I am constantly irked by the state of the country.
Hi, Constantly-irked-by-the-whatever, I am the general apathy practiced by all your peers and socio-political influencers. (If this terrible dad joke was the straw that broke your back, I don’t blame you one bit.)
What is a young person in this dystopian nightmare to do except be nihilistic on main? We are merely an audience in our own lives where the late stages of capitalism and the crucial stages of climate change control every single one of our decisions. Acceptance has become a game of hide and seek where different layers of our personality seek solace in acceptance from different groups of people.
Sarcasm and snark, while extremely hilarious, has become the only trademark of the nation whose national language was the epitome of subtlety and grace. And no, I don’t blame the youngsters and their phones. I blame everyone who says words with the intention to wound. I blame the lip snarl and eyebrow raise. I blame the sniff of disdain and the taunts that cut way deeper than any blade could.
Career, education, residence, marriage, health, fashion, religion, hobbies, sexuality, friendships, dietary habits, and what not; everything is fair game in the open season for each other’s feelings. The resounding “I didn’t mean it like that” and “you are too sensitive” is just the recoil of a gun that wounds fatally, no matter who the victim. Why can’t people just be aggressive and clear instead of passively being vicious? Condemn, Snub, Berate, but for heaven’s sake, Take a stand!
Yes, we hope the people around us condemn the rapists, harassers, abusers, and morally corrupt fiends just like they condemn Chotey Chachu, Bari Mami, and Dour key rishteydaar for snubbing them at a Valima or ignoring them at a funeral. We hope our parents rise up from the “100% Yada’s child Nada got in Blah” and celebrate our accomplishments and personal achievement by heart. We wish for personal satisfaction as the life goal rather than achieving a socially acceptable romantic ideal.
Magar abhi Delhi dour hai merey dost!
This Monday, as we wake up to our boring jobs and thankless peers; let’s remind ourselves why we do what we do. If there is no reason to do what you hate, don’t do it! I won’t say do what you love. I will only say do what you have to. Do what you have to, to survive, to live, to thrive, to make it to a point where you won’t have to do it anymore.
Let’s be nicer to ourselves. Let’s be nicer to others. Let’s be nicer to our planet. We, too, are Pakistani. Let’s put out the fires around us first. Happy Monday folks!
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