A common predictable story

Shy by nature , it had been extremely difficult for Alex to adapt to the new city, the new environment and most importantly the new people. This year on his 16th birthday he would be all alone. The thought made him shudder. and then there was something that made him confused. He didn't know but as of late , he had been feeling really strange. He had lied to himself and everyone around all his life. But he couldn't lie any more. It seemed pointless to continue like this.
"Alex!" it was his dads voice "take more than 5 minutes to come down and you are going to have to sleep without having anything to eat, tonight" he threatened. Alex knew nothing of the sort was going to happen, because it had never happened before. After all there were some benefits of being the only child. But he did come to have dinner with his dad. He wanted to tell him something. and tell something he did

"Dad!" He looked into his eyes. "There is something you should know. and I don't know if there is an easy way to say that , but........." he mustered the strength to say it " I have to tell you, I am straight"

Everything stood still, on Alexs watch , time froze for nearly an eternity. He had said it. and no he didn't feel any better after having said that. It felt the same, a bit worse maybe but certainly not better. He simultaneously hoped for and against that someone would somehow interrupt them. Maybe a call, a door bell, or something. He knew his dad would be devastated to hear that. He was right. And then the eternity ended

"but how can that be ...............I mean ..................."

"I have been like that all of my life. First I thought I never could tell you but I cant continue like this forever. I do really like women"

He knew it would not be able for his dad to take it easily. He gave his dad some time for the news to sink in. But he wondered how would he be able to answers questions like

"but it doesnt make any sense. It cant be. I mean I really think I should take you to a doctor. You should have told me earlier. " His had risen from his seat and was glaring at him, His voice had adopted that charactetistic low scale it did whenever he was mad at something..

"Its not a disease dad. I am fine. I do need help but not of this type. I just needed to tell you. I hope you can understand me. But I just cant live my life like this. I cant help it. I just cant". He said that and ran to his room.

Day 2

He found himself sitting with his dad again. His dad told him he had thought about it and concluded something for him.

"Look son! I don't know what you were thinking telling me that. and even if you are thinking that, its not going to happen. I suggest you stay mum about this. You are going to marry the son of Mr Whatever, and nothing can change that. Its the way things have always been, and will always be.

"But........."

"There is nothing left to say"



Day 3

Alex went on to live the life his dad had chosen for him. Sometimes getting lucky and cheating on Mr Whatevers son whenever he could. He just had to. and he continued to live like this forever. and he thought how different his life would have been had he lived it the way he wanted to. He assumed a pseudonym and promised to tell the world what had transpired. He wanted to ask people who would they feel , it the roles were reversed. If being straight was a norm and being gay an abomination. Some people got his message and some didnt.

A course of Comparative Religion, WHAAAAT?

http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/201309192126-0023058



So today in the headlines is this news report(link attached) that the Lahore Grammar School, Lahore, Pakistan has introduced a new course for students called "Comparative religion studies"

Head office: Thousands rallied and protested against the decision of Lahore Grammar School in Lahore, Pakistan to introduce a new subject into the curriculum called "Comparative Religion Studies". Our correspondent Mr C is there to report.

Lahore, Pakistan ; MR C: As you can in the background, thousands have gathered to oppose the decision by the administration of the LGS on grounds for what they see is an elaborate plan by the worlds Jewish Lobby to get the young Muslims to start thinking objectively and reasonably. Let us ask this angry young protester, who is busy burning his neighbours property, and see if he can spare a few moments to talk to us

Young Angry Protester: By God! we will make sure they fail in their evil diabolical plans, I really don't understand what is the purpose of adding a subject like that. Obviously Islam is the right religion. I don't understand why there is any need for children to learn about any other religion. or why it matters at all. They are trying to make Pakistan secular. We will not let that happen. We will foil their attempts at trying to destabilise the country's inner mechanics which in turn will lead to chaos and the ultimate destruction of Pakistan. You ask me how I know all that ? Because I heard my brothers friends uncles wife's sister say that once.

Mr C: Yes I see that , and I agree. But do you think only reading about other religions is going to make the kids go away from religion. I mean how bad can it be to just learn about what people around the world believe? I think the kids will appreciate more that how beautiful the message of Islam is when they know what other religions say. Dont you think ?

Young Angry Protester: No. You see. Its news channels like yours that are funded by the Jewish Lobby of the world to corrupt the minds of our kids( runs away)

Mr C: As you can see. The scenes witnessed here are not only historic, they are also extremely reminiscent of some scenes of low budgeted Bollywood movies. The parents of the kids that are going to that school are not present here. and can not be contacted. and quite frankly the identity of these people protesting can not be established with any certainty. Mr C out.

I greet thee with love

When you meet people from other cultures, there are some very important decisions to be made. One such is the way, literally the way, how to greet them. I think its one of those things that seem to be so trivial that we never stop and think about it. I mean how bad can it be anyway. You go see them, say hey, shake hands,NO

In Pakistan men who are close friends, greet each other generally with a hug followed by a handshake. You meet like this irrespective of how often you meet, once every month twice a month , every week, every day, sometimes several times a day. That s just how you meet

So its about a certain friend of mine whom I have come to admire and respect over the time period that I have known him and well it it turns out I have been shaking hands with him every single time that I have met him because well because thats how you meet. He is lucky I am not hugging him and planting kisses on his cheeks though(but we dont do that in Pakistan)  :P ..

But unbeknownst to me for him it was something unusual that I shake hands even though we meet every day. and as per him since we know each other well now. there is no need to shake hands if we are meeting everyday. hmmp.

I just absolutely love these utterly unimportant little things in life :) 

Question of Life and Death

So the year is 1945 and the backdrop is Europe, the allied forces are marching in from the West and the Red army assaults the German ranks form the east. The war seems to be all but over for the germans. The red army penetrates further into the enemy lines and before the conclusive Battle of Berlin, finds what appears to be a prisoner camp. They soon realise it is nothing like any other camp that has ever existed , or hopefully ever will. The Nazis have massacred millions of people in the territories they have occupied. People from the nearby village are made to see the camp and the ensuing horror and asked why could they let that happen. Their reply is that they didn't know anything of the sort had been happening. As per statistic, 11 million people perished in the camps.

There is a furore of emotion and reprimand, the world can not believe what has just transpired. There is news that Britain knew about the atrocities they were being committed, but chose not to bring them to the worlds attention and didn't react the way it should have or could have. It is a grim time for humans as a specie. International treaties are signed, and promises made to protect human life and to uphold its sanctity. There is only opinion about this, why didn't anyone do anything to stop it?

The year is 2013, and in one particularly politically unstable part of the world a civil war is raging. In two years the death toll reaches a 100,000 people. Internationally there is little or no response because no country wants to interfere in the workings of another.

According to international sanctions, chemical weapons can not be used even by countries who are at war. But in late August the world finds out that chemical weapons have indeed been used in that region though it is unclear by whom. There are bodies of children with no signs of wounds. The world sees as the death toll rises. But since international sanctions have now been breached , the allied forces take upon themselves to not allow this to happen

The most recent recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize President Obama makes  it absolutely clear that he wants to take a military action against the governing regime of the said country. As I write this, the US congress is deciding weather or not to approve the military action.

People around the world are reacting to it differently, elements loyal to and in support of the US are of the opinion that outside intervention is mandatory. Other states, organisations and people think differently. Surely the US has learnt its lessons from the war in Iraq ,Afghanistan and Vietnam. Good or bad it must decide what it needs to do.

In my writing this blog I  have compared two events. The intention was not to pull the Texas Sharpshooter or glide down the slippery slope, it was only to highlight that these are big decisions which will have repercussions throughout the world and are difficult to take. Just when should one state decide to intervene in the workings of another is a tricky question to answer. Generally when faced with such important questions my usual response is to turn to the only thing that helps in time of need. Star Trek.

However there is a problem here as well because in the words of Spock "the needs and suffering of the many outweigh the suffering of the few" but we also know that Juan Luc Picard maintains "I refuse to let arithmetic answer questions pertaining to human life and suffering". We know when star Trek cant give you a direct answer to a moral social intellectual and cultural problem , then all is doomed.

People !

Not that anyone cares about the statistic but I hail from the extremely Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in the course of my life I have lived in two cities, been to some 3 or 4 different educational institutes, met a variety of people and the only thing I can say about people is this...

People come in all sizes shapes kinds types combinations arrangements permutations( no I did not use the thesaurus here to come with these words) and there is absolutely no way that I can put all of the people that I have met in Pakistan in one single mould. I have met people who have been extremely happy sad altruistic selfish motivated unmotivated people who achieve people who fail people who like the colour blue people who don't like the colour red . People who like to dance people who criticize those who dance, people who play love hate laugh cry sing for joy cry of fear. People who are envious people who are proud. People who don't speak the language you do , people who speak better than you. People who stab you from the back , people who lift you up when you down.  I wonder what I would say if someone were to ask me "How are the people in Pakistan like?"

This is interesting for me because ever since I have come to Berlin , I have been asked a similar question  "hey ! How are the people like in Germany?" to which I blabber loudly and wildly whatever comes to my mind. When I am asked this question, I cant help but think that the person asking must think there is a mould to which people can be fitted, and essentially what he is asking me is which type of mould should he use to put these people in. I simply don't have the answer to that. More so because I don't think that the answer to that question exists at all.

So the next time I am asked this I am just going to say" well ! you know . there are all kinds of people here. Just like in Pakistan and (I delve into the realm of conjecture) the rest of the world"

On Trains and on Life

There is a strange kind vibe that people who travel or have travelled have. There is this exuberance in their eyes, this charm in their ways this warmth and light that bounces off them. The exact same is the case with stations, train stations, airports, even bus stations. These are interesting places.

I think stations are still the place where you can glimpse life at its best and worst. People only just stop at a station so that they can move on. Its that point where you change things about your life and I think it is also magnificently analogous to what all our lives are about. There is an end of the road; we call it "death" but though fatal in the literal sense it is really not the point. The point is  the way you take, how you take it, and people you meet along the way how you interact and how they shape you and you shape them

The thing about people is that because for a while, they are on the same train as you are. It feels as if it will last forever. That its going to be like this forever.  We share stories with them, laugh chuckle and grin together and  seem to forget , that we are on a train and after a certain time either we or the other person is going to get off, and its never going to be same again.

And then you will get off at a  station where there will be lots of other travellers like you who will again take the same train you are taking for a station or two. and then again someone will get off. and it keeps going on until you reach the last station of the stop ; Death.

What I feel about learning a language

I have always hated grammar and I think its cramming it, is the worst way to teach and learn a language. I think so primarily because I feel language , any language, is like a giant pool of words grammar syntax expressed and formed cohesively to spit out the desired meaning. Therefore the only way to learn it is to dive into that pool. There just isnt any other way to do it. If you want to learn a language you must surround yourself with it. Read books, listen to the radio and watch TV shows movies, talk to people, listen to people, and do whatever you can do to "dive" into the pool and let it "become one"with you.

The reason behind that is simple. Suppose you have to make a point. First there is the thought you want to express, then you have the words for that thought are in your native language. and then you translate the words (taking into account the change in syntax) into the other language. If the learnt language always requires you to translate from your native language, then you may have learnt the words of the language or its syntax , but you are yet to dive into the pool.

Therefore one has completely learnt the language when one can fully express himself/herself in the language without first resorting to the native language. The thoughts convert to the words in the language you want them to be expressed into. and that s when you have mastered the language.

Word of caution! That doesnt come easy