Break the Stereotypes!

After quite a long time i was travelling by a local minibus the other day….. when i witnessed some interesting incidents worth sharing.

At one bus stop, an elderly man boarded and stood beside me clinging on to the side-rails. A guy sitting right in front of him immediately stood up and offered him his seat…. for which the old man thanked him heartily and heaved a sigh of relief, as he was carrying some heavy parcels and bags.

The bus was crowded like hell and no-one seemed to be getting off  for a long time. Just then a guy stood up and left a vacant seat. The two guys eligible to sit at his place were totally opposite in attire and culture. One seemed like a religious madrasah student wearing a turban and a long beard and the other one was a hip college student with an mp3 player in his front pocket and plugs in his ears…. wearing spiked hair and a goatee. However i was amazed to see that instead of jumping on to the seat both tried to accommodate each other and finally the college kid took the seat reluctantly and asked to carry the books of the madrasah guy.

After a few more stops, the bus was nearly empty… Just then poor girl climbed on to it. She was  selling Pocket Tissue packs and  had only two packets left in her hand. She went to every passenger asking them to buy one.  An old man sitting right next to me called her and asked her the price.  10 was the price she quoted. The man then asked her the cost of each packet and she truthfully told him that she bought them for 5 each. The man gave her a pat on her head and gave her 15 rupees and asked for one packet only. The girl returned 5 but the man asked her to keep it and buy 3 more tissue packs to sell. Afterwards he told her how proud he was of her and then strictly told her not to beg and earn by selling only. It was such an amazing smile that appeared on the girl’s face as she disembarked the bus happily.

A few weeks earlier someone had asked me “How do you see Pakistan’s future?” ….In fact this is the same question lurking in the mind of almost citizen in this present state of uncertainty and distress.

The media has been playing the key role in propagating the stereotype image of our country…. Labeling the rich as liberals and atheists and the religious students as fanatics and extremists. Politics seems like a comedy theater where a single statement is discussed a zillion times on every TV channel without any positive conclusions and acts of violence in a few parts of the city make the whole metropolis seem like war-torn state of Afghanistan or Iraq.

As all 5 fingers are not equal… sometimes you need to be out there yourself in order to understand the Reality….  instead of believing whatever the Box says….As the media needs spice to increase its viewership and get sponsors… so much so that in the battle of providing the most timely News Alerts….  they won’t even refrain from tarnishing the image of the country and its dwellers abroad. And that too from the mouths of  anchors who are often seen involved in indecent acts of drinking, smoking and partying with foreigners as well as the local political filth.

After reading the above incidents i leave the answer to the stated question to you.

A Sordid Reality

…….Sifting  through the detritus of history, the bleak images of some ignominious mannequins shatter the tranquillity of the serene panorama of our motherland…. The very subsistence of these scavenging scoundrels have churned out nothing but melancholy and paucity for the scrupulous dwellers of this realm….

Time and again these untaught buffoons took over the seats of monarchy… pretending to be our leaders and saviours…. chanting slogans of equality, justice and liberty…..pretending to deliver what they are innately incapable of….

In actuality they’re nothing more than gangs of unworthy muggers who sold their souls to the devil even before conception….. struggling to attain more and more power at the cost of national annihilation …. under the flags of Democracy and Greater National Interest….. hiding under the shrubs of Natural Calamities and begging the West for billions in aid….. of which a only a fraction trickles down to the sufferers….Butchering and slaughtering those who threaten to oppose them, be it their own kith and kin even…..and keeping the rulership of this sovereign land in the hands of a mighty few …..

They built palaces abroad….taught their rogue offspring at the most elite……. took control of  some of the most lucrative industries….. literally Bought the “Green Number Plates” and “Secure Govt Jobs” for their “Degree-Less” relatives and well wishers…and even the relatives of those relatives….. Bringing the populace to a critical verge of power, gas ,food, fuel and even water crisis…. widespread target killings, criminal murders, suicide bombings and drone attacks only add to the casualties everyday amongst those who survive the hunger calamity…..

And yet they stand Again…. waiting to re-embark the thrones of decree…. After gradually wiping off their slates clean and turning a blind eye towards their wretched times of yore….. howling against military dictators…..pretending to detach themselves from the Crumpling Coalition Autocracy….whose fruits they devour in parallel with the establishment for the entire tenure…. and whose ultimate Failure will lie equally on their shoulders…..

As if they’ll miraculously alter the fate of the nation……. With nothing but the wands of hypnotic deceit…. Uttered in every word they speak…Intimating their Overlords with Deadlines and Ultimatums……which everyone knows….are worth nothing more than Theatrical Slapstick that will be debriefed once they get assurances of their personal desires to be fulfilled soon…

Consequently, the literate and experienced are increasingly opting to be a part of the brain drain…. Immigrating and finding work as well as peace abroad….While the rest unfortunate ones continue to suffer in silence….burning a few effigies or tyres off and on….and chanting voices in a few hate ridden rallies sometimes….

However, there is always hope……as every Slump is followed by a Boom….. one can only supplicate for the cessation of the current onslaught of these barbaric  tyrants and look forward to the ushering of an eternal reign of peace and prosperity…

A reign that can herald the beginning of a righteous and empathetic leadership …..risen from the middle or lower class society…. skilfully equipped with the necessary knowledge, expertise and leadership experience …. deriving energy and guidance from the glorious doctrine of the one true Islam….. acclimatizing quickly with the current turmoil……and introducing  “Smart” social, economic …as well as political reforms…. to pull this country out of the swamp of misery…. In time.

Sacrifice

We buy thousands of animals before the day……. The streets are turned red with the blood and guts of the cattle….. We divide the meat into three equal parts and distribute among  relatives, neighbours as well as the poor and needy lot…. then we greet each and celebrate all night…. with barbecue parties and biryani dinners….. filled with roasted chops and meaty treats….

All this for the sake of pleasing our Creator…. to signify that we are willing to sacrifice everything in His path….

Everything including our lives…..

and without  doubt our Lives rest at the very Top of the ”Pyramid of  Sacrifice”……

But wait a minute here…  we are willing to sacrifice our most precious possession but not the things less significant to it…. Isn’t this hypocrisy?

Are we willing to sacrifice our position, prestige and and wealth? Are we willing to let go of our immoral acts of violence, terrorism and misdeeds…. Have we ever sacrificed our designations, our social status or our perks and privileges just to say no to a bribe…. or an act of injustice…. or to someone who we know is scratching our backs so that we can scratch his, later….

Our politicians and wealthy community put  imported cattle on display outside their bungalows  in the most posh areas of the city…. Just to show how much they are willing to sacrifice….

But are they really understanding the essence of it?

Are they willing to give up their millions of dollars of property and cash transferred illegally abroad? Are they willing to give up their BMWs, Rolls Royce and Porche cars, pay their taxes in full, eat a single course meal every time and live and work in ordinary buildings? Are they willing to Sacrifice all that?

No… No one is ….. Even when knowing that their money is Not hard earned…. The only thing they’re willing to sacrifice is “meat”

Thats how deeply our culture has penetrated the essence of our religion…. where the day of celebrating the spirit of sacrifice for our Lord… has turned into nothing more than a “Meat Festival”

They’re just like you…

Its True…they live in another part of the country….  Speak a different lingo…..  Wear a different attire….. Look different…. Behave different…. Even think different…. yet they’re like you…

They share the same country… the same values…. the same religion… the same heart…

They’re not Terrorists by birth…. they’re not inhuman…

They do feel happiness …and pride … as well as anger … and sorrow and Pain… Just like you do….

You’ve completely alienated them…. marked them as living Taboos…. Scornful pathetic creatures…. Living only to create hell on earth….

Its not the case….

The paradigm needs to be shifted once more…..

Get out of your cozy abodes…. walk around this country….. travel a few paces across the stretches and you’ll feel what treasures lie beyond your own kingdom….

The mind is a strange entity…. it wants us to live in groups…. Groups of cast…. color… creed… politics… and provinces…. outcasting every other who doesn’t fit in

But its only when you mingle with the dwellers of the far….. learn their language and talk to them…..that you get to know that they’re just like you….. Only wearing different skins…..

They’ve the same soul as you….. ánd Maybe more chaste and pure….

They wake up every morning looking for work just as you do… Only the work is of a different kind….

They eat drink and share their feelings with others… just like you…. and celebrate and cry just as your own crew members…

…and at night they try to find the same comfort in bed  as you ….by closing their eyes…. Only that the bed is unique…

 

So stop judging people based on geographical and social demarcations…. Get out there and Socialize…. Only then you’ll realize what precious souls are roaming around in your very Country in Every social class…. perhaps equally intelligent as you…. Only a little less lucky!

One Good Thing

It takes years to build a connection… but just  a few seconds to break it for good.

As we grow… so does our network of friends… colleagues…. classmates…. relatives…..

But in this fast paced world, keeping connected  is not as easy it seems….

No doubt the telecom and social media revolution have played a major role in keeping us together….but does having a name saved in you cell phone or keeping a person in your friends list on facebook, myspace, twitter or linkedin really gets you connected?

Ofcourse not….

Keeping our connections connected to us is not an easy job…. You have to keep in touch with people…. Keep them updated about yourself and ask about them often too…..Ring them up ,Tag them, Send them a Picture or a Joke or a Greeting card…

As our network grows so does our responsibilities….. These days anyone hardly has enough time to keep a track of each and every friend in his life…. Some friends are there just cause you knew them once.

Then sometimes when you invite friends to occasions like birthday parties, weddings, gettogethers and reunions you expect that they’ll give a positive response and turn up on time.

But when you meet some of your friends after a long time you realize that they’re not the same lively people they used to be…. they’ve turned into selfish, money loving, career oriented persons……striving to make their lives better and leaving all the fun and pleasant natures behind.

Its this time when you start hating them….

You start having grudges against them….. You think that they are mean, rude and cruel and not worthy to be kept friends with.

When you meet them later…. its just the usual hello hi…. not the spark of friendship you once used to have….

Things start turning dull…. and you slowly back away….. and start talking to them less.

….. and the close friend…. slowly turns into nothing more a connection one day….. just sitting in your list as bunch of alphabets.

This sort of friendship is never of any use…. it only increases rifts and gaps in hearts.

Here’s a better perspective for looking at things…

When we meet someone….. who was once a good friend….. we should think of one good thing that person did to us………Be it a  helping hand he had extended when we needed it…… Be it a few kind words he had spoken in the past…. a good conversation we had when we used to hang out……or even a smile he projected when we greeted….

If he was once a friend there must be Something Good about him that we liked in the past….

And in order to erase these grudges all we need to do is to  change our thinking process for a moment…. and think of positive ways of looking at a person…. not as an enemy but a great friend who did something great with us in the past for which we are in debt to him….. Forever….

Only with this kind of thinking we can strengthen our connections…..  and once we start being better friends….. this feeling will become mutual in no time…..  the friendly atmosphere will engulf everyone around…………. and the connection will once again transform into…… a Pal.

Tell Apart

Its the right thing to promote democracy……. But its wrong to hand-pick  your  children as future leaders.

Its right to promote education…. But its wrong to get elected to the parliament with fake degrees.

Its right to preach religion….  But its wrong to misinterpret the Quran and opt for  jihad with suicide bombings.

Its right to eradicate terrorism….. But its wrong to drone – bomb your own people for its sake.

Its right to aid in finding survivors from a plane crash….. But its wrong to steal the cash & belongings of the deceased.

Its right to strengthen foreign relations…… But its wrong to abandon your country in the hour of ultimate need.

Its right to rescue the victims of a flood disaster…… But its wrong to pocket money meant for their rehab.

Its right to punish crime according to law…. But its wrong to brutally murder  innocent boys on the streets.

Its right to play for your country….  But its wrong to mint money at the cost of its  name.

Doesn’t everything mentioned above seem quite obvious?….. Isn’t it always quite evident whats good and whats bad?…….. Is it too difficult to understand and differentiate?

You’ll probably say no to the last question… but the answer is a big YES!

The thick boundary between the black and white turns grey when your value system is weak. When you do not know what is right or wrong. When the lust for money, power and greed blinds you. When you deliberately mutate into soul-less barbarians with absolutely no  sense of morality and ethics.

We teach so many subjects at schools and colleges. Even religion. But do we ever teach Values? Do we ever teach kids what decisions to make when confronted with these shady areas? Do we ever teach them what Success means in the Real sense?  Can’t we ever allocate an hour everyday in educational institutes to  instill the correct moral sense in the minds of our youth? Wouldn’t it be better if these kids would have the courage to say no to a bribe, an urge of greed, revenge, lie or corruption?

Wouldn’t it had been a completely different picture  if we could only tell the Virtue and Sin apart??

Simulation Perspective

More often than not we perform better in front of an audience ……  or at least try to give our level best.  Be it a public address, a presentation, a stage performance or simply a few pages read in front of a small crowd…..

This is only so because our consciousness compels us to move in a position where our ego and positive self image are at their peak. We label this as…. Confidence… which is infact nothing more than a fully controlled form of our own self.

This confidence gives us the strength to overcome our limitations and perform better under pressure.

However….. if we scrutinize our normal everyday lives it becomes quite evident that we do not try to be that much perfect as we do when someone is keeping a watch over us…. when there is someone in the audience….for whom we are the focus of attention. We find we are constantly breaking the laws and treading over values and morality………………..only because we feel that it means nothing to anyone else …. and no one else knows about this but us….

This devilish attitude gradually develops into a habit and becomes a part of our nature where we indulge in wrongdoings just by thinking either that no one is watching us…… or it doesn’t hurt anyone …..or that everybody else is doing it so why can’t we?

……..If only we change our perspective towards life we can alter this delinquent tendency quite easily….

Instead of thinking more of others around us….if we just try to make our own selves the focus of attention…… by thinking for a moment that we are living in some sort of  simulated world….. where the only thing real is “Me” and everyone else….. every other person…. every other object……and every situation….. is only there… either to support me or to test me in some manner.

If we just wake up everyday and start being a little selfish about ourselves we will see the world with completely different set of eyes…. We will never look at a sin as something acceptable even if it’s being practiced everywhere……We will look at it as a test of our morality and perseverance….. and we’ll score more points for keeping ourselves on the right track no matter how attractive the evil looks or how big the Satan seems…..

cause when we will know that our every action is being watched…….. every move being recorded……and every word being penned down…..we will realize that one day this whole game will end and we’ll be pulled out of the simulator…… and at that time….only the ones who reach the “high scores” in this Un-Real World ….will win!