In today’s Pakistan, it is becoming almost impossible to hold a rational discussion about any important subject. The level of polarisation is such that people now hold forth without bothering to understand the other point of view: more and more, we talk at each other instead of to each other. This is paralleled by a progressive dumbing down of the public discourse, the inevitable result of a failing educational system. More and more, watching political chat shows on one of our many TV channels is becoming a painful experience: the intolerance for other opinions, and the lack of common courtesy, are faithful indicators of Pakistan’s downward spiral. In this environment of loud sermonising and strident opinions that lack coherence and logic, is writing a regular column relevant at all? Perhaps not. But for entirely selfish reasons, I suppose I’ll continue until ill health or an editorial edict stops me. Writing forces me to read and think about current affairs, and imposes a certain discipline and structure on my day. I suspect this is especially important as one grows older, and is no longer bound by a nine-to-five routine. -- Irfan Husain
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