...these silver lines, travel from my thoughts to yours, wavering, floating like spirits dancing...


Friday, November 30, 2012

The unsung heroes


Often in life, when we feel as if we are completely alone – we are in fact surrounded and protected by our guardian angels. They are the unsung heroes – ferocious in their protectiveness and loyal in their love. They are our friends – true and eternal. They are our inner voices – the ones who guide us, but whom we often choose to ignore. They fight with our inner demons – they calm us down after a storm, they placate us, bring us down to earth, reason with us and soothe our fears. They are our biggest supporters, our biggest fighters, our constant friends and companions.

When you realize the cunningness and ugliness of the world, and when you see someone who is the opposite of everything the world wants you to become; when you see their beauty and humanity, you know you never want to become anything – except like that person – they are your hope, a shining beacon of light, a respite from the darkness within and around you.

The unsung heroes may be unsung by the world, but you must remember them. They must remain alive and constant in your heart. Never forget that there is another way. Never do anything that does not involve passion. Never give up. Never stop believing in yourself. Never give up dreaming big. Never stop loving. Never stop living.

We are here on earth for a short period of time. Never should you lose hope. Remember the unsung heroes and keep their lessons alive in your heart and mind. You should make your stay on earth as pleasurable for others and for yourself as much as you possibly can. 

An odd wish list


It is said that people can be read by their faces-
If so, then you know
I’m loud and crazy and a little bit kind
My life’s been a journey – of travels and colours,
And photos and books and lots and lots of cartoons.

I wanted to be a relic hunter,
a poet, a writer, a swimmer, a teacher
the fastest horseback rider.

I wanted to be a lawyer, a fighter,
a singer, a dancer,
the world’s best baker.

I wanted to be a hairdresser,
a painter, a doctor,
a museum curator.

I wanted to be a slim figure-skater,
a librarian, a hunter,
the biggest stamp and coin collector.

I wanted to be a crime scene investigator,
a spy, an actor,
the most cold blooded vampire.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Perhaps we are too quick to judge. Too quick to judge people, situations, events, life in general. We make our own assumptions and draw our conclusions based on what we observe, what we learn and our experiences. That is not necessarily a bad thing, except that sometimes, our own judgement may turn out to be false. For we conclude and synthesize with limited perception into the reality of the situation. There are many layers upon layers of material that need to be studied in detail, if we are ever to reach the truth. And those layers have to be carefully peeled off to get to the crux of the matter. It is often not easy, and often tedious, and indeed, perhaps the reason why people tire of this process, and make judgement quickly, without going through the whole process mentioned before. That is an error we all make. That is both dangerous and detrimental to our learning and growing as human beings, as free thinking individuals living in a society with diversity, cultural richness, and history.

It makes me sad to think of so many people we might never meet in our life, or never fully understand or appreciate the ones we do, just because of our prejudices and poor judgement. The moments when we could've come across beautiful people and shared wonderful stories and made true connections with them. Truly enlightening moments that could've changed our lives, only if we had let ourselves the opportunity to go forward and grab them, and not be scared, but grasp that moment with both hands and hang on to it as if your life depended on it.

Imagine yourself sitting in a bus that is moving across at a steady pace to your destination, and you are sitting across people who are going to their own destinations. And for the briefest moment, you are sharing eachother's paths to your respective destinations. The people in the bus are just like you; travelers on a journey, who get hurt just like you, who live and breath just like you do, who believe and trust and have faith in things, just like you do, who have trouble sleeping at night because of the monsters inside their head, just like you do, who love and are special in their own way and who are waiting for a moment to brighten up their lives, just like you do... and in those few moments that you are in the bus with them, your journey is intertwined with them. Whatever happens to them, happens to you. Whatever they feel, you feel too. I find it pleasantly amusing how such complete strangers can be so like one another. And who knows, you might discover a great treasure in your shared journey.

Similarly, life is also like a bus journey, only we get to choose our fellow passengers. But the question is, do we give everyone the equal opportunity to be our companions. Or do we let our prejudice and poor judgement get in the way? Are we ready to embrace life with an open heart and an even more open mind? Take a leap of faith and grab fate's hands? Make your own destiny and shed any fear you might have? That kind of confidence is not easy to build and certainly takes a brave person to take that bold step and dance with eyes that are wide shut...

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Isn't it enough that we set ourselves in tight little boxes, constraining our own selves, stopping us from moving forward, from growing, from thinking, from being, from simply existing, that we allow others to control us as well? How often do you allow yourself to be at the mercy of someone else's dictate, follow someone else's rules, be the shiny, new carbon copy of somebody else's idea of life, thrust on you? Isn't it pathetic that people allow themselves to be controlled this way by others?

What I find amazing, is that in this day and age, women are finding it absolutely a given fact, that they have to follow someone else's rules and principles. What's even more shocking is that they make no effort to change the way they live their lives, except by the dictates of someone else. This is not a sexist ramble mutilating the male sex, nor even a tirade on the miserable condition women set themselves in, but rather a personal insight into matters that strictly need to be addressed more seriously by everyone, the men and the women, equally.

What is completely warped about this whole situation is, that women don't understand what their freedom means. Their fear of, I don't know, standing up for themselves, maybe? lets them think that even thinking about such an idea would be taboo. But my question is, if a bird lived in constant fear of flying, would it ever learn to fly? Or would it ever feel the wonder of the open sky or feel the wind beneath its wings? The idea of protection and saving 'honour' in Pakistani society has become synonymous with male domination and I'm continually being forced to reinforce the idea of an innate need to control women within men. In a largely patriarchal society such as ours, matters are not helping, if anything, things are worsening. If so called, educated, bright minds can continue to treat their daughters, sisters, wives, etc. this way, it leaves little to the imagination how the rest would be faring.

I think people really need to wake up and smell the coffee, because it is not just about elders controlling their young, or the men protecting the 'honour' of their women, it is about basic human rights. If you're allowing yourself to become a puppet and let someone hold the strings, then it is your fault, entirely! and what's more, you don't know what you're missing. You're allowing yourself to fall into a habit, into an endless dark tunnel with no light at the end. And men need to stop worrying and being so controlling, and especially stop abusing the rights of others around them-the fundamental right of choosing for oneself what one wishes. Stop dreaming and start living!