The power of identity
From the Blog PkColumnist.com: The power of identity - The behaviour of an individual as well as a nation is largely determined by their self-perception. What one thinks about oneself is reflected on the mega screen of life in terms of personal development and one's relations with others. Maulana Rumi has articulated the power of identity – who one is – in a very fascinating and inspiring parable. One day, according to Maulana Rumi, an old lady, while grazing her herd of sheep in a pasture in the midst of a dense forest, came to see a cub stumbling around. Mistaking it for a cat, she caught and brought it to her house in the evening. The cub used to eat, drink, and move around with the sheep without ever realising to be different in any fundamental way from them. The frequent and free interaction transformed the cub into a virtual sheep with similar fears, habits, and emotions. One day, when the herd was immersed in grazing, a lion suddenly appeared roaring and jumping. Every sheep ran for cover and so did the 'grown-up' cub. The lion coincidently intercepted the cub and asked who he was and why he was running. The cub, in sheer innocence, responded that a lion was chasing it. The lion instantly realised that the cub had a serious identity crisis as a result of its persistent interaction with a species of a different kind and hence needed some fundamental change in his outlook. He took the cub to a water-pond and asked it to look into the pure water. Surprisingly, the cub found its face and body to be quite similar to that of the lion in all respects. This session was followed by another where the cub was asked to practise roaring and physical motion. Success in both activities reinforced the cub's belief that in reality it was a lion and not a sheep. This was a complete paradigm shift which made it more powerful, assertive, and confident to confront any challenge. Those who suffer from identity crisis, and as a nation we certainly do, should rediscover themselves by going back to nature (the water-pond). The social construction of reality and the dominance of materialism have made us subservient to vanity, lust, and self-gratification. We are in the process of getting alienated from such qualities as altruism, honesty, and modesty. The triumph of matter over soul has created chaos, oppression, and hopelessness. Resolving the identity crisis is probably the most urgent problem that needs a proper and timely attention of those who matter. . Read Full Post
Super Cool Cubicles at Work
From the Blog Speak Your Mind!!!: Super Cool Cubicles at Work - These are some of the coolest work stations and cubicles that I have seen. Yes, good companies that care about the welfare of their people and think about creating a work environment in which people feel more productive and happy. I wouldn’t mind working in such a place. . Read Full Post
Obama's snub
From the Blog PkColumnist.com: Obama's snub - A look into the history of Pakistan-US relation shows that Obama's decision to skip Pakistan on his Asian itinerary was in keeping with a "tradition". That en route to Delhi, Air Force One did not even land at Islamabad Airport was in line with US presidents paying a visit to Pakistan only when a khaki is at the helm of the country's affairs. In 1959, Dwight D Eisenhower was the first US president to arrive in Karachi on a two-state visit to Pakistan. He was hosted by Gen Ayub Khan who, as army chief in September 1953, had told the State Department during an official visit: "Our army can be your army if you want us." If we go by semi-official accounts about Eisenhower's visit to Karachi (Dec 7-9), we find how "the two leaders drove 15 miles into downtown Karachi (from the Mauripur air force base where he had landed), cheered by 750,000 flag-waving Pakistanis. They then shifted into an open horse-drawn state carriage for the final mile-long ride through jammed city streets to reach Ayub's official residence". Eisenhower briefly watched Pakistan playing a cricket match against Australia. The visiting dignitary was lavish in showering money and praise on his host and his government. By the time Lyndon B Johnson landed at Karachi Airport on Dec 22, 1967, en route home from a trip to war-ravaged Vietnam (he had already paid a visit as vice president in 1961), Gen Ayub Khan had long promoted himself to field marshal. President Johnson briefly met Ayub Khan at the airport. This on-the-go rendezvous was enough to cheer Ayub Khan up. The emperor promised vegetable oil, wheat and Patton tanks. Observing these events from his hujra in Lahore, in his sardonic humour, Ustad Daman exclaimed: Amreeka!/Zindabad Amreeka,/Har marz da teeka!/Zindabad Amreeka! (America!/Long live America,/A sure-fire cure for every ill!/Long live America!) Ayub Khan's immediate military successor, Gen Yahya Khan, played host to President Richard Nixon when he visited Lahore on Aug 1, 1969. The searing summer of Lahore was no match for the warmth at the official welcoming reception at the airport. Yahya Khan praised Nixon as an "old friend." Nixon, in turn, spoke of his intention to "restore a relationship based mutual trust." The US president promised that arms supplies would be restored to Pakistan, and the supply, cut off after the 1965 war with India, was, indeed, restored, even though partially. The best gesture of friendship by the "old friend" came when Yahya's soldiers were busy slaughtering East Pakistanis. Horrified at these events, the staff of the US consulate general in Dacca (Dhaka) sent a collective "dissent channel" telegram. Dismissing their protest, Nixon advised his staff: "Don't squeeze Yahya at this point." Yahya was squeezed anyway by the East Pakistani masses, even if Nixon's staff lent every possible help to him, as ordered. It took another six years since 1971 for a khaki to reconquer Islamabad. Despite his valuable services for Empire, Zia-ul-Haq did not have the opportunity to host an emperor from Washingon. However, like both his military predecessors in power in Pakistan, he was invited to Washington by President Reagan in 1982. This reminds you of these satirical lines by Ustad Daman, about the eagerness of our leaders, ministers and officials to visit Washington: Begum kee kehndi?/Gharara kee kehnda?/Saday wazeeran da kee puchh rahay ho:/Jay daura vee painda,/Amreeka da painda (What does the Begum say?/What does her gharara say?/As far as our ministers are concerned,/When an official visit comes their way,/They always head to the USA.) When Gen Musharraf seized power on Oct 12, 1999, so soon after the Kargil rout, he became "Chief Executive" because he thought field marshal was not a suitable title. Washington did not appreciate the move very much. Still, on March 25, 2000, President Clinton arrived in Islamabad on a brief visit. The US displeasure was conveyed by Clinton's denying the photo-op to Musharraf. Did our ghairat (honour) lobby, or the Jamaat-e-Islami, protest? There is no such thing on record. Ustad Daman and his friend Habib Jalib were no more in this world. Hence, there hardly was a voice agitating, save a bunch of leftist activists in Lahore chanting slogans outside the US consulate. Isolated left voices have hardly mattered in Pakistan. Hence, the lure of Patton tanks, Apache helicopters and F16s has always been given precedence over everything else, and hence a single call from the White House sufficed to persuade the Pakistani government to take an apparent u-turn on its Afghan policy. President Bush expressed his appreciation for the u-turn by a visit to Islamabad in March 2006. Like Eisenhower, he also found some time for cricket. The born-again Christian played a few deliveries at the fortified US embassy, if you remember, bowled to by Test captain Inzimamul Haq, a born-again Muslim. A perfect mock match. . Read Full Post
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