Whenever I come across an article or a comment on the internet written by a person from Pakistan concerning the Germans and their brave, disciplined and tidy behaviour in whatever subject area, I feel uncomfortable. True, I am a German by birth, but I have visited quite a lot of foreign countries, always valuing as the saying goes “other countries – other habits”. The easygoing way of life, the “I’ll get there, when I get there” view of the world, especially in South European and Oriental countries make me feel free and cheerful, that is, if it does not get out of control. Sometimes I like to flee the somewhat cool and controlled way of life which we Germans are known for far and wide.
It is a fact that the citizens of some countries (understandably) still hate the Germans in relation to the two world wars, especially for the persecution and killing of innocent people in the name of Hitler’s racial laws in WW II. Although I was a little child when WW II started and thus have done no harm to anyone, I feel ashamed of most of our ancestors for not having resisted the torturing and murdering ideology of the Nazis. In my opinion, people in Pakistan should also take into account this dark side of German history when they talk about the country.
At the same time, I feel embarrassed for the simple reason that we we did not achieve our post-war development alone. Rebuilding our country was not simply a matter of our own merit. The allies helped us fight against hunger and cold by dropping care packets from the so-called “Rosinenbomber” during the post-war period. Though it is true, no doubt, that we managed to get back on our feet in a short space of time and in no time there was the “Wirtschaftswunder” i.e. economic miracle, for which we were envied a lot. However, much time has passed since then; economics have gone down in Germany, resulting in poverty and homelessness for the “losers” of an unjust social system, meaning the gap between the poor and the rich is becoming larger and larger.
Pakistan
Nonetheless, in Germany, a promise is a promise and it is mostly kept even without a written contract. As critically as I assess the present political situation and established reputation of Germany, I have to appreciate the fair nature of promises made over here, be it due to our discipline or just a genuine appreciation of our reliance on each other.
Being used to this habit of keeping one’s word, I am highly irritated by the carelessness with which promises are given by some friends in Pakistan. Their unbelievably reckless handling of promises given to close and enduring friends puzzles me greatly. As an example, I quote a friend’s promise: As soon as I have finished the great task of translating a book of Rumi’s into English I will answer your long email consisting of several questions”. The promise was given about one year ago, and I am still waiting for its fulfilment. Furthermore, he promised to send me the translation of the book the moment he would finish it, quite aware of my love for Rumi’s writings. However, nothing of the sort has happened so far.
A similar occurrence transpired recently when I happily finalized my - as I supposed - long awaited (online) book. After informing all friends who once were yearning to read my story “Orient meets Occident” I expected to receive a positive response, a kind of cheering, “Great! At last we are able to read your story! “– but alas, no such thing happened; instead, I just waited in vain for orders. To make things worse, I often did not even receive acknowledgment of the news.
The justifications were quite varied and inventive: From “I have no time now, will open the link tomorrow” (with that elusive “tomorrow” never appearing) to “PC too slow!” to “Can’t pay the fee!” to “Don’t like E-Books!” to finally “People don’t read books anymore, do they?”.
It is strange to me, then, that Pakistanis who so seem to admire German discipline so much do not ever seem to show the desire to emulate it. Even living here in Germany once again, after several years in Pakistan, I now accommodate myself to some Pakistani/Muslim habits, i.e. wearing Shalwar Kameez, eating hot spicy food and learning the Urdu language, just to name but a few, but I rarely find the same dedication to borrowing from another culture’s virtues amongst Pakistanis, though they do seem to pay lip service to it.
