have been the major source of conflict. The fertile region of Mesopotamia was the central attraction which brought the Sumer and Akkad civilizations towards this region. In the middle ages, it was the control of gold, natural resources and satellite states which drove nations towards their ends. Trade of spices, fertile lands and slaves impelled nations for major wars in history. The colonization of much of the world was also a step in the same direction:- resources, both material and human. Major conquests, starting from Alexander the Great to the explorers and exploiters of Africa ravaged much of humanity in search of gold, diamonds and fertile land. The major turn in history, however, came after the industrialization of the world, when coal, and then later, oil became the engine of the commercial world. Oil was however, later discovered in the Muslim countries, and the world continues to depend on oil as a major source of generating energy.
But the world is changing very fast. Though resources are dominating world politics today, the material resources are fast changing into intellectual resources. The western world is shifting its physical capital into intellectual and technological capital. The routine and the mundane jobs are increasingly being outsourced to the third world, and the first world stands at the cutting edge of technology going further by means of research and innovation. On the other hand, the countries with the richest of resources are also the poorest. Take the example of Democratic Republic of Congo. The largest producer of diamonds, gold, cassiterite and other minerals is one of the world’s poorest countries. The reason is simple:- the people of this country are not empowered enough to take charge of their own resources! These massive resources all get exported but nothing goes to the people because they are being exploited not only by their own lot, but also by western and other countries. This makes it clear, that resources exactly do not make a country great. Its the people of that nation which make or break a nation, and these people collectively form the character of that nation.
The Middle East is full of oil, and countries like Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, KSA and others have been enjoying massive revenues in the recent past, but compared with the Asian tigers, their progress seems dwarfed. Why is this happening? This is due to a problem known as the ‘Dutch Disease’. When countries start depending too much on any one product such as oil, the value of their currency balloons, and they are not able to export any other product as that doesn’t remain feasible anymore. Under such conditions, progress gets mired, and periods when oil prices or demand is low, also creates problems for such countries. So its more than obvious, that mere resources do not take countries anywhere.
On the other hand, the countries such as Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea and Malaysia have little integral resources. All they have is their talented manpower. They followed the already tried and tested policies of the west, and they gained success in less time than even the west itself. Those nations avoided war, and when war was imposed on them, fought bravely and showed resilience. Here I would quote British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965) when he spoke about his nation, Great Britain:-
“They are the only people who like to be told how bad things are—who like to be told the worst.”
Such resilient nations have not bowed before pressure, adversity or crises. Rather, the great nations have become more and more strengthened when conflicts came. Conflicts have been the recipes of greatness for many nations of this world. And this is because conflicts bring out the character of the nation. If the people of the land are brave, courageous, sincere to the soil and the required zeal, the nation cannot be failed. Resources come and go, just like money, but the character of a nation always makes it great or small.
When it comes to our own country, I would say that Pakistan is one of the greatest nations of the world. This is manifest from the fact that under testing times, our nation has always united. During our wars with India, during the Kashmir movement, during the recent Earthquake tragedy, the people of Pakistan have proved time and again, that they are sincere to the soil. That they can rise upto the occasion. That they can face crises like real men. The lack of any large resources under Pakistan’s belt, and the progress this country has shown despite this fact speaks volumes of this nation. The only impediments are the red carrots shown to us by the West, in the terms of loans and aids, which make us diseased by the “Dutch Disease”:- depending on one aspect so much that all others become meaningless.
Let us take charge of ourselves. Let us throw away the shakles of aid and loans, and I can guarantee you one of the strongest nations to this world in the form of Pakistan. Nations would never progress with oil, diamonds or gold. Nations would progress with education, character, and loyalty with their soil.