Conformity to the Norms

Is it good or bad?

Limitations. Barriers. Obstacles. The inevitable products when one allows one self to become overwhelmed by the society and its regulations. Yes, there are laws to abide and rules to follow. A society will cease to exist when its members become disobedient of the laws and rules. However, the question that I raise is solely concerned with the existing norms.

What are norms? The conventions those are liable to social pressure in order to increase chances of conformity. Very few amongst us are able to see through this social pressure and answer the varied question of whether it is good or bad. The interesting phenomena about good and bad is that it has no one, reliable answer. The one thing which separates evil from goodness is the outcome we consider of the actions we take. Productivity and efficiency makes it good while hatred and lust makes it bad. Simple?

Rebelling against a norm we have little faith in is considerably close to igniting a revolution. We become isolated by those close to us as our actions are disregarded by others. Not many of us understand that our thoughts and beliefs cannot be confined within a cage. Our faith defines our thoughts and if one has lost any peculiar amount of faith in the existing norms then it leaves the person with two choices: Either they show no courage to stand up against the social pressure and accept the norms as part of their life which cannot be altered or they rebel and ignore the social pressure and define their own future rather than relying on something they no longer have faith in. Believe it or not, these latter people are the ones immortalized in history no matter how many stones were thrown at them during their lifetime.

Many of us talk about leaving a mark in the world. Most of us are afraid of oblivion. But all of us desire greatness in one way or another. In our early years, we believe success and virtue waits at our doorsteps. However, after stepping out of those naïve shoes and finding ourselves surrounded in the midst of complexities, we go back to our little cage with the belief that we are not destined to something great and can never rise above the average. We all strike and we all fail. Some of us who fail start pitying their own selves while a few strike harder the next time. It is a battle against the existing norms and the one who strikes the most times while others begin to settle down is the one to inculcate change.

It is not a rivalry between good and bad. It is rather about what the one who strikes the hardest sees as productive, and this is what the entire society eventually comes to accept. That person then rises to his greatness. Social pressure and the existing norms do not have the power to define our future but without courage and determination – they certainly do.

Pakistan - A crude dream

I speak of a nation. Across the realms of darkness of the Arabian Sea, there stretches 6774km of land dominated by a population which bleeds green. They bleed the blood of those individuals who failed to lose hope despite the existence of numerous calamities. They bleed the blood of those who strived with unparalleled determination for a dream whose very ideology raised skepticism. They bleed the blood of those who presented their heads as a token for future prosperity of this sacred land. They bleed the blood of those who believed in “Unity, Faith and Discipline” and never gave up…

Ladies and gentlemen, I speak of a nation called “Pakistan”. In the realms of darkness exists a luminous globe whose light has always filled the residents of this land with warmth. The intensity of this warmth is such that it gives rise to the powerful of all human emotions and that my dear fellows, is HOPE.

Presently, they say that dark ages have struck this nation as a young man leaves his home knowing that this might be the last glimpse of his family, a woman has to face obstacles on her way to establishing herself in light of education, children are immune to the flashes of people dying around them as the clock ticks by, poverty continues to grow and security of life has eluded away, the economic and political conditions grow unstable and in fact every day is a challenge to beat the odds. However this nation – this beautiful nation – refuses to erode away. My question is, WHY?

My dear people, a self-apprehended answer arises from someone who is a part of this distinguished community. It is a nation which holds on to a string of emotion and never allows for it to elope from its grasp and continues to mend the pieces of its broken yet unimaginably powerful comprehensions. The nation which shall continue its fight with infinite valor based eminently on the fore steps of its ancestors is a nation which will step out of this aggressive jeopardy. This surge of HOPE is what halts it to step into the dark ages. As long as that is alive, Pakistan continues to bleed green. To tame hope in our hearts is perhaps to encounter the impossible.

 As long as the inhabitants of this country are alive, this nation is not weak. We are a nuclear power; we are the winners of the cricket world cup of 1992; we have the world’s largest privately owned ambulance charity service; we produced Dr. Abdus Salam – the noble prize winner; we produced Malala Yousafzai who became the voice against oppression; we produced Dr. Abdul Sattar Edhi who received the Lenin Peace Prize for his services to humanity; we have one of the best armed forces in the world; our students continue to set world records due to their academic achievements on an annual basis; we are one of the largest cotton producers and much, much more. So hear this dear people, we will continue to flourish and this nation shall not erode away as long as our hearts beat with hope and they cry “Unity, Faith and Discipline” no matter how harsh the times. We salute the flag which sways with the wind and our eyes shed tears of pride as we realize this flag is worth the battle of life and death. 

The threshold of Memories

“Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean, 
Tears from the depths of some devine despair
Rise in the heart, and gather to the eyes, 
In looking on the happy autumn fields, 
And thinking of the days that are no more.” 
― Alfred Tennyson

Amidst the reverberating pool of smoldering memories deep in my chest; I seek salvation and yearn to embed them in the sacred custody of their initiator. As I withhold anguish, agony rants in my veins and seeks its way towards liberty. As it is emancipated, the pool drops of agony afloat down my eyes and there is sudden despair and somehow - just somehow - tranquility.

It is a jubilant day and ecstasy pulls me on my feet as I stare in the mirror, and contemplate the day ahead of me. It is not only the day which will put a halt to the examinations, but also, my birthday. Rather than going through Biology notes, I skim through the birthday wishes I received so far. Excitement shudders within me and I look forth to seeing my friends, deep down I’m also preparing myself for the goodbyes.

There are echoes of laughter, anticipation in the atmosphere as we walk out of the hall. There is no mere discussion regarding our moments in there, instead we settle ourselves down under the soothing shade of a gigantic tree and start playing our game of ‘Truth and Dare’ and the eyes that surround us with their dagger gaze are solemnly ignored and go unnoticed. We are free-spirited. We are carefree. We are indestructible.

A delirious decision is taken, as all of us struggle to fit into a single car, for that last moment of strong infatuation towards a mutual place which gave us infinite strength. As we enter through the gates, nostalgia strongly shakes us, as our head explodes with the remembrance of those days. Instantaneously, I cannot find my friends around me. The string of confusion leads me towards our class room as I’m still absorbed in my thoughts. I open the door and there everyone stands shouting, “Surprise!” as their faces glow with radiant smiles and teeth glisten brightly. Immersed in the outburst of exultation, I balance myself and walk towards my cake. Surrounded by the people I adore and amidst the pool of memories we made, I cut the cake delicately but within a moment, there begins an unforgettable expedition of pieces of cake being blown with the wind and soon, we find  ourselves covered from head to toe with nothing other than the scrumptious cake. We laugh, we romp and we sob…

These days refuse to fade away as I grow weary with their solemn existence and struggle for them to shatter as they bring upon me a curtain of sinking agony which raves and rouses in my chest and blames their initiator. They live within me and breathe the air they inhale

from my actuality. These are not memories at all; they define my present as they still echo inside me with similar vibrance as they once did.  However, in the end, there always exists relief as they circulate through my blood and then, they bring about a course of tranquility while the agony continues to dwell vehemently.

THE TAMED MONSTER

BY WARDA MALIK

The infinite surge of emotion that overtakes and blinds us to the needs of others is the ‘selfishness’ which refuses to be tamed and continues to rouse inside of us. To tame this heinous monster is, indeed, the greatest skill a man can master.

I entered Kingston with no strong motive and dreams and was one of those numerous individuals who lived, because life had to be lived. As my experiences molded into desires that overtook me and I felt the need to achieve and strive for a certain aspect I had firm belief in; it would not be wrong to say that it was the small world confined within the walls of Kingston School that helped me discover my conscience to a much more extent.

The example I quote here is of this young man who studied here and happened to be mentally challenged. Sat on a chair outside, he came and took a place next to myself. I became rather perplexed but he had this smile on his face. A smile I have never been able to forget. It was a smile which hid agony, abandonment and despair but his teeth continued to glisten and his lips twirled – as the world saw it. Soon, I became engaged into conversations with him and he told me of his diary where he wrote down his feelings. I wanted to view the world through the eyes of a person who had certain disabilities, a person who saw anguish in what others were able to do while he remained silent and immobile. However, he refused to let me touch his world by viewing his diary. With the passage of time, I gained his trust and he finally decided to unveil his dreams.

Due to his history still remaining a secret embedded in my heart, I refuse to reveal it. However, he had dreams which many of us – despite being physically and mentally fit – have never had the courage to even suppose. He wished to travel around the globe and spent hours striving to turn his dream into reality. His determination overwhelmed me and it was his commitment to the past which gave him the valor to persevere. Surrounded in his unconditional love to the past, he continued to give to the community and spread his knowledge on travel. He gave to the community which had always betrayed him. Always.

Somehow, he was able to make me realize that all of us have an egotistical and selfish side to our nature which must be held tame. This is what I saw happening in front of my eyes at Kingston school for Inclusive education. The generous side to humanity was brought to the exterior and the other was held dormant.