March 16. A little more worth added to the already worth-living life! I say a little, because this is the beginning, the idea. The implementation would need more effort, more time and more sacrifice. Yes, it has been a long long march, indeed! Given our collective moral discrepancies, it was kind of a far cry that we could actually make a bit of a difference. But one should never be completely hopeless. No, never! The much-awaited announcement has given a boost to the flickering flame of hope, no matter what the cynics say or feel or assert or try to do so. Yes, people do still have reservations; they still are sceptical about the issue, but at least this is a historic moment: a change finally has taken place in Pakistan, no matter what the ifs and buts and ohs are.

Fondly do I remember Aadil’s coming a little before the expected date, and my Father saying: “Aadil has arrived early because he knows Pakistan is in dire need of ‘Adal’”! Thankyou Allah, for Aadil, and thankyou for the restoration of ‘Adliya’. Here’s to hoping we can be better humans and better Pakistanis in the days to come, leaving our always-critical-n-cynical-n-loser-like argumentations aside, and learning to be positive at least for once. Here’s to hoping we can actually leave differences aside, and unite to weave a strong socio-political fabric where injustice and corruption find no gap to seep in.

Long live Pakistan!

I was listening to a speaker on T.V. a couple of days ago while working. Initially it was just like listening to any other speaker, but by the end I had completely left my work and had my eyes glued to the screen, my ears attentive to what he was saying.

The speaker was most probably a psychologist. He talked about how people have started to HATE, and they are to be 'taught' how to LOVE otherwise they don't know how to!! He also talked about how people have stopped being tolerant towards the others. Then he gave the example of common man who has this most common complaint: "My problem is, I can't forgive my family. I can't forgive my friends. I can't forgive so and so. And because of this attitude of mine, the world doesn't like me". He talked about how people lose self esteem because of their hatred-filled attitudes, and eventually become regressed individuals whom nobody likes to talk to.

Speaking on changing attitudes and love-hate patterns, he narrated the story of a poor boy, who saw a beautiful car on the road. The boy admired the car, and was looking at its splendor when the owner of the car arrived...(The story below is my version of the story/real incident he quoted.)

A village boy was walking down the street one evening. Off the road, he saw a beautiful car. He was enamoured by its splendour. He walked around it, inspected it and praised its beauty. The owner of the car, a middle-aged man, soon arrived and observed the boy's fascination with the car.

"Do u like my car?" he asked in a friendly manner.

"Yes! It's very beautiful!" The boy exclaimed.

The owner said, "my brother gifted it to me", and he gave the boy a smile.

You know what the boy said? Can you guess? The most probable guess would be: "I wish I had a brother like yours". But you know what he actually said? He said, "I wish I was like your brother".

The owner was moved beyond words. Seeing the longing in the boy's eyes, the man offered him a ride in his car.

"Would you take me to my village?"

"Sure!", said the man. He must be feeling really proud sitting in the car, the man was thinking. Now he would gather his friends and show off that he's riding such a wonderful car. Off they went to the boy's village.

There was no sign of little boys playing in the street as the man had imagined.

"Would you kindly wait for me? Just for a few minutes, please?" the boy requested as they reached the village.

The man couldn't refuse. A few minutes later, he saw the boy returning. It seemed as if he was carrying something on his back. The man couldn't see clearly was it was until he came quite close.

He couldn't believe his eyes. He couldn't believe his ears.

The boy was carrying his brother on his shoulder, his brother who was crippled. And when he came to the car, he said to his brother, "One day I will get you a car similar to this one. You like it?"

"Yes!" came a small voice.

And he was happy.

******************

This is how a Muslim should be. The incident with the little Muslim boy made the man realize the worth of true love, a feeling worth appreciating, for it is fast vanishing from our collective behaviours; as nations, as countries, as families and friends. 

 I happened to pass through this blog, and I thought I should quote the incident. Many a time, something or the other strikes you, places itself in front of you, shakes you inside out, GIVES you something real positive. This one did...

Quote

Frndshp
Horror gripped the heart of a World War-I soldier, as he saw his lifelong friend fall in battle. The soldier asked his Lieutenant if he could go out to bring his fallen comrade back. "You can go," said the Lieutenant,"but don't think it will be worth it. Your friend is probably dead and you may throw your life away. "The Lieutenant's words didn't matter, and the soldier went anyway. Miraculously, he managed to reach his friend, hoisted him onto his shoulder and brought him back to their company's trench. The officer checked the wounded soldier , then looked kindly at his friend. " I told you it wouldn't be worth it," he said. "Your friend is dead and you are mortally wounded." "It was worth it, Sir," said the soldier. "What do you mean by worth it?" responded the Lieutenant. " Your friend is dead." "Yes Sir," the soldier answered," but it was worth it because when I got to him,he was still alive and I had the satisfaction of hearing him say...."Jim...I knew you'd come." Many times in life, whether a thing is worth doing or not, really depends on how u look at it. Take up all your courage and do something your heart tells you to do so that you may not regret not doing it later in your life........

It is a norm, or perhaps 'made into' a norm that one feels sad---or expresses sadness---when leaving a certain institution: one's school, or college, or university, or office, or any place one spends one's memorable time at. As per norm, I do feel sad at such moments, genuinely most of the times, but that feeling goes away pretty sooner than expected. But this time even the feeling and the intensity thereof seems different, more lasting, more genuine, without pretence. Rarely in my life have such feeling pervaded my soul as have now, today, and yesterday as I was thinking of today...Today: My last full day at a place I've loved most. (But do places matter?) Places carry ghosts of our days past; it is the people one meets at a place who make a difference. It may strike one as unrealistic, but I, with full awareness of what I am saying, state that without exaggeration, I have NEVER met such a whole lot of truly sincere people in my life at one single place before. Alhuda. The institution so many people talk against, and the very institution I have come to love most. It is when one experiences things that one gets to know the reality therein.