To a
varying degree individuals in every society have a certain personal
freedom which allows them the choice to fix their priorities in life.
Such freedom thus provides everyone the ability to decide the extent
to which one wishes to focus on personal gains and benefits or work
for the collective good of society.
At the same time everyone of us must
continually remain conscious of the triangle that needs to remain
positively interactive to build a happy, healthy and balanced society.
The concept of such a society though complex and not so easy to define
still can at least be measured by the overall happiness and
satisfaction of the larger majority of the inhabitants or any given
society. It is in this background that one can try to define a
non-government individual (NGI) and see how they differ from ordinary
individuals.
The concept essentially involves a deep
desire and serious commitment of an individual to actively participate
in efforts to build a happy and healthy society. Our national poet and
philosopher of the east Allama Dr. Mohammad Iqbal had repeatedly
emphasized the role of individuals (FARAD as he called them) in
determining the destiny of nations.
The concept of NGI is best illustrated by
citing the examples of such individuals from a society as they are
part of every society. From Pakistan one can easily cite the example
of Abdul Sattar Edhi who is now known all over the world.
From the point of view of the present
discussion on Islam, Technology and Sustainable development it is
extremely important to strongly emphasize that a large number of NGIs
will have to become actively involved in this struggle to achieve
tangible success. From that point of view in this forum for discussion
among leading scholars it is crucial to discuss the role of
individuals in achieving economic prosperity. Such individuals can
at-least partially develop a “Code of Conduct” for themselves
including being accountable to themselves, and guided by the dictates
of their conscience. With this new approach once it becomes widely
disseminated and accepted one can initiate a new process for socio
economic development.
It is also important to clearly state that
the idea is fully consistent with teachings of Islam.
