DUTIES OF A PAKISTANI

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Every time you read an article telling you that Pakistan is in this state because of you, that Pakistan is declining, that she has a gloomy future, we all end wanting to ask the writer one question: “What on earth should we do?”. Writers (including me) tell you why you have to get up and do something but what they don’t tell you is what to do.

I’ve decided to change that.

Reasons on why we gotta do something for this country are known to us thick and thick, so with those in your mind read on.

We are all guilty of having thrown a wrapper out the window of our room or car. Yes, you got it. STOP doing that. We drive through places and say “Oh look at all this garbage! Such a dirty area.” Someone says that about your place too you know. Well if we all stopped throwing rubbish (or even reduced, for starters) then we will all be witness to a revolution, rubbish free areas and cities will emerge. You know what they say, drop by drop does an ocean forms.

“Uh oh. 5 minutes to the meeting!” The solution to being late at the meeting: break the signal! Suppose you were in the UK, would you have done a similar thing? Of course not! Then why be a menace for your own country? You just have to wait till the signal goes green and then you’re off, hardly anyone stops at signals on Pakistan, unfortunately, and thus you will not have to line up. So take the trouble and respect the laws of your country. If you don’t want to be late then leave your house a good 15 minutes earlier then your usual time. I know you leave your house not leaving enough time to stand at signals, ‘cause why wait when you can be driving through right? Remember patience is a virtue.

The boss just screamed at you, let your frustration out by using inappropriate language. A politician said something you don’t like, let the anger out by use of inappropriate language. Your kid got a mark less than 90 percent, slap him.These are all ways of taking out anger. Mark Twain once said, ‘anger can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than on anything on which it is poured’.The man nailed it.                            
                                                                                                       What do you get by getting angry on petty matters? You gain nothing but a bad reputation. There are many instances you would recall in your life where you now think it would’ve been better to have stayed shut. We cannot hit rewind but we can move forward, we can create our forward and treat every today as a day different from yesterday and tomorrow.

One thing we need to learn is tolerating the opinion of others. If the other person is not anti-US or anti-India, a supporter of PTI or PML-N or the law of blasphemy or the Pakistan cricket team, if someone does not like Justin Bieber or Usher or One Direction or tea or chocolate fudge cake, don’t give him a lecture on why he’s ‘just so totally wrong’.
                                                                                          

There are other opinions in the world out there, if you can’t have people not accept your opinion then my advice is: go live in a room of mirrors. A little bit of tolerance always goes a long way. It helps you see the subject in a different light, maybe you’ll see a whole new side you had been oblivious to.

Another thing you should do is want for others what you want for yourself, be it a happy and successful life, a good job, a caring friend, the best to wear or eat or whatever it is you want yourself. This will promote unity in the nation (and no it is not already there as it is limited to protest marches and cricket matches).

We all want to be heard when we talk. A wise man once said, ‘men talk because they have something to say; fools talk because they have to say something’. This will tell you which category you fall in. Since everyone wants to be heard there are not many listeners left because we all want to do the talking part. So, it would promote a good cause if we were all good talkers and even better listeners.

Yes, I know, you expected things like join a political party, take part in protest rallies or join the army or even murder Barack Obama (yes, some people would consider that a ‘duty’). Well then let me tell you, your definition of ‘duties of a Pakistani’ is not very practical nor has it anything to do with your inner self, your conscience.

If all of us did the small things that matter, a huge change will be evident in the society. Only then will you be able to say with all your heart Pakistan Paindabad.

 

By:  Fatima Arshad

 

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