-blam!-

One of the things that really bugs me is how people see and treat other people so badly so often. Its one of the things i've seen alot lately and i couldn't fathom this....phenomenon. Yes, its a phenomenon since its so damn widely spread across each one of us. Especially us Pakistanis.

The very moment we see a stranger, we instantly form a bias about what his nature/personality traits are and how this person should be approached. Now thats not necessarily a bad thing because, usually, such kind of characteristic deduction of a person actually negates the possibility of a conflict during a conversation. What IS sad, however, is the fact that the very first set of biased views that come in our mind about someone are almost always the negative ones.

I mean...come on people. Why so serious?

Is this a result of a superiority complex we all carry among ourselves? Or an inferiority complex? Would your bank account suffer if you be nice to someone? Does it hurt to pay gratitude to a rickshaw driver once he drops you to your spot?

Believe it or not, sometimes i've seen the look of disbelief on the faces of random strangers like shopkeepers/rickshaw/Taxi drivers once i've said a simple "Thank you". Are these people not a part of our society? Do they not, at least, deserve the same kind of appreciation as your best friend?

Now comes the saddest part, the division of our society based on religion (Shia/Sunni), ethnicity (Sindhi/balochi/punjabi/pathan), race, gender, cities (Lahori/Karachi wala) and even family names. Surprisingly, the sense of separation and hostility among these divisions is so strong...It's disturbing.

During my secondary education, my best friend, who was with me for 5 years was not even a Muslim. Yet we were the best buddies ever. The only reason we are now separated is because of different fields of study that we took in our higher education. We never had a serious argument/fight over a general-life matter, much less a religious one. I am sure alot of people have gone through such experiences. If they and I can do it, why can't everyone else?

Why can't we store the information of all the shortcomings and weak attributes of a person in our subconsciousness rather than the consciousness? From my own experience, understanding someone's sensitive boundaries and molding yourself around them fares better than being a complete ass about it.

I've always put myself in the other person's shoes before making a judgment call. How would i feel if someone pointed out my weaknesses in front of me? Or made me look bad in front of people? Disrespect me? Or fail to do a very simple thing i asked them to do? I would be most certainly disheartened.

Spending just a few seconds of my time and reflecting on the above thought and acting accordingly would make me a better person in the eyes of my peers, wouldn't it? And it would result in me enjoying a comfortable, understanding and healthy relationship with everyone around me wouldn't it?

I am sure alot of people do it. If they and I can do it, why can't everyone else?

Wake up and thank your lucky marbles you morons. There are people dying in Africa of starvation, and here you are....

Nahi hai cheez nikami koi zamaanay mein, koi bura nahi qudrat ke kaarhaanay mein - Iqbal

/endrant