If I could change something, what would it be?

by 

Syeda Areeba Najeeb

(This essay was entered in the IBA Literary Society essay writing competition 'The Think Tank' held in April 2010)

Why do we follow each other all the time?

Whey don’t their views differ from mine?

Why don’t we follow rules and try standing in a line?

Why don’t we take an initiative, why all we do is just whine?

If I could change something it would definitely be the orthodox mindset and cliché pattern of thinking of the average Pakistani people. I believe if I could do this I would be able to bring a magnanimous transformation for the whole of Pakistan. We Pakistanis, in my opinion, have all the potential in ourselves to make Pakistan a heaven to live, where there would be peace and prosperity everywhere in this Pak land. But the only problem is that we lack the confidence in our ability and are unable to think out of the box to which we have been confined by the rest of the world.

Educated Parrots

Aren’t we all individuals with distinct brains that function differently? So why not use them for a change instead of following others’ lead, especially when we know that we are being taken down the wrong lane. It is high time that we start having our own views and voice our personal opinions rather than being spoon fed.

If some one dresses differently or speaks a foreign language all Pakistanis give them importance and respect (and stare as if they are from another planet). This is because it has been drilled into our minds that we are in some way inferior to the West; this hole needs to be filled with pride in our nationality, culture and language.

In Pakistan It is normal to see people breaking traffic signals, cars parked right below the ‘no parking sign’ and betel-spit marks all over walls saying “Keep your country clean”. This is what needs to be changed. We think if one person is breaking the law it is only natural that we do so too. Do we ever stop and think that instead of following, why don’t we become an exception and hence a role model for all? Do we ever feel guilty? NO!

The easy way out for us is to blame other people for it like the government, the police, the others who are breaking rules and even the signal itself.

It is also common among people to show their anger and frustration by hurting other people, destroying public property and burning cars.

Why don’t they give it a second thought and realize that it doesn’t extinguish their pain and instead fuels the fire that burns down everyone and everything. If only they would resort to peaceful demonstrations….

Pakistanis have a stereotype that USA and India are our enemies. We protest against any treaties with them and deny any aid from them, but I am sure we ourselves are the biggest market for Hollywood and Bollywood movies Are we so naïve as to not realize this? No we aren’t. We just do not want to follow logic and make sense of things because if we do we will be thrust into harsh, unbearable reality only to realize what great fools we have been while living in our home-made fool’s paradise.

So, in my opinion, if given a chance I would change the stereotypes that Pakistanis have and their thought pattern. The only way to save our beloved Pakistan from going down is to think differently, wisely and independently. Because it’s only when you come up with a good thought that you can mould the world the way you want and when you want.

Source of Image:
http://pakedu.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Respecting-individuality.jpg