Looks can be deceiving

Every now and then you meet someone you instantly admire due to their attire and style but the moment you converse with them and discover their mentality, you are totally put off! This has happened to me so many times that I wonder why can't people have an appearance that matches their personality? I know people who portray themselves to be very modern and adorn themselves with the latest fashion clothes and have an English accent to their way of talking...but their vision is very narrow and they don't even know what their life is about. They think anybody who says their prayers and observes fast is out-dated and boring. They think just because they have education, whatever they think is correct. On the other hand, I have met people who look very religious due to their external Islamic get-up and vocal projection of Islam but their knowledge is limited to just a few books and they still do what others do but in a manner that they claim is Islamic. They do not practice what they preach and do not bother to figure out the true meaning of the teachings of Islam. They think just because they are carrying the banner of Islam, they have the right to denounce everybody else's belief and philosophy.

Why can't people understand that being modern is not just limited to fashion and English but it is to have a broad-minded approach towards other people and the events going on around them? Why is it that being religious is to just wear an abaaya or have a beard and not understand what our beautiful religion teaches us about humanity and equality? Islam is a religion that teaches both modernity and chasteness at the same time. It does not stop advancement of science and technology and neither does it ask for extermination of all those who behave or think differently. We have been asked to give space to others rather than impose ourselves on them. We as Muslims have not been told to live without the good things of life but have been told to do so wisely. It is not our job to kill people from other religions but it is our responsibility to set a good example for them to create a positive impression. Islam is not what the local and international media portrays...that is people waving Kalashnikovs and waging so called Jihad. It is you and me...it is every person doing his job honestly, it is every child obeying his parents, it is every mother tending to her children, it is every ruler ruling with justice, it is every man offering his prayers and above all it is the rhythm and harmony of nature. You can only see all this if you rise above all your self-imposed standards of superficial modernity or psuedo-piousness. 

High-profile Shenanigans

It takes guts to wave two guns - Lara Croft style - and hurl a mouthful of pointless and meaningless nonsense at an army of armed policemen, media personnel and civilians...but Mr. Sikander did it... for nearly five hours! Talk about high-profile shenanigans :p He may have been high on drugs at the start but I'm sure the media attention went to his head after the first hour! His state of mind isn't hard to understand because a sane man is not so prone to staging Mexican standoffs at such a large scale....especially with his family's safety at stake. The hapless man's wife seemed to be playing multiple parts of a shady sidekick, the innocent intermediary and the unwilling hostage. I do feel sorry for his children because they are the true victims...It is their misfortune to witness the shameful gimmicks of their father and be exposed to all the violence at such a tender age. The reckless bravery of the Good Samaritan, Mr. Zamurd Khan, ultimately saved the day...which leaves me to wonder, what was the purpose of the entire episode...Was it just chowder for the media? Was some deep dark conspiracy unfolding behind this incident? Or was it simply a mad man on the loose? It was an obvious failing of the security forces present because if it hadn't been for the death-defying stunt of Mr. Zamurd Khan, we would still be the unwilling audience of "The Phonebooth" sequel.
The incident leaves a lot to the imagination...The exclusive footage on the news channels did help the imagination along but somehow the more we see, the less we seem to know...

Sure to Die

When unseeing eyes have no more tears to shed

When the outraged monster sees only red

When forgotten moments have slipped by

The aching heart is sure to die.

When the guardians of faith take to arms

When the cries for help ring like alarms

When the rivers of blood have run dry

The dwindling belief is sure to die.

When treachery overpowers trust

When the fires of love are fuelled by lust

When thoughts and actions do not comply

The ebbing conscience is sure to die. 

When treasures are hoarded by the miser

When the book does not make one wiser

When the corrupt rule and the liars lie

The withering soul is sure to die.

"It's just an empty cup"

Sometimes you get inspiration from very unlikely sources, like when I was watching Disney Pixar's animated movie CARS with my daughter, a statement made by the protagonist of the movie, Lightning McQueen, really inspired me...Throughout the movie he is shown to be obsessed with winning a Piston Cup, but in the end realizes that it's just an empty cup...and gives up the cup in favour of helping a fellow racer.

The whole movie was a really stunning allegory of life itself. We spend our precious time trying to fulfill wants and wishes that make us lose focus of everyone and everything around us. We do whatever it takes to lead a posh life, a life less ordinary and a life  that is seemingly very satisfactory. In reality, our every activity revolves around generating more and more money to cater to our ever-increasing desires. The wish-list never stops growing...It's almost as though the cup we are trying to fill has a hole in the bottom. And by the time we realize that it is going to remain an empty cup forever...it's too late to go back.

I read a research that was conducted on old people living their last days in old homes and I was saddened to discover that each one of them regretted having wasted their lives on mundane pursuits rather than spending time with their families and friends. Each of the interviewees wanted to turn back the clock to steal some time  with loved ones. That is the trouble with money..it's so attractive that it blinds you towards many things. It makes you overlook important occasions and forget birthdays. It creates gaps between friends and strikes rifts between brothers. It estranges a father and son. It breaks up marriages and lowers the moral standards of people. This is the reason why Allah has commanded us to adopt the moderate path that does not involve being miserly or being over indulgent. It is our responsibility to restrict ourselves to our means rather than elaborating our means to suit us!

Some people would scoff at my views but seriously...the precious moments that you lose in favour of working extra time cannot be bought back with the extra money you earned. There is nothing more valuable than time, so spend it wisely.

Growing UP

When I look at my 3 year old daughter, I see a heart warming innocence that emanates from her eyes and her lovely smile. I see in her the proverbial empty pages that are waiting for the quivering hands of experience to write down a story. Then some day her face will be like a voluminous book that boasts of a life-long log of  trials and wisdom.

Every parent tries to protect his children from the harsh realities of life but over the passage of time this exposure is inevitable. That is part of growing up, you can't just have all the good things in life. You have to taste bitterness, experience loss, suffer defeat and be challenged by fear. Some psychologists say that children who are over-protected and shown only the bright side of things tend to have unrealistic expectations and get bored of everything very quickly. That is something far worse than a child who has faced the ups and downs of life...because with proper guidance from parents such a child becomes fully equipped to handle similar situations in grown up life. 

The new era has produced a new generation that is fine tuned to all the latest trends and is very assertive and independent as compared to previous generations. I have noticed a very high degree of will-power and confidence in my daughter, which usually develops in later years. She is very sure of herself and does not back down in the face of authority. Maybe it is because now parents share a very close and equal bond with their children and try to make their every little dream come true. Unwittingly, parents themselves are creating problems for their kids, since they are not being trained to cope with unfulfilled demands and unnecessary wishes. Life has much to offer but you can never have it all!

I try to keep check on my own upbringing methods but then again I also fall prey to these usual pitfalls because I want my child to have the best in everything...It is not wrong to have such aspirations for your kids but we have to strike a balance and set limits. Do you ever feel the same as I do?

Now for a taste of things to come!

I named this article after my most favourite quotation from the movie based on the video game, Mortal Kombat. That's because the aftermath of the elections is nothing short of mortal combat...and it has left us all wondering what is going to happen next.

One thing is for sure, no matter who rigged which result, the people are not willing to settle down for anything less than the complete truth. The populace is motivated to take to the streets to show their support for their leaders and to protest against any unfairness that they perceive. The media has brought all the cheating and deception into the limelight and there is no escaping the criticism coming from all directions. Those who lost are at loggerheads with those who won. Some say it is the failing of the system and some say it is a conspiracy. Amid this broiling imbroglio, the winning parties are trying to set up a functional government. Negotiations are being carried out under the table and secret handshakes are being exchanged. Whew! That sort of feels like a punch in the guts!

But, let's not lose focus of what this ruckus is all about..and that is the betterment of Pakistan. It does make a difference as to who is holding the reins of the country but we as the people should join hands and support the newly elected government. The road to salvation for our country is very tough and there are external forces that would like nothing more than lead us to destruction rather than improvement.Our country's economy already lies in tatters; our social system is battered because of global influences; our religion has become limited to just fundamentalists and terrorists; our educational system produces people with narrow vision and exaggerated accents; our foreign policy is merely a twisted contract of slavery.....and now we have to handle badly rigged elections. We are a nation that has survived all of this and more, so it is time to rise above the differences and suspicions and move towards a common goal. We must work for the uplifting of our country, break the shackles of bondage and become what our forefathers had dreamt of. That is the taste of things to come! 

Is it over?

When the election frenzy began, it was exciting and tense because so many of  us had decided to go out and vote on the 11th of May for the first time. Most of the people had an attitude like me..'why bother voting for anyone because in the end it's gonna be the same old system with new faces anyway?' The record turnout for the elections this time goes to show that the people were willing to use their power of decision for better or for worse. Getting the blue thumb and permanent ink mark is more of a symbol of freedom for all of us. Going through all the process of balloting was exhilarating for me and my family because we were all first-timers! All of us remained glue to our television sets for watching how the elections unraveled. Shockingly, there were countless attempts to terrorize the voters in different regions of the country by verbal assaults, gunfire, hand grenades and bomb blasts. In some places the ballot papers were spirited away and the staff members of the polling stations were harassed or abducted. There were numerous cases of cheating and deception, even though everything was captured by the roving eye of the media. Still the voters remained undeterred and waited in long queues for many hours, just so that they do not miss out this opportunity to vote.

I view the results of the general elections with a certain degree of distaste though..maybe because I expected the people to be more inclined towards emerging leaders rather than the tried and tested politicians, who have had their chances and failed miserably at them...But nonetheless, the winds of change simply uprooted the most recent ruling parties, especially in the Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa region. The Pathans who are ridiculed for their simplicity, showed that they are simple but not stupid, unlike the more educated and elan folks. I felt a rush of pride when I heard the results for the KPK because it meant the locals were willing to open up for new options and get rid of all the redundant politicians, who had done nothing more than changing the name of the province :p The people in other provinces also made their choices, which I hope will serve them well and lead them to betterment rather than regret. Abraham Lincoln said, "The ballot is stronger than the bullet" and how right was he...the results of the elections show that people did away with all those leaders whom they did not think worthy of being in the highest echelons of the Government...killing them with bullets would have definitely been more difficult ;)

The manifestos of the different political parties covered a wide spectrum of issues concerning the country and the campaigns and political rallies/gatherings used different tactics to endorse those manifestos. The results come as a majore disappointment to some but are good news for others. The 'Tsunami' of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf may look like it has fizzled out but there is more to it than meets the eye...Imran Khan may not have paraded and killed a Bengali Tiger in his political campaign, but he pulled millions of people out of their  'don't care' condition by simply talking to them! He planted the seeds of change in the entire country and provoked the people to think and act, rather than berate their luck. I unabashedly admit I voted just because I was motivated by his speeches and he inspired me to be more than just a bystander in the quest for change. His party may not have secured the desired number of seats at the national or provincial level but  he has managed to acquire a platform to voice his thoughts on all future decisions of Pakistan. The intangible result of this election has very deep-reaching repercussions so I ask you...do you think it is over? Or do you believe it is the first step in our country's journey towards a new era?