A Point in Time

"Are you happy?" What a simple question but one that left me stumped! I have no answer to it and I guess no one really does. Happiness is such a relative feeling because each person will measure their happiness in different terms. What makes you happy could be something useless for another person. I always prided myself in being a happy person and have stated time and time again that my happiness comes from within me and is not dependent on anyone or anything. But this question, made me question myself and my standard of happiness. I wondered if in trying to be happy, had I lost the meaning of what happiness meant to me? 

The Modern Paradox

After watching numerous "Kiki Challenge" videos that are floating around the internet, I have come to a conclusion.. People are getting dumber by the day! Somehow mankind seems to be going into regression instead of progression. As technology gets smarter, humans are becoming less intelligent. As long as they are doing whatever the media feeds them, they are happy and not worried about the repercussions of their actions. If it's a silly dance that requires them to jump on to the road from a moving vehicle, then they will do it just to look cool and be more socially acceptable.. even if it poses a risk to their own lives and the lives of others.

Don't know where everything went wrong..Maybe it's our education system that needs an overhaul or maybe it's our parenting methods that are flawed. Whatever the case, what we now see is a generation that: is extremely dependant on technology; has no clue about where it's headed; has no ambition besides living on social media; and follows anyone who appears "hip". This is the generation destined to save the planet and work for a better future. Sadly, it seems this generation needs to be saved from self destruction first.

According to the evolution theory, we should have reached the zenith of intelligence by now. But somehow, we are nowhere near the level of finesse or enlightenment as people were hundreds of years ago. Have the quantam leaps in science made us forget how to use our brain? Or did evolution decide to turn us back into monkeys? It remains a modern paradox.

For the love of Pakistan

Revive the courage

of heroes forgotten

Uphold the fervour

of change begotten

Stand the test

of time and tide

Seize the moment

 of victory and pride

Bury the pain

of loss and fears

Remember the sacrifice

of blood and tears

Win this battle

of darkness and light

Raise this flag

of green and white

Dear Taliban

Dear Taliban,

I hope this message finds you in the worst of health and rotting to your death. You probably haven't checked your mail lately, with all the armed action being taken against you. I really hope you find a good WiFi connection in the next sewer that you hide otherwise you won't get to update your wonderful video channel. That's a pity! But hey you guys were not actually delivering on your promise of creating a Shariah-run state. You really ought to rethink your strategy and try not to kill so many people in your pious efforts because that kind of ticks off the Army. They don't like it when somebody messes with their people.

With all this persecution in Pakistan, you must be finding it difficult to carry on your religious plans. I have a better idea - why don't you go to Palestine and fight for the Muslims instead? It may be too late for the likes of us to go back to being real Muslims but over there true Muslims are being massacred and they have no one to stand up for them. Now is your chance to prove your worth and show the world you mean business. Everybody used to think you guys are here just for terrorizing Muslims only but honestly, now you can terrorize some real infidels, i.e. the Israelis. All your talents of sniping, bombing and fighting will be utilized very appropriately. You will get all the international attention that you ever craved for and in the end you will definitely get your promised Paradise with all the perks and benefits. You can even throw in a couple of dramatic suicide bombers for further glory.

So, what do you think? Oh! You are too busy running from the Pakistan Army to think straight...Hmm...that poses a problem! Just keep running to avoid capture because I don't think you will stay alive for very long. Happy running!

Regards,
Your Secret Admirer

Web of Lies

As if we didn't have enough drama to deal with already, we had to watch a boring episode of Tahir-ul-Qadri pretending to be important and facing mortal peril - only to lounge a few more hours in Emirates first-class :p A few weeks back, we had our very own Altaf Hussain getting arrested and then had to deal with his class act of having heart problems. Gosh! The things people do to gain attention and satisfy their over-inflated ego! With the crucial armed attack (Zarb-e-Azb) taking place against the Taliban, the nation needs real leaders to keep it together and not some pathetic attention-seeking dramatists, who claim to be patriots but choose to live abroad in luxury. We have to stand united against the external and internal threats and be in synchronization with our Armed Forces to aid their efforts and help the victims of terrorism. The uprooting of the Taliban is nothing less than a revolution. If these so-called leaders talk about revolution, I doubt they even understand what revolution means and do not posses the mental capacity to actually lead a revolution (in case they did manage to bring about one!). They seem to be capable of only self-glorification and condemning everyone else for being wrong...as if they even have a vague idea of what's right!

I guess these leaders know they are expendable and hence they have to keep on working on international agenda just to stay alive. But then the international arena has seen the rise of the pure Sunni Muslims of Iraq who seek to end the Shi'ite community in Iraq. These hardcore fanatics, a.k.a the ISIS, are a true representation of how easy it is to manipulate a bunch of Muslims into believing that they are gaining a rightful place in Jannat by killing innocent people. Have they forgotten that Allah Himself states, "...whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption in the land - it is as if he had slain mankind entirely..." [Al-Qura'an 5:32]. These misled maniacs not only have the blood of innocents on their hands but also the sacred blood of Muslim brothers spattering their souls. But sadly, they are blind to their own misdeeds because they have been promised Paradise and have been given sufficient funds to live a heavenly life on earth too. This extremist movement has attracted plenty of international attention, with the media highlighting the plight of the Shi'ite Muslims, who are losing their lives because of violent and crazy Sunni Muslims. What really pains me is that not much long ago a story about the containment of Muslims in concentration camps in Myanmar had surfaced, but it disappeared without causing even a ripple in the media. Was it because the torture and murder of Muslims was taking place at the hands of a Buddhist nation, who have every right to exercise their control over whichever minority they choose? What if it had been the other way round...and the Buddhist people were being targeted by Muslims? Then I'm sure we would have heard plenty of noise about poor helpless Buddhists being murdered by Muslim terrorists :p And many countries would have been considering intervening to stop the "mindless bloodshed".

Are all these leaders and movements only meant to kick dust in our eyes and used as a cover for something far more evil and sinister? This question haunts me every time I see these acts of madness taking place at home and abroad. We have been living a lie for far too long...and despite the best efforts of the conspirators, there is a chance of awakening and breaking through this web of lies.

Mother...To you none can compare!

Mama, Ama, Mommy, Mummy, Ammi, Maa....

Some of the words we all use to refer to that beautiful woman in our lives, who bore us with pain, brought us up with care and saw us through life with the utmost affection. She is the reason why most of us stand where we are and she is the support without which none of us can go on. Her prayers, her advice, her sympathy, her patience and her unconditional love make this world a bearable place. She is a mother.

When I think about my childhood, my mother was my champion and my solution to every problem. Her words held so much comfort and her hugs and kisses had magical healing powers. She could tend to all the requirements of the family, look after the entire house and find time to socialize with relatives and friends. Now that I have grown up and become a mother myself, I just can't fathom how she used to do so much and still smile at the end of the day! I feel like a rotten tomato by the end of the day and expecting me to smile is like asking for a miracle! But seriously when you are so tired that you don't want to move a muscle and your child suddenly decides that is the best time to start pestering you to play with her.....you somehow find the energy and get up to fulfill her wish. That is the moment you realize that you really have become a mother. Giving up your portion of ice cream just so that your child can have some more...not buying anything for yourself just so that your kids can have some new toys...adding all your kids favorite treats in the grocery list and cutting down your own requirements....these are some of the things only a mother has the ability to do.

The day my little girl was born and handed over to me, something I never knew, awakened inside me. When I held that tiny hand in mine, when I touched that shrivelled little face and when those scrunched up eyes peered at me...I knew I would rather die than let anything bad ever happen to her. My baby made me feel like some kind of Amazon Warrior, who would stand through thick and thin just to see her child happy and safe. I understood why my mother made all those sacrifices and why she went through all those ordeals because the love that coursed through her veins made her strong enough to bear everything for her children. Her heart seems to grow bigger to accommodate all her children and she does so without a complaint.

When you become a parent, you learn to cherish your own parents because every time you do something for your children, you come closer to understanding why your parents did all those things when you were young. They did what they could, using whatever limited resources they had - just to make your tomorrow better, without any regard for their own desires. It is indeed one of the greatest blessings of this life to have your parents see you through your childhood into adulthood. We can never give them back all that love but we can at least try. Especially now when I am faced with a problem, I hear my mother's voice imparting some words of wisdom, which seemed meaningless at that time but now made perfect sense! She is my guiding light in so many instances that I am surprised how could she have known that someday I will have to go through such a situation...mother...to you none can compare!

Modesty is Oppression??

So what if Rihanna chose to wear such a sheer dress that exposed her body? It is just her way of showing her confidence about her body and the way she wants the world to see her. Every woman has the right to dress the way she likes. This is the first step of female liberation because it makes them bold and feel beautiful...no crime in flashing some of her intimate parts for the benefit of the public...right?

While I am a strong supporter of female rights and women empowerment, I do have my reservations against such a torrid dress sense. Wearing minimal clothes is now becoming a thing of the past...we now have sheer dresses that actually don't need to be there in the first place. Such dresses are worn to keep the police at bay from arresting the wearer on charges of public nudity. What Rihanna and countless other celebrities are doing is that they are enticing the female population into defiling themselves in public and put themselves on display just like the Stone Age Woman, when the concepts of modesty and proper dressing were unknown. On the other hand, such a vulgar show of private parts is sure to provoke the male attention and make the ladies ever-so attractive to them, which is supposedly very good! You manage to do that without having to take your "clothes" off...even if you lost your dignity along the way :p

Many feminists fight that every woman should feel comfortable with her body and it is good that celebrities set the right example. But why does feeling comfortable involve wearing such non-existent clothes? If a woman wears a burqa or head scarf, then feminists are bound to kick up a riot over violation of female rights and protest that she is being suffocated. Do they forget that feeling comfortable about her body is every woman's right? If she feels happy covering herself then who are you to scream murder against it? If transparent clothes are the only way of feeling comfortable, then seriously I don't want to feel comfortable in the first place :p Islam is always under the target of such bull-headed feminists, who argue that Islam is  crushing women by keeping them covered up and women should be given freedom to take off the extra clothes. It is argued that Islam oppresses women by limiting them to a certain dress code. Okay, so lets shed some extra covering and then the woman will be free? I do believe she was free even with all the layers...she was free to pursue her daily activities and be herself.

In reality, parading around in transparent clothes might make her a sex symbol and get her labelled as a hot female, but will it really help her in progressing towards self-actualization and complete liberation? I guess that depends on how you view a woman's progress in society. So far, she has progressed towards adopting fake beauty standards, unhealthy dieting regimens, raunchy clothing and mindless fashion ideas. Correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think that even scratches the definition of progress. That is just blotting out the natural creativity and confidence, which a woman derives from her true self, regardless of her body, clothes and makeup! These extra gimmicks should boost her morale rather than bring her down into the dredges. She is told that if she does not have the "perfect body", then she doesn't deserve to be alive! If she does not have that slim long nose then she should get a surgery done or use a makeup technique to hide it. If she does not wear the latest trend clothes then she is shabby and not worth a second glance. Society forgets that her true worth lies in her inner beauty, her inner grace and her inner intellect, which does not need any props to blossom. She can do everything while wearing full clothes and she can achieve the best in life by being modest. Because modesty is certainly not oppression.