We all live in denial. Some of us live in more denial than others, but rest assured the net encompasses all of us. Now most of you, or maybe some, will argue and deny that they live in denial. That’s a typical case of denial-itis. The latest disease for which the Pakistani nation is a test case without a cure.
So what causes me to write down my rant and shove it in your faces? Everything. Everything around me, everything inside my head, people who I’m in contact with, people who I’m not; self-declared pious mullahs, self-obsessing liberal hunks, our lying cheating politicians, our corrupt army officers; our dead self-respect, our shamelessness. Our intolerance, our lawlessness. Our inability to accept our state and our pretentious nature. Our ostrich approach to everything. Our blatant denial.
People left, right and centre claim they know best. About everything. They claim they know what’s in my best interests, what I should like, what clothes I should wear, what car I should drive, what job I should do, what hairstyle I should keep. All at the expense of me. And it doesn’t stop here. All our collective selves are a part of this dirty quagmire. Look at us. Each one of us, well those who are interested in understanding the macro problems facing Pakistan at least, claims to know what’s best for Pakistan. Maybe you do know what’s best for us good sir and kind madam, but have you stopped to wonder for even an inkling, the fact that your ideas are not the masses ideas? In fact, the “masses” have no collective ideas at all because we are all living in denial. We see Ahmedis murdered with impunity, but instead of condemning the atrocity we start discussing their faith. Simply because denying the atrocities around us on un-researched facts is so much easier for us to do.
And it still doesn’t end. Look at our politicians. I bet the fair world tunes into Pakistani political talk shows simply because they get a kick out of watching these senile, mundane, blind crooked beasts of a man crucify each other live. They are in denial too. They are in denial that they have assets worth billions, that there are no terrorists in the Punjab, that they are wanted by the law. This collective psyche has caused us so much pain but we are in denial. We deny to accept our share of blames, our problems, our faults. Because once again, it so much easier to put the blame on someone else. And why shouldn’t we put the blame, comes the collective voice. We are pious Muslims, guardians of Islam; without us the world would come to an end and that is why the CIA, Mossad, RAW and the Afghani RAAM are all after us.
So what causes me to write down my rant and shove it in your faces? Everything. Everything around me, everything inside my head, people who I’m in contact with, people who I’m not; self-declared pious mullahs, self-obsessing liberal hunks, our lying cheating politicians, our corrupt army officers; our dead self-respect, our shamelessness. Our intolerance, our lawlessness. Our inability to accept our state and our pretentious nature. Our ostrich approach to everything. Our blatant denial.
People left, right and centre claim they know best. About everything. They claim they know what’s in my best interests, what I should like, what clothes I should wear, what car I should drive, what job I should do, what hairstyle I should keep. All at the expense of me. And it doesn’t stop here. All our collective selves are a part of this dirty quagmire. Look at us. Each one of us, well those who are interested in understanding the macro problems facing Pakistan at least, claims to know what’s best for Pakistan. Maybe you do know what’s best for us good sir and kind madam, but have you stopped to wonder for even an inkling, the fact that your ideas are not the masses ideas? In fact, the “masses” have no collective ideas at all because we are all living in denial. We see Ahmedis murdered with impunity, but instead of condemning the atrocity we start discussing their faith. Simply because denying the atrocities around us on un-researched facts is so much easier for us to do.
And it still doesn’t end. Look at our politicians. I bet the fair world tunes into Pakistani political talk shows simply because they get a kick out of watching these senile, mundane, blind crooked beasts of a man crucify each other live. They are in denial too. They are in denial that they have assets worth billions, that there are no terrorists in the Punjab, that they are wanted by the law. This collective psyche has caused us so much pain but we are in denial. We deny to accept our share of blames, our problems, our faults. Because once again, it so much easier to put the blame on someone else. And why shouldn’t we put the blame, comes the collective voice. We are pious Muslims, guardians of Islam; without us the world would come to an end and that is why the CIA, Mossad, RAW and the Afghani RAAM are all after us.
People sitting on the outside of this mess, people who only get to see the chaos on TV and cable and satellite try to impose their views with the zeal and fervor of someone who has gone through hell. As if. They are in denial too. They deny they are away from Pakistan, that they don’t know the true extent of what’s happening. They pretend to know what it’s like to sit through 12 hours of load shedding in ultra-hot conditions only to find that the government’s playing a game of cat and mouse at the expense of us consumers. As soon as the tariff rates go up, the electricity problem is solved.
I can go on and on, but I think it’s better to stop now. Because just like everyone, I’m also in denial; unable to accept the fact that these words might, just might make a difference.
I can go on and on, but I think it’s better to stop now. Because just like everyone, I’m also in denial; unable to accept the fact that these words might, just might make a difference.
