World Affairs And Beyond

The Jung Media Group - recently came up with a new adventure, The power 50, News Women. People were asked to nominate women who have made some difference through their work in the lives of others in Pakistan. I came to know about it only two days ago, when a friend of mine sent me a link of the page where he nominated me. Being a bit shy, I do not prefer being put on display for people to click on the vote button and judge me, so I requested my friends not to tag me in those posts. For fun, some of them did cast their votes for me.  Now looking at the number of votes received by the women who actually made a lot of difference through their work and contributed in a positive way to making Pakistan a better place, and the world at large, I was greatly disappointed and felt like The News Media probably should have used a better method to pay a tribute to these women. I came across Haseena Moin's page and found only twelve votes, similarly the twenty-seven year old Air Force F...

A blog seemed to have somehow added itself to my list of blogs, and I would get updates from there in my feed, but the blog would not appear in the list of blogs I was following, for me to unfollow it. I looked for help over the web, but everyone had the usual tips and they did not help. I visited the blog, and it seemed to have only three to four posts, beginning in January this year. It was viewed more than eight thousand times, and did not show any followers. I found a profile leading to google circles. It had no friends and was probably designed by someone for mysterious reasons. All I wanted was to unfollow the blog, so I did not have to see the updates in my feed. I blocked the google account of the owner of that blog, and guess what? I stopped getting the unwanted updates on my blog too. I hope it stays that way. For all those unwanted blogs that you want to unfollow, and they do not show in "Manage Blogs I'm Following" , yet, appear in your blog feed; go...

There are so many things that I have yet to learn. Things that I never could learn. Things that I am not sure I will be able to learn. Things that are a part of being human, as they say.   I have to learn that every battle is not my battle and that my happiness does not necessarily make everyone else happy. I have to learn that I suffer alone, and that others do not necessarily suffer with me. I have to learn that I do not have to suffer with and for others all the time. I have to learn that I can eat my ice cream, without feeling guilty about it, when many others cannot eat ice cream. I have to learn that I am a human. I have to learn that being an ordinary human being, I have the right to be happy too. I have to learn all those things that humans do. I have to learn not to be afraid of smiling when I feel like it. I have to learn not to feel pain when I see it. I have to learn to forgive myself for not having the power to cure what ever ills I find. I have to learn that ot...

If you look closely, you will find two kinds of people around you. One is the kind, that will support you, in what ever good you do, that benefits you, without anything in return. They are "leaders of leaders". They will show you the path, and only you will know who they are. When you shine, only you will know who contributed toward making that happen. Their mere presence is an encouragement for you. Then, there are people, who will think of you to be competition. They will misguide you and will try their best to keep you from shining your light. If they, by any chance, guide you, or contribute toward your success, they will make sure everyone knows it was because of them. It may not always be easy to identify such people. They are ordinary, and they may lead the herd, but their insecurities do not allow them to lead the leaders. In the moral hierarchy of humans, they are way down below the "leaders of leaders." 

When we help people, it not us helping them. It is God choosing us to help them. It is God helping them through us. I have seen and heard some people be extremely proud of helping others, as if they were gods  and rubbing it in the face of others. Taking credit for being put in a position of being able to help others, is unfair. It is all by the design of destiny that we are able to help those in need. Everything in nature is math. We are like programmed bots. Each one of us, have destinies that make us do what we do. We do have free will, which can make us deviate from the path, good or bad, chosen for us by default, but we ultimately end up doing what we are destined to do. Nobody can be helped, unless God wants them to be helped. We cannot help anyone, unless God gives us the power to do so. Think of the many things that we want to do, but are unable to do. Yes, we do not have the power to do many things. That power is granted by the One who created us. The will to help others,...

I have believed people to have hearts of Gold. I have believed people to be selfless and giving. I have believed people to be beyond human. I have seen good people walk this planet. It happens that only one out of a hundred people turn out to be the opposite of all what is good. I still believe there are more good people in the world than there are bad.

For days I have been trying to gather the courage to write a few words about the Army Public School (APS) Peshawar attack, but the tragedy was so enormous that it had paralyzed my brain. Today, I will write a few words about one of the boys' (a 10th grade student) who was martyred in the attack. " Rafiq ". Rafiq, the most beautiful bright young boy I had ever met. The son of one of my dear colleagues' and brother. I met Rafiq for the first time when he was in 7th grade. I was in my room in office, working on some reports, when I heard a sweet and soft voice outside my room. I thought it was one of the ladies from the field offices. (Something that we used to tease Rafiq about, later.) I went outside and saw a very sweet little boy in my office. He would visit his dad after school, almost everyday, before leaving for home. Another of my colleagues' was teaching him math. The day he passed his exams with flying colors, I remember it being celebrated in office...