Love is more than 'he loves me, he loves me not!'

By
Syeda Ramsha Wasti. 

So I logged into my facebook account, and opened my inbox just to have a flick through my messages. The message which was absolutely astounding to me was from one of my closest friends and it stated, “Ramsha. I broke up with Bruno a few days back, but I am going out with Steven now. You can’t even imagine how happy I am. I love Steven.”

Instead of being happy for her, I was speechless because she uttered almost the same remarks for Bruno around two months ago. She described her love for Bruno as pure, deep-seated, and genuine when I talked to her on the phone a while back. She sounded so happy and exuberant while telling me about the promises and love they have exchanged. Her relationship seemed like a clichéd love story to me in which two lovers meet, unite, and live happily ever after. Now though, this message of hers makes me question the love she claimed to have for Bruno. Did she even love him, or was it just a mere attraction which vanished after sometime? Even if she did, then why wasn’t it difficult for her to move on and get into another relationship barely a week after she broke up? I wanted to ask her all these questions but chose to stay quiet.

The problem with today’s youth is that they don’t even know what love actually is yet they use this word so easily. Like ‘hate’, love’s a very strong word. If you don’t mean it, don’t say it because this word has an ability to make or shatter someone’s heart and precious feelings. Walk a mile in the shoes of a heart broken person, and you would realize how disturbing and emotionally distracting this feeling is. Imagine yourself in a situation where your boyfriend (or girlfriend) tells you that he loves you one day and turns his back on you the other day. Such situation can leave you in a very miserable condition, I assure. Nowadays, people tend to rush ahead to get into a relationship with a person they have a ‘crush’ on without getting to know him better. This often ruins a relationship. Saying ‘I love you’ too soon won’t do any good, but in fact, it would take the real essence out of your relation. Let’s say you meet someone at your school and find him (or her) attractive. You start to develop feelings for him after sometime. The worst thing to do in this scenario would be to express your feelings in front of that person immediately instead of knowing him better. You should actually try to know that person better and develop a strong bond of friendship with him. If you are still convinced that it’s something you want to do after knowing that person closely then go for it and let him know the songs of your heart.

Isn’t it funny how people say they are ‘committed’ these days without even knowing the real meaning of commitment? They don’t even take a minute to change their relationship status from ‘committed’ to ‘single’ on social websites. What I think is that they need to understand and comprehend the actual idea of a commitment. After going through a lot of research, I gathered that a commitment is when you are willing to dedicate your time and energy to something you believe in or something you must do. It’s heavier and holds more importance than a mere promise. But unfortunately, it’s no more a big deal for people to break their promises and back off from their commitments. However, they shouldn’t make a commitment in the first place unless they are completely sure about it. I have a friend who proposed a girl a week ago and surprisingly, that girl didn’t even take a day to say yes although she didn’t know my friend closely. They got into a relationship on the same day and started dating afterwards. But after a few days, that girl realized she has stepped into something she couldn’t do and so they broke up. This incident has literally devastated and crushed my friend who, apparently, was in some serious love with that girl. This all sounds so absurd and ridiculous to me. The question which remains unanswered is why in the world did she say yes in the first place?!

Moreover, it’s weird how people set their relationship status as ‘it’s complicated’ on facebook. What is that supposed to mean? Don’t get yourself involved into something which is complicated because it is not going to work no matter how hard you individually try. Plus, the idea of love at first sight is so improbable. You can be attracted to a person at first sight, but falling in love seems highly impossible. Come on, we are not in a Cinderella story in which the prince falls in love with a commoner at first sight and everything turns out well. We need to understand that it is real life and a fairy won’t come to solve our problems and issues. I am sorry for bursting your fantasy bubble, but it’s the truth and you can’t suppress it.

So if you are attracted to someone, try to know him/her better because that’s the key to a successful and an everlasting relationship. Don’t be a victim of infatuation and be wise while getting into something like this. 

A tribute to our soldiers !!!

For those Martyrs that sacrifice their lives for our safety specially our soldiers Martyred by the NATO attacks...

We thank you from the depths of our hearts, You will always be remembered!!

"And say not of those who are slain in the way of Allah: 'They are dead.'  Nay, they are living, though ye perceive (it) not.  (The Noble Quran, 2:154)"

"Perception"

ANGELA SHAH

A1 C5

The rainbow of life,
Stages crossing their limits,
This world is a game,
a Game of PERCEPTIONS,
When you makeup your own way,
believe it others will follow it some day,
They will make their OWN stories at every moment,
FAKE they ARE,
crushing YOUR field is their aim,
FACE THE TRUTH,
because before you say something just REMEMBER,
it takes a moment to break but an ENTIRE life to make,
I Faced,
and came to the conclusion,
To LIVE you need a Heart BUT to SURVIVE you need a Brain!!!

Life at the PAF Chapter! :D

By Marium Alizay Mutahir (A1S2)

At Chapter, we come to strive and learn
So that success and honor, may we earn
Clean shirts, new hair styles and bright heads
We can’t wait in morning to get out of our beds 
In front of us, lies a day new
All head to Chapter, me and you 
Where studying and learning is our passion
bunking and volley is also a fashion
Clowning around in almost every lecture,
Results in less marks and a heart's fracture
Yet no fights or hate, all are friends,
At chapter we live life without any bends
Life is so awesome at PAF Chapter
Classrooms and playing grounds echoing with laughter
At chapter, we live life without any tension
to live life to its fullest, is our only intention 
Chapter comes first, when asked, ‘what is awesome?’
We flower it with love, for it to blossom
In years to come, we’ll head different ways 
And never shall I forget these glorious days
When in future, at the hands of maths, our children would die
Sir RAJAS techniques, we’ll tell them to apply
When essays of GP, they won’t be able to bear 
Miss Najmus’s "Thesis statement", with them I’ll share
When they shall ask, “where do experiments lead?”
Sir SOHAILS notes I’ll give them to read 
Being any other student doesn’t have a bad side
But by being a PAFIAN comes the greatest pride
Never shall I forget the times I’m spending here
As long as sounds of THE CITY SCHOOL PAF CHAPTER echo in my ear.

"Do more, do more and do more"

By

Hashaam Mahboob

It hasn't been long since the US secretary of state Hillary Clinton was here, in Pakistan. She came with the goal of mending the strategic 'alliance' that had been ruptured by the Bin laden raid. She appeared in the media with big promises of respecting our sovereignty, understanding our security concerns and building a partnership of mutual trust. All the media jumped on her bandwagon, comparing our coalition to that of a mother in law/daughter in law relationship.

But it didn't take long before harsh reality hit home. On the night of 25/26^th November the US and Nato forces unleashed an unprovoked attack on a military check post in the Mohmand region along the border of Afghanistan. This attack resulted in at least 24 of our soldiers embracing shahadat with 13 more being fatally injured. Nato forces used gunships and aircrafts to bombard the check post. Our soldiers responded with the best of their abilities but they were overpowered by the much more advanced weaponry of the Nato forces. All the promises of mutual engagement by Miss Hillary Clinton turned out to be mere shallow words.

This act of aggression constitutes a bigger insult to our sovereignty than the Bin laden raid. An attack of this magnitude on any other nation's territory would have meant a 'casus belli' for them but no; the normal rules of engagement do not apply to Pakistan. The government of Pakistan is always willing to forgive the Americans as long as they keep stashing their pockets with millions of dollars. It makes no difference whether they put our best intellectuals to jail ( Dr Aafia siddiqui ) or kill our unarmed citizens in the streets of Lahore because they are providing us with the so called 'military and economic aid'. Long story short: Our government is selling our nation's prestige in return for millions of dollars that go straight into their Swiss accounts.

The military, on the other hand, continues to console itself by dishing out 'hard looking' statements of strong retaliation in case of another attack. Isn't this exactly what they said after the Bin laden raid? Do not get me wrong here; I do not criticize the 'jawaans' and soldiers of our armed forces. It is because of them that we sleep, peacefully in the cosiness of our beds, every night. My condemnation is directed towards the higher establishment of the military leadership, towards the generals that make all the important decisions. We spend billions of dollars on our military and the military reacts to this provocation by blocking a pathway for goods. Yes, for almost the umpteenth time our government and military have blocked the Nato supply route through Pakistan.  For how long? No one knows. It can't be for more than a week or so because that would run the risk of the American 'aid' being stopped.

I believe that we have finally reached a 'tipping point', a point of no return. Either we go ahead with this alliance and continue to suffer such national humiliation or we terminate all modes of cooperation with the Nato forces. The latter seems a better option to any sane mind, for this alliance has given us no benefits. Terminating all supply lines of Nato permanently will deal a huge blow to the success of their operation in Afghanistan. The only supply route left to them would be through Turkmenistan. This would increase the financial cost of their war by tenfold.

There's still one more point to consider in this situation and that is the role of the educated youth of Pakistan. It's sad to see how dormant a nation we have become. How apathy has take complete hold over us. We sit in cafes and restaurants discussing and gossiping over political matters but stop for a moment, and consider, what was the last thing that we did for the well being of our nation? It's time that we take inspiration from the men of Egypt, from the women of Tunisia and from the children of Libya. It's time that we actually go out there and make a worthwhile difference. The best way to that is to promote awareness among our uneducated masses, to tell them what is best for our country and what is not.

I know I have been blabbering on for too long now but all I want to say is that we have been slaves to one superpower after another for too long now. First, it was the British colonial power and now the nuclear armed US. The time has come for us to show them their actual worth. It's time now for us to tell them that we'll do 'NO more, no more and no more'. 

Slaves or Masters!!

By

Syed Ali Mehdi

"It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves."

Four centuries ago when William Shakespeare wrote these famous words in his play Julius Caesar, the audience stood perplexed, astonished and puzzled, puzzled by the  complexity of the claim before them. Four centuries later, man has reached the moon, man has understood the gene but man is once again as puzzled by this very basic question, as perplexed and lost as it ever was. Are we slaves of fate or masters of destiny? Is fate a long road already set out, unconquerable, immovable? Or is it a work of art, a sculpture waiting to be designed, nurtured and molded by the mighty hands of Man?

Even the most fanatic supporters of fate accept that Man has at least, an illusion of free will, that he can move his arms as he wishes or close his eyes when he likes, but where the question arises is, we have all, at one time or another found ourselves faced by consequences that we didn’t desire, results that seem, not to be our own, the question is “How to explain this”? Some claim this can only be explained by a supernatural force that we like to refer as “Fate”, however there is a simpler explanation, one that doesn’t involve divine scriptures written by virgins of the lord Apollo and hence forth told by his son the Taurus and Libra.

Our world today is complex and interconnected. It is hard to realize where the ripples of our actions would be felt and each decision out of free will that we make effects someone, somewhere, somehow that we cannot feel or understand. This is inherently the answer to all those events that happen out of the blue. Our world is basically one giant ball of decisions and their consequences, not governed by any one force. All the events that we see, are basically the aftermath of those choices that we make.

Let us consider a very simple event that nobody wants, you were trying to cook food but it got burned. Now was this fate? Perhaps not, Actually what happened was that your friend texted you about a really good program that was airing on star world and you went to watch that program and so got distracted, coincidently right after that program you surfed the channels and what do you know, you found something interesting to watch. It was only after you smelled the stink did you realized that your food is actually burnt. So you see, it was actually choice after choice that burnt your food, rather than fate.

The most important point to understand is that, our will, our desire empowers any and all, decisions and choices made by others. If we, with the depth of our hearts set about to do something we can actually overcome all odds and that achievement would not be of fate, but our own. It is the determination of man and his resolve that has the ability to, shape fate, because fate itself is a non existent monster created by losers of this world, to justify their failures.

Consider the example that we used before, if you had enough determination and will to make your food properly you would have been able to divert off any distractions and would have made your food properly.

Fate is basically a cloth, weaved by our choices and our will, it is up to our actions and our decisions to decide how we want to design our fate. Those that leave it for fate to decide their destiny, have left their lives at the mercy of others decisions and that surely, cannot be good, so stop reading horoscopes and concentrate on making your life as good as possible.

See Me Now!!

By

Umair Ali

Lyrics


AYE DO YOU SEE ME NOW
AYE LIL MAMA DO YOU SEE ME NOW
AYE BABY GIRL DO YOU SEE ME NOW
I KNOW SHE USED TO COME AND ASK ME WHY THE SPEAKERS OUT
AYE DO YOU SEE ME NOW
AYE LIL MAMA DO YOU SEE ME NOW
AYE BABY GIRL DO YOU SEE ME NOW
I KNOW SHE USED TO COME AND ASK ME WHY THE SPEAKERS OUT

im looking in the same mirror tryna work up all the questions
am i the same kid ? used to wish up for a blessing
im wondering . what i did in life to get this wonderland
is god watching u can letem know that he the mann
cuz what he did i can never forget daug
at time you gota live just to know what is
im living now back then i was wishing man
some crazy intuitions cameta life now u listen damn
not the best baller but i got some dreams on me
no im not new york but i got these queens on me
they play this game tight never used to let em though
cuz all they ever do is stick up like pedicles
few steps ahead ov them im living great enough
although alotta people think im fulla shitty stuff
but they dont get it though for them im just another cat
tryna write the same shit chiks money cadallac
ima way ahead ov that , painting my hieroglyphs
these beechs still reading pafian tips and twilight
you need to get your shit right for you to see a better sight stand tight
this is my life im tryna live it to the fullest man
dispite of the critics ,and hoes who can shook a man
and make em what a brother cant .
so i dodge all ov that and strectch tall like a rubber band
yes im da rubberman my game is fantastiic
i make these bitches recosider practice
how about stretchin first fore you hit the court
man i was brushing up my teeth while these people snore
now im old comparing life to what my grand father told me once
he said you play your part and watch the glory come
so i just write day and night trying ta get it right
hoping when i get a chance ill fire up the podium
how you gon slow me then im goin fast bolt usain
with no wind there to hold me in so im just flying out
i got my wings spreaded no flight lessen
still they come and asking how i did it


AYE DO YOU SEE ME NOW
AYE LIL MAMA DO YOU SEE ME NOW
AYE BABY GIRL DO YOU SEE ME NOW
I KNOW SHE USED TO COME AND ASK ME WHY THE SPEAKERS OUT
AYE DO YOU SEE ME NOW
AYE LIL MAMA DO YOU SEE ME NOW
AYE BABY GIRL DO YOU SEE ME NOW
I KNOW SHE USED TO COME AND ASK ME WHY THE SPEAKERS OUT

Boredom surrounds me!!

By

Ali Asghar Makati.

This comes from a science student who finds it a little hard to concentrate during the class. Hope we share similar experiences here: 
Everything seems so unfathomable,
everything seems so far-fetched.
It seems as if there's a language barrier 
or someone else stuck in my head.

I try, i promise to pay attention, 
but then again there is this fantasy land.. 
Where i rule and am cool, 
and everything just respects my existence.

The euphoria attached to it, tempts me away from the inexcusable scratches on the board.
i tend to enjoy every bit of it while my teacher make others bore.
My soul sparks as if to tell that i am on the down, 
but then i look around to see my friends day-dreaming all around.

I throw a glance towards my notes to regain some attention,
the scribbles dancing on the page have none of that attraction.

I pause, i sigh, i lift my head to see the rejunvinated faces at bay,
the next second i realize another class has gone astray. 
I remind myself of another loss to which I'll have to pay,
my soul- it answers back to me- at least you realised the wrongful way.

I hope i find a remedy to this woeful sin i do, 
before i leave it much too late for anything to do.

A bear in a tree!

ByUmmulkiraam Siraj

Several years ago at dusk, just outside of Norfolk, Nebraska, someone spotted a black bear in a tree. Word quickly spread around the little town and many of the citizens gathered to see him. The local veterinarian provided a dart gun loaded with drugs to sedate him. Concerns were raised that the bear might fall out of the tree and injure himself, so quickly the fire department was called and their net was put in place to catch him.

A bonfire was built and all night long they tried to get that bear out of the tree. It seemed he was oblivious to the crowd and apparently the drugs were having no effect on him because no bear came tumbling down from the tree.

Then came the dawn and they could more clearly see that “bear” in the tree. The bear turned out to be a black plastic bag, filled with garbage. No one as yet has figured out how that garbage bag got to the top of the tree.

Unfortunately, many people live with a “bear up their tree” and allow it to impact their lives harmful way. When they learn the truth they discover the “bear” is negative garbage that has been dumped in their mind over a period of time by various types of magazines, television, and friends, as well as the general public. The good news is that, regardless of their age, a person can get that “bear” out of their tree by bringing it to light of the day. Simply by reversing the process and putting good, clean, pure, powerful and positive information into their mind, a person can bury that “old garbage.” A number of people who follow that procedure and change their attitude have dramatically improved their lives. You can do the same. :-) 

Looking Away!!

By
Syed Fares Ather.

A silent scream rings in your ears
From their eyes flow, the bleeding tears
Their helpless souls seeking out a friend
Unable to notice; so slickly you pretend!

Common Mental Disorders at High School

                                                         By Abeer Jawed

Today, rather tonight, 2:59 AM, high on Panadol CF, I have settled to blab a bit about mental disorders prevalent in most high schools nowadays. Everyone has, at one point in their life, diagnosed or has been diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Be it about a sparkly vampire-fairy (sorry fans, Edward Cullen just killed the concept of vampires) or die-hard fandom of Arsenal/ Manchester United/ Real Madrid/ F.C. Barca,   it’s a mental disorder alright! Also frequent due to constant parental/elder sibling orders to either eat less ('OY GUMDROP! are those your arms or are they balloons?' or the ever subtle 'Your stomach is the best pillow around') or to eat more (followed by an hour long renting session of motherly woes and how you have wasted their efforts and become weight conscious with you almost wetting your pants to prevent yourself from screaming, “OH FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, I am not dieting! I just want you to get the hint that I want to eat Bovi Chic” because u really don’t want the 2 hour lecture on healthy food that comes after) is the prevailing trend of apathy. Patients when asked about anything from 'Hey, how was your day?' to even 'OMG u watched Saw 7, HOW WAS IT?' always give a monosyllabic reply most common of which is ‘meh’. Oh interesting fact, there's an actor whose name is actually Alex Bleh! How awesome is that? This brings us to ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). The main symptoms of this disorder are a lack of attention and too much activity or excessive daydreaming. Sound relatable? I thought so too. There’s no point denying that all of us have the Bipolar disorder too. One moment you’re soaring the skies like you’re on a psychedelic drug and the other you’re so surly you could bite someone’s head off. Now if you really can confidently say that you don’t have any of this, I salute you. You will develop all of this in University any way. Hah! Loser.

(This is all for humour purposes only. I do not mean to make fun of people who actually have this stuff, because that’s really serious, I swear)

Pictures 1.0

By

Osama Khalil

Awesome photography, really artistic. Keep it up

Life with a Medical student!!

By

Abeer Jawed

Where do I start? Hmm.. How about I have an actual skull in my room. Of an actual person. A real person. A dead real person. (pun Intended). That's right, in two pieces. And it's been there since forever now.Before it used to be a sort of decoration piece. Here's a picture of it with my 16th birthday cake.

i know right. DELICIOUS CAKE.

Now though, its been denoted. Its more of a lost n found box now. I swear that's where I found my keys last week.

So that's where my necklace went.

 This is nothing really. She used to sleep with the humerus bone by her side. (snicker) Talking about humor, she has none. No actually she has a very *medical* sense of humor. Its annoying. No seriously. If i didnt delete all of the forwarded messages of Medical jokes as soon as i got them, I would write one here. But no, You are safe. Also, you are welcome.

And that isnt the only mental torture I have to go through. True to her doctor self, my cousin has unreadable handwriting. So I ended up making her Forensic and Jurisprudence journal in her third year. And let me tell you, it was NOT pretty. Scary Bloody pictures of people with huge stabs and wounds and acid thrown all over them with their whole faces poofed up and grisly. A new vitriolage victim to star in my dream each night. The other day I was doing her jurisprudence work and so now I know how to identify bodies that have been blasted into smithereens and do not have even a finger left.

The only plus point I found in doing her work was Toxicology. I know now that Croton Oil is the best homicidal poison. Its odourless, tasteless and a small amount would do the job in like 3 hours. (Don't test me i did this work in Feb). So you really dont wanna aggravate me, I can easily slip some in your apple juice.
On the other hand, the love of my life has been exposed to be lethal. That's right copper sulphate can kill you. I took this picture, along with countless others in my Chem Lab. All those times.. *sob*

How could u!?

 It doesn't help that whenever I zone out and come back or enter the room, she's always uttering words like 'bloody diarrhea' or the cranial nerve mnemonic. (Okay no, she doesn't chant that but she told me about it, WHOEVER MADE THAT WAS A HUGE PERV)

Being a room mate entails some responsibility to clean up and not finish all the water in the bottle. Being a medical student's room mate, specially one who's a neat freak and goes all Brain eating zombie if i finish the water, Boy do i have a huge list of responsibilities. Top of the list: Be her subject.

She has scratched me, to show me what exactly an abrasion is. She has poked my arms and legs in revising her knowledge of the bones and muscles. She has taken hold of my ear and pulled it around, even put a finger inside. She has pulled my nose up and examined it to her heart's desire. She has made me put my tongue out with my mouth open wide and pinched me so that i screamed 'AAAA'. She has prodded my neck, which was quite ticklish, asked if it hurt and at the end exclaimed 'Haan, shayad yehi kerna hota hai'. (Third year, ENT ward) She has also checked my bowel sounds with her stethoscope.

Pink i know. It even has her name on it. SHOWOFF.

 Which brings us to number two on the list. (on the list.): Bearing with her freakiness. If she's not buried in some huge book written by Shruti, PL and Deeksha Dhingra (Im not kidding I swear those are real authors) then she's probably curled up with her steth like a little obsessive weirdo listening to her own bowel sounds. Once she had diarrhea and was fascinated by the sounds coming out of her stomach. She was quite sad when I didn't hear them. Naturally, she also listens to her heart beat, which makes her delusional coz now she experiences palpitations all the time. Also we have books everywhere.

yes there is a book on top of them too.

Books in the closet, how normal

Leading to the third: Dealing with the 'Medical Student Syndrome'. In this syndrome, each and every disease the patient comes across, he believes that he has them. I quote my cousin. Last week she suspected that she had aduction hyperflex. On Sunday it was insomnia. Monday she had narcolepsy. Tuesday she felt palipitations. Wednesday she felt .tachycardia. Last night it was left sided myalgea. So my job is to convince her that she has none of this. Im proud to say that I have really good powers of convincing. Oh yeah.

 Fourth is not minding disturbance of sleep. Usually she wakes up at three in the night and studies. So at these occasions I have several times been awaken to a creepy sensation of being stared at. When I questioned her sanity she told me I have a hot clavicle. On other occasions she needs to perform some sort of examination on me. Once it was a pupil dilation test. Another time it was a respiratory check up so I had to repeatedly say 'TEEN, TEEN, TEEN' as she moved the stethoscope over my back. I swear Im really glad no one comes to check up on us in our room. Else they'd be really disturbed. I've also been told the correct method of gastric lavage in my sleep. and now I really wanna study like this coz i remember it word to word. So if anyone gets poisoned. Come to me. Seriously.

The Fifth one is having her kill all my jokes. For a Med Student she is extremely brilliant (Masha'Allah) with the crazy nerd-freak drive to get a position each year. But when it comes to jokes. She's a frigging blondie. You wanna curl up and die in the time that goes by after the punchline and before her laugh. Also she sometimes tries to be scientific about stuff. For example:

SO FLLUUFFAAAY

She saw this. Loved it. And uses this lines with variations everyday like 'it's so funny/yummy' etcetera etcetera. But once, when she was in this really bad mood. She said, "I don't think you die if u find something fluffy" How could u atta, How could you?

The advantage of living with a med student? I can swear at people without them knowing. Seriously. I can go up to a person and tell them they had a HUGE gluteus maximus but they wouldnt know what im talking about. Oh and lets not even go there. That whole region. yeah if u piss me off, I'll describe you using all the names of the stuff found in that region. In scientific terms. Hah.

Also you can show off the fact that you know what the anatomical snuffbox is and that the bizelic vein goes through it or something. Pretty neat, no? Lemme be an optimist while it lasts.

Merged Dreams!!

By

Abeer Jawed

Off axis, Rotating away                                                                                                                 
Meanings lost, Memory blank                                                                                                                     
Right or Left? North or South?                                                                       

Cautious steps.. Withdrawal Symptoms?                                                               

Faded colors, Dimmed Light                                                              

Walls Up, Thorns Out                                                                     

Fastened Thuds, Dampened Air                                                                                   

Unwanted Fresh page.. Flashbacks,Headlights                                                                                      

Glistening Eyes, Mysteriously Smile                                                

A beat, frantic, A moment lost?                                                 

One word. Vibrating, changing it all                                                                   

False hope, Salt on Wounds                                                       

Eyes open, Pain Start                                                               

Hands Heavenwards...

What can the youth of Pakistan do today?

By
Nuzair Zia

Today’s world is the world of the powerful, the people who own the means of production. In simpler words, the people who possess the industries, businesses and have strong “contacts” control the functioning of all affairs. This is not something unpredicted or unusual, this was identified by the great German philosopher and socialist Karl Marx way back in the 19^th century. This is the perfect depiction of the superbly amazing thinking and mindset contained by human beings bestowed upon us by God. Scientific research has proven numerous times that the newer or current generations are way more intelligent and broad minded than any generations preceding them which indicates that the youth has the ability to change the world “single-handedly” despite any barriers to progress. Ali Moeen Nawazish is a prime example who has made us proud by securing 21 A’s in his A levels!

All you see and hear the puzzled Pakistani youth questioning nowadays is the confused inquiry of what can they do to make the already most dismal conditions of the society better? When they do not get a substantial answer, guess what do they do? They indulge in heinous crimes such as tyre burning, violent protests, bus crashing, restaurants bursting, stealing and what not! They have no respect for religion, human rights or the values taught to them at home and at educational level.

“Rush of blood” and “excitingly enthusiastic” are two common phrases attached with the youth but do they justify it in the right manner is the million dollar question and the unfortunate answer is no. One of the most dominant and aggressive leaders the world has seen, Adolf Hitler said, “He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future.” This shows us the significance of this dynamic generation and the power that it possesses.

One of the ideological leaders of the youth we see today in our country is the very competent and charismatic, Imran Khan, who is obviously held in high esteem by almost every single person in the nation as he led the national cricket team to the victory in World cup 1992 out of nowhere. The ability to inspire is the most important ingredient to cook up a change as done by Imran Khan. The situation of Pakistan in the 1992 world cup is very similar to the youth of today. There was a particular match in that world cup where Pakistan was bowled out for 70 odd runs but rain interfered and we avoided a defeat against England, however, we were easily able to defeat them in the final. This is a similar chance we have currently to fight back and the same man is again in the front to guide us to victory.

Jinnah said, “Pakistan is proud of her youth, particularly the students, who are nation builders of tomorrow. They must fully equip themselves by discipline, education, and training for the arduous task lying ahead of them.” The father of the nation always stressed upon the view that the youth of Pakistan will be the key to the protection of its sovereignty and the progress of the nation. He is the best example of a true and spirited leader who led at that time; a very ordinary and illiterate population of Muslims to the most precious gift one can have i.e. FREEDOM. “Imagine a leader like Jinnah or Gandhi holding a gun and achieving what they had?” – Ms. Naheed Malbari

An area of concern are the social networking sites such as facebook, orkut etc where the youth is pretending and preparing to be hyper active and show resilience but it is a sign of laziness when you only discuss matters and do not take appropriate action. What difference do you see in our parliamentarians and the youth if you restrict yourself to discussions? Go out, there is a whole world out for you to explore and crack a change in the society.

The question to be answered here is HOW? Firstly, try to offer ‘Salat’ 5 times a day. It teaches you the values of being disciplined, punctual, calm and composed in your everyday affairs and gives you soul satisfaction. Well, a very easy example. On the night before Eid (chand raat), many youngsters opt to go to the barber for a haircut, face massage etc. The barber already charges the double rate for his labour and then you see them being paid 100-200 Rs. extra as tip! Similarly, restaurant spending is done excessively too. Moreover, brands are taking over this increasingly globalized world. The same jeans costing 500 in Zainub Market is costing 2000 in Levis or any other branded shop and the youth yet has the foolishness to pay for it. Is this the right way to spend? There are a lot of more needy and deserving people out there in the streets to whom you can contribute that money.

Donate a book to some poor children that you usually dispose off to the vendor for 10-15 Rs. Call up some non-affording and needy children to your home and teach them just twice a week for 2 hours for free or if you are very well off, you can maybe open up a coaching centre where you can accommodate around 50 or more poor children and SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE with them. Take some time off the weekend and volunteer at some charity institute or orphanage not with your money but using your mind and physical ability only. You will feel very good about yourself. Education is the power that can improve this country’s situation at the earliest. Last but not the least, please go out there and vote during the elections! More than half of the people do not vote during the elections especially the youth and then we say that the wrong leader is elected. You may be limited in choice of good leaders but atleast there will be appropriate representation of the people!

The youth of today is just exploring and taking up “job-orientated” subjects such as accounts, physics, chemistry, economics etc but not going for social sciences such as Sociology, Psychology, Arts, Archaeology, World History etc which are very important to study the society and at the same time are even more paying than the conventional subjects. This is something that the parents should realize too!

The fact that remains here is that it would not happen in an instant. The great Greek philosopher Aristotle said, “Youth is easily deceived because it is quick to hope.” Any change that occurs takes at least a time frame of 10 years to occur, it cannot start off immediately. It took Quaid-e-Azam, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, more than 20 years but finally, he did achieve independence.

Mahatma Gandhi very truly pointed out, “Be the change that you wish to see in this world”. The youth has the ability to inspire an Inquilab (change) but it would first have to change the way it thinks and be a part of your own struggle and fight instead of messing up in the brawls of everyone else. Try to be diplomatic instead of entering in false consciousness of being “super cool” and “smart”. 1 lion in front of 1000 sheep, they all become lions; 1 sheep in front of 1000 lions, they all become sheep. Try and become that lion, the world is yours and yours only.