M6:2199 — هر یکی بر درد جوید مرهمی / در تبع قایم شده زین عالمی

Translation: Each one seeks a remedy for their pain; In consequence, this world is thereby established and sustained. Meaning: This verse suggests that the world and all its social systems and structures are a secondary outcome, an unintended consequence, of individual human efforts to meet their needs and alleviate their suffering.

This verse from Mowlana, in my reading, reveals one of his deepest insights into sociology and the philosophy of history, even though Mowlana himself never intended to construct a formal philosophical or sociological system. Here, with keen observation, he illustrates how the world, with all its complexities and systems, arises from simple individual behaviors and personal motivations.

Each of us, when we wake up in the morning and engage in an activity—whether a merchant opening a shop, a teacher going to class, a physician attending to a patient, or even a beggar extending a hand—is pursuing individual benefit or seeking relief from a personal ailment. The line "Each one seeks a remedy for their pain" directly points to this. We strive to alleviate our own sufferings, both physical and spiritual. But Mowlana looks beyond this, stating, "In consequence, this world is thereby established and sustained." This means that these individual quests for remedies, these isolated endeavors, in their collective aftermath, establish a world, solidify a system.

Here, I am immediately reminded of the ideas of the Austrian philosopher and economist, Friedrich Hayek, who spoke of "spontaneous order." Hayek believed that many orders in the world do not arise from prior planning or design, but rather inadvertently, from the myriad small interactions of individuals. Language, with its grammar and complexities, was not the result of a single individual's or group's decision; it evolved from the communicative needs of people over time. The market is similar: a merchant opening a shop does not intend to "reform the world" or build a grand economic system; they seek their own personal profit. Yet, these individual profit-seeking actions ultimately create a complex and dynamic system called the "market," which then casts its shadow over the very merchants themselves, confining them within its rules. Adam Smith's concept of the "invisible hand" also speaks to this phenomenon, where individual pursuits lead to collective benefits or structures.

Mowlana applies this same example to the realm of pain and healing. The individual search for a remedy for personal ailments, in its wake, leads to the emergence of vast systems such as medicine, pharmacology, and even the colossal pharmaceutical industry. What began with the pure intention of alleviating suffering, over time, transforms into a massive system.

However, there is a profound irony here, which Mowlana, though not explicitly stating it, implicitly conveys: these spontaneous orders, initially meant to serve humanity, sometimes turn into masters. That is, the very systems we created for our comfort and well-being attain such power that they subjugate us and even turn us into their victims. Today, we witness how the pharmaceutical industry, which was meant to be a balm for pain, sometimes becomes a source of suffering and exploitation. This ruthless capitalism, itself a spontaneous order, occasionally drains the lifeblood of people and grinds their bones. This situation represents the "unintended consequences" that no one initially desired, yet they have arisen from these seemingly innocuous individual actions.

Thus, in this verse, Mowlana not only articulates a precise sociological observation but also places before us a deep paradox concerning the relationship between humans and the systems they construct: how servants become masters, and how what we build for ease might ultimately enslave us. This, without intending to, is a perspective that, across centuries, illuminates the discoveries of modern thinkers.

Key takeaways

• The world and its systems are unintended consequences of individual human efforts to meet needs and alleviate pain.
• Mowlana's insight prefigures Hayek's concept of "spontaneous order" in the formation of society and its institutions.
• The individual quest for a remedy for pain leads to the emergence of vast systems like medicine and pharmacology.
• Systems initially created to serve humanity can transform into "servants becoming masters," turning humans into their victims.
• This verse highlights the deep paradox of human relationship with their own creations, which can spiral beyond control.