Noor Shahidin
A three-day seminar on “Sustainable and Flexible Societies” was being held at the University of Chitral. At the same time, four young people from Chitral reportedly died by suicide. Yet, apparently, none of the speakers—or the final speaker—addressed this deeply troubling issue.
If a society cannot openly discuss the loss of its young people, their mental and social pressures, and the conditions that may lead them to suicide, then what do we really mean by a “sustainable and flexible society”?
Sustainability is not only about the environment, economy, or institutions. A sustainable society must also be capable of protecting its young people, recognizing emerging social problems, listening to them, and adapting its institutions to changing social realities.
Perhaps this should have been one of the most important questions for the seminar: Are our academic discussions keeping pace with the problems actually facing Chitrali society?