25 and indifferent!

Today is my birthday and I have turned 25. I have become more indifferent and blind to what’s happening around me. I am comfortable in my cozy bed knowing I am safe. All these killings and violence are just numbers. I don’t watch TV because I don’t want to get upset. The most disturbed I get is when my breakfast is not served on time. The most tense I get is when I am waiting for my visa for the vacation in Paris. I don’t read newspaper because there is chance the news would ruin my mood. The most I do is copying a Facebook status which says “I strongly condemn sectarian killings”. Something that means to me is wearing tags. I would attend 2 parties every month on an average where as a social welfare I would ask people to pray for Pakistan.

I wasn’t like this. I used to go light the candle in hope for Pakistan. Is Pakistan taking its revenge for what I have done to it? I was actually planning on voting this year. I had finally realized that I have no right to comment on the politics in Pakistan if I am not part of the election. But that’s the most I have decided to do for Pakistan. Although it’s my right but I would really be doing this country a favor. After all, what has this country done for me? Given me identity? I don’t want this identity for which I have to be checked in detail at the airports and be called names by the self-secure whites. I haven’t done anything to deserve this. But have I done anything to rectify what our past generations have done to this country? Should I? Can I? All I can do is take my aggression out using the social media, sitting in front lawn, sipping coffee.

Where do people like Aisam-ul-Haq, Arfa Karim, Jansher Khan, Shahid Afridi, Imran Khan, Omer Nawazish, Dr. Abussalam come from? These people tried. There are many more, less famous people and groups who are doing constructive work like The Responsible Citizen (Zimedar Shehri), The Message Welfare Trust (Street Art Competition), who try. I like most try and criticize the politicians and hope that a better political party will be elected for the next term which will fix everything in this country without me having to change or move out of my comfort zone. I know everything about what an elected official should do but I know nothing about what a citizen is supposed to do. For a citizen it is okay to bribe the traffic warden but for a government official it is corrupt to take kickbacks to do routine work. For a citizen it is okay to ask a reference to land a job but for an elected official it is a sin to appoint a reference. This makes me think, if these citizen were given a chance to run the country, would our country be any different?

I can do more than talking big on facebook. I can commit to myself to abide by traffic laws, if I fail to do so I will pay the fine. I will throw the trash in dustbins and not the canal. I will not cheat in my tests; I will fail with integrity if I have not studied. I will try to make donations/ volunteer to help people run social welfare projects which help the society. I will try not to be indifferent.