Why Living in Pakistan Isn’t All That Bad
by Despite all the turmoil, I am grateful to be Pakistani.
live in Pakistan. The Land of the Pure. The land that was formed in the name of tolerance, in the name of peace. The land where innocent people have been killed in front of me. The land where suicide bombers blowing themselves up has become a dreadful norm. The land where speaking your mind can get you killed.
Seeing dejected people around me is a norm. Everyone tells about their ambitions about one day settling abroad in a more stable country, but for me, my country is what keeps me going. I can not imagine what life would be like growing up in a normal environment, an environment where daily routine does revolve around power and gas outage schedules, a life not dictated by fear of terrorism and intolerance.
I see kids my age on western TV shows and cannot help but feel sorry for them. It seems their biggest goals in life are getting boyfriends and girlfriends, partying and doing wildly unusual things. Yes, they don’t represent the society that produces their characters, but watching them makes me realize how my nationality makes my life so much more meaningful. There are people in the world who need me, even though they might not know who I am yet. 
Image via Wikipedia
When one in every two people receives a primary education where you live, you begin to realize a sense of responsibility. While in those hideously dull physics classes, you can’t help but think of that one other person who was unable to go to school because you were slightly more fortunate. Nothing else separates me from the boy digging through trash for his next meal.
My teenage life is not scarred by heartbreak, my teenage life is not traumatized by friends drama, it is not enticed by drugs, it is not coupled with alcohol. I guess that is a price I have paid for purpose.I tell myself I will bring change, even a little change will do. It keeps me from questioning the reason for my existence in this world. Everybody needs a reason.
Pakistan gives me purpose. It needs me. I need it.
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Post CommentKaleem
On January 20, 2011 at 12:30 am
Fantastic Article.. very very true
whatanidiot
On January 20, 2011 at 8:18 pm
What an idiot..living in fools paradise!
obaid
On January 21, 2011 at 11:59 am
Nice article but your whole argument is based on a weak pillar. Not everyone living in those stable countries has a life “scarred by heartbreak” or “traumatized by friends drama” or “enticed by drugs” or “coupled with alcohol”. Some of them are just working hard to provide for their families, are as law abiding (if not more) than you, are as family oriented as you.
I am not saying that living in Pakistan is hard or bad. I am a Pakistani myself. But I would like to consider myself a realistic Pakistani. We can’t solve the problems we face in Pakistan by living on cloud 9. Let’s face it. Life is hard in Pakistan, but let’s make a promise to make a difference in our lives. Let’s make a promise and act upon it.
Abbs
On January 21, 2011 at 12:07 pm
I agree, which is why I mentioned the fact that those western television shows they show here probably do not represent reality.
I never mentioned that Pakistan is cloud nine. I started the article by mentioning some of the most well known problems we face. It’s not all that bad for the optimistically realistic Pakistanis though, we see negatives as opportunities for us to correct them.