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Saluting the Doctors

“The most exquisite pleasure in the practice of medicine comes from nudging a layman in the direction of terror, then bringing him back to safety again.”

– Kurt Vonnegut

By Syed Kamran Hashmi | May 2020


It must boost their egos when people come up to the doctors, put their feet together and raise their hands to the forehead, saluting these health care professionals who expose themselves to the coronavirus infected patients without being provided with personal protective equipment (PPE), paying tribute to their heroes as they endanger their lives along with the lives of their families to save others. In one of the videos that has been uploaded on social media, one can recognize the surprised look of the medical officer standing at the side of the road receiving an informal guard of honour from the policemen.

Respect and admiration even in a tiny amount can make one feel bigger, sometimes bigger than one really is, but if it comes from every aspect of society en masse, the ego shoots up to the sky. That is how the doctors and other health workers must be feeling today, not that there was any shortage of arrogance in the profession to begin with, a profession that otherwise is supposed to be the marker of humility and modesty.

For this discussion though, I want to leave my personal reservations aside regarding how high the doctors think of themselves and how they market themselves quite hypocritically in front of non-physicians about the nobility of their cause, i.e. saving humanity, while privately focusing on making money by hook or crook. What I want to talk about instead is our national obsession with the defence of the country, the militarization of our culture, the combativeness of our ideas. These salutations and guards of honour provide us that opportunity to open the discussion.

Think of our national holidays for a moment. Except for some religious ones that are celebrated across the Muslim world with the same passion, every other holiday somehow is linked to the security of our country. Jets fly on the 23rd of March, tanks roll on September 6 and cannons fire on September 11. The national anthem and patriotic songs are suffused with military parades, guns and fighter planes. Why?

My idea: once we have stitched the notion of patriotism and war together, heroism would emerge in our minds wearing a uniform, whether the hero is himself wearing one or receiving tribute from the people in it. It is not surprising then why doctors are being called soldiers, Mujahedeen on the frontline, pride of the nation, people who protect others over their own safety, and so on.

Sure, every country takes pride in its military. States show off their latest, the meanest and the scariest looking weapons on national day parades. We being an independent country, must also do the same. Not only that, we must also appreciate the sacrifices made by individual soldiers and their families. How can we forget, ignore or belittle the great strength shown by a soldier once he lays down his life for the country? Having said that, security culture covers only one dimension of society which in itself is both complex, multilayered and multidimensional. Society can unveil its other dimensions in the form of art, music, dance, literature, poetry and paintings, along with various local customs, each with its own merit.

During the coronavirus pandemic, doctors have indeed made substantial sacrifices and shown extraordinary courage. A parallel can be drawn with war. But this courage comes from the dedication to their profession and commitment to their oath. It is not a militarized virtue. We must therefore differentiate it from the courage shown by soldier under gunfire. Similarly, a shopkeeper in Karachi who keeps the business open even when he is threatened to pay extortion money, is he not courageous? A school teacher attempting to discipline children without relying upon violence as a strategy, showing restraint in his position, is far more courageous. What about a writer expressing unpleasant views, a journalist asking difficult questions?

None of them need to be saluted or presented guards of honour in order to be acknowledged. Rather, their courage needs to be recognized in a purely civilian manner. So, unlike our videos, in Europe - where society is not overwhelmed with security concerns - clips show people singing and clapping from the balconies of their apartments in a synchronized manner, paying tribute to their healthcare professionals. The purpose is the same but the expression presents a striking difference.

One hopes on does not ruffle many feathers. There is no ulterior motive. The curiosity is only in the military way of expressing our emotions while others find a different outlet. Has the bar tilted way too much on one side? Do we have to bring balance in our thought process? Or is it a planted paranoia?

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