Disappearances - of Social Media Reactivists?

Before the recent elections, the country seemed to have built a strong understanding of the system and politics. At least they expressed how they felt about certain characters in the political arena. However, the entire show is put to an end somehow and political observations have restricted themselves to the minds of a few.

It seems a little strange, seeing all the political reactivism on the social media sites settling down, almost like weightless dust particles that float everywhere only when stirred or disturbed. Such social media reactivism has taken all by storm before elections. Most of the reactivists defended this phenomena of quick reaction by calling it political awareness and social media activism, and convincingly attributed it to one of the major political actors in the view right now. However, the major actor probably could not inspire people for a long time and right after the first few months of constant defense, there has been a drastic decrease in the expression of "political opinions" floating in the news feed, comments and/or replies on different platforms. The reactivists do not showcase any particular trait of activism anyways, but things have gotten worse. The reaction, too, has reduced to a few and that too has become an occasional thing. They react to the content that is different than what they would have endorsed (if the were active).

Gone are the days when these political reactivists would send inbox messages to people of the "other opinion" to satisfy the little pseudo-patriot in their hearts. Back then the thirst was great and the need to quench their thirst even greater. There have been events where if one would ignore these inbox messages, he/she would receive threatening messages and abusive content, reason would be their least or no reaction to these politically aware people so vested in the thoughts and worries of their country's future.

Another observation is that a difference of opinion in real life, is still a trigger to these people. And irrespective of how much is it supported by data and numbers, if it is different than what they once endorsed they would defend it to their worst. But on social media, people have learnt to be as insensitive as they had been all this while. And since they were devoted practitioners of cyber-bully and are well-aware of the trauma and pain of being cyber-bullied by masses, they don't want to take any risks online.

The question is if these social media reactivist are still around, and they still react once or twice to a thing or two, where are they most of the time? Some people argue that the accounts have been hacked by anti-state elements and every once in a while, when they are recovered, we stumble upon a reactive tweet, post or comment, but the anti-state elements seem to be after these accounts, hence no reaction most of the time.

A popular theory, however, is that these people have lost interest in the political game as there is no "entertainment" left to inspire them to be reactive.

Another theory, not very convincing though, is that humans tend to go in their metaphoric cocoons when they realize they have a role in messing things up, because most of the time confessing our idiocy and accepting that we have been fooled for long is a bitter sip we can't gulp down. Hence we hide the glass of regrets in a closet, and hide ourselves with it.

The truth, however, is yet to be discovered. And this piece of trigger is only an attempt to find old pals.

To Whom It May Concern

Since everything is under control, and we are a happy, already-flourished democracy moving towards progress and development, here's what I have to say about General Elections 2018 in Pakistan and here's to whom it may concern.

O Leader!
Thy lips spill hate.
Thy heart flames rage.
Thy words spit insult.
Thine eyes shoot anger.
Thou call me insane
and treat me low.
Thou call me an ass
and call thyself true.
Thy friends call me names
and call my elders too.
And I, the less
I, the unclean
Shall choose Thee, the only;
The only and the clean.

While I hope the best may win, I also know it is not a a world cup final and there is no best out there. Recent incidents of terrorism has taken leaders from us, once again. And while i had this urge to not cast a vote this time I contacted the most sane of my friends hoping she will convince me to drop the idea. But in all honesty, neither the one man show we are watching on media despite the huge criticism from rest of the political parties and the nation itself is disappointing, nor is the fact that he continues to speak a language loaded with inappropriateness that discouraging.

What aches the heart here is that the supporters know everything. They proudly claim what even the paid thinkers won't utter under their breath. And despite knowing the possibilities of the sources from where all this power comes, they continue to support whoever they support, calling this huge damage a collateral one "for a greater good" as they like to put it.

Suicides in Khana Kaaba and Grand Mosque of Mecca: Depression Suicide and Religion

It all started with treating depression as a mood swing and not an illness.
One of my friends from Karachi is suffering from depression. And along with that she is dealing with people telling her how she is not "trying enough" to get out of it (as if there is a threshold which she can cross to step out of it). At times she would swear how hard she has been trying and the extend to which she has gone, including the humble acceptance of being mentally unstable (which the rest of us are afraid to accept about ourselves) to help herself.
Another friend of mine who is now a doctor, has suffered from depression during her last two years at medical college. She had no signs of depression as such, but she gained a lot of weight and had a terrible skin condition and only upon finding out her high level of stress hormones, her dermatologist concluded that she was in depression. She worked on herself starting from praying, meditating and exercising to medicines and the right diet. And she miraculously recovered in months.
While this was happening with two of my friends who were diagnosed with depression, I wanted to peak into the matter, to know what causes it and whether or not could depression be called a disease. Our entire group of friends dedicated some time out of our weekends to look into the reasons, symptoms and cures, and most importantly, definition of Depression - the disease.
Recently, I stumbled upon an article sharing this sad news of a guy committing suicide in Khana e Kaba in the holy month of Ramadan during Taraweeh prayers. And the discussion about depression took a traditional turn where people started calling him a sinner, a dumb guy and what not.
As if this was not enough, I saw news about another suicide, again in Mecca, at a holy site for Muslims. The reaction to this incident was more inhuman than the previous one.
And only yesterday, I saw my friend's WhatsApp status where she shared a new article by someone whose best friend committed suicide, while he was continuously advised to Pray the Depression away.
The entire concept of finding a solution for a disease in praying alone is very emotional, irrational and nonsensical. Depression is a disease and should be treated like one. Just like we can't pray Cancer or a bee-sting or a dog-bite away similarly we can't cure depression with prayers alone.
Most of today's practicing yet moderate Muslim brothers and sisters in Islam are getting their guidance, motivation and knowledge from YouTube. Hence I'd quote Nauman Ali Khan from one of the videos of his speeches where he says "Du'a is not Amazon.com". If nothing else, it means that we can't necessarily escape a problem or get instantly something out of our du'as/prayers.
And praying in Depression may actually help the patient (as they may feel more connected to their Lord and hence find some inner peace), this is usually the first thing the victims try. Even an atheist would initially go for meditation, spending time in Nature and trying anti depressant diets. However, only these patients would know better whether it works or not.
We need to understand that it is one thing to have a bad day or go through a thin patch or rough time, and it is completely another to be "sick", to suffer from a disease. Very "praying" and "happy" people can go through this.
Besides, Depression is not just the so-called "bad mood", that is just one of the symptoms. I have seen my people loosing their sleep for months over nothing, and that too is just another symptom.
We need to try to think broad when it comes to medicine - the field. Just because there is no tumor. wound or bruise doesn't mean it's not a disease. However this can still be a topic open to discussion.
But what is more important is how do we deal with someone who's suffering from depression. And respecting the patient, not judging them for being a "non-praying" person or a "sinner" would be the least we could do for them.
And if we must preach (because we love it) than probably sharing our touching story with a holy moral of "Pray it away" would be a nicer way. But emphasizing on the similarities, forcing them to call our story theirs or accept both as identical will just not help and we may come out as a self-absorbed entity. While it would be nicer if we could be there for others without being about ourselves. 

The Change

I was recently having a discussion with my professor on social media about change. According to her the problem with us is that “We take on change as a catch word without clear conceptualisation. Hence it becomes a very attractive word to cut a discourse for intellectualism that is actually directionless and has no clue of what exactly does it imply.” She also said that while we are so fond of using words like “system” or “change” they derive from a theory or an ideology which most of us seem to have never understood. Both of these points are valid. Hence it got me into thinking. I am not a learned human, wouldn’t even count myself in the reader community of the globe.  I have no idea which philosopher said what about what. But still I’m driven by the need and the desire of change. I’d even cast a vote for someone who will promise me some change. And after I saw no change that I expected, while the claims of the big change echoed, I was left to think about what then actually changed? And there I think I realized that the kind of change that I wanted to see, was supposed to start with me. Starting with me thinking about how it was going to come into being, rather than just wanting an end product.

As I already mentioned that I know nothing about theories and philosophies of change, but I still think of it, desire it and even sometimes make it by taking out that garbage, the smell of which has got on everyone’s nerves but is too heavy for others to move, so I thought I’d write about my layman notion of change, system and the change in the system. I think “change” is easier to deal with because no matter what I write as my definition of this word, it will be different than the next person’s, who comes across it. Still I will start with “system”.

While Google defines it as “a set of things working together as parts of a mechanism or an interconnecting network; a complex whole” and “a set of principles or procedures according to which something is done; an organized scheme or method”, these are too flowered for me to understand. In my understanding, a system is a process or a processing body or the individuals networking in a processing body or the way those individuals work to get the process going. Also I believe there is more to the word.

A change in the system then would be a slight difference made, by replacing (or changing) an action or even an actor, in an ongoing system. If the entire system renews itself or is renewed somehow, it will not be a change in the system. Rather, it will be a system changed. And while this might sound confusing to highly intellectual people, this is simple and understandable for a layman like myself.

An illustration of me being a component of an ongoing system might help those who are still confused. For example if I am a student of a college where there is a tradition of teachers not coming to the class on time, and I want it changed, I can daydream about the authorities getting raged because my personal little self is in trouble but this might never really happen unless I go and report. Now that still doesn’t mean the authorities will take a notice but for someone who tries after me would surely know one of the many ways that wouldn’t work, which to me is still a contribution to the desire of the long term change of teachers coming to the class in time.  Here the authorities, the staff, the students are all part of a system, including the processes like hiring the teachers, maintenance of discipline, exams, results and other such things. Then my demand of teachers coming to the class on time would be the desired end product or the change that I want to see. And me taking an action that aims at that particular desired change (here the teachers coming to the class on time) would be me trying to contribute to make the change happen. The change in the system would be if teachers start coming to the class on time. And if this eventually becomes the new tradition and every teacher is on time, then it would be the system changed.

My narrow mind could not get out of the student life I live and so I had to make it about some problem students would face in a college. But it goes the same for other “changes” and “systems”. And while I think I should make it clear again that it is the wrong use of such words that result in endless and directionless discussions, (since almost everyone is attracted to these terms), the only thing that can sort an end out of such an intense discourse is the understanding that words like these can be relative and personal.

The Stare

Have you ever paid attention to the men?

Never mind men, have you seen boys how young

Yet confident they are when they talk

To a random stranger they come across on the walk?

I saw my little teddy bears, my brothers,

Grow into these, little teddy bears.

But they know how to talk with that ease

You know, casual, that upper hand voice

Even when you hear them say "please"

Of course not when they talk to me

But to that stranger on the walk

To whom they act confident and all.

Why to that stranger of them all

Would they act confident and all?

That strange stare of that stranger,

That stare like he was some kind of danger.

And that's when it struck me

All animals in any danger show possession and power

And confidence and all just like my bears.

They showed comfort every time they were scared.

They had no 'dopatta' around their breasts to adjust.

They had to learn to live broadening their chests.

Their deep voice never trembles when they're hurt

And God! All this is such a painful art.

They've always tried to be strong

Or they pretended so, all life long.

But the sweat on their forehead every time that stare

Of someone checking them out is always there.

Of course,

They cannot evoke the 'maa behen' respect in those animals

So they Man it up and Man it all

But being Man is not the solution to the confusion

Of whether a molester in all his frustration

Would always hunt a girl down

If you pay attention and look around.

For what I saw in the news things that happened in Kasur

And people posting stories with hashtag "Me Too"

Doesn't seem like anyone is safe

When such beasts are out untamed.

A week ago I read how a scholar

Well known for spiritual matters

Grabbed a young soul in his hands as it fluttered

In the back seat of a car. And then, it shattered.

They might have thrown him wingless after they were done.

And for rest of the life he will trust no one.

These young boys, these young souls, these young winged dreams

When they see someone looking at them like they are they feast

And they have this little courage to share or speak

Of what they go through. How they deal

with all this?

What if my little teddy bears have grown up

To grow enough to remain silent and never open up?

And may be

May be just like I roll my eyes or frown

Every time I sense danger around.

And just like I walk with my shoulders squeezing,

Curling into my body so it's not revealing any targets for them to hunt.

May be

Just like that my boys are "Confident" 

The Stare

- By Kayenat Hameed Khan

This poem was performed in PenWomen Workshop arranged by Young Women Writers' Forum in collaboration with "Ideas" and "Words and Metaphors".

A Note To My Teacher

"Dear Teacher,
Thank you for reading this. I just wanted to let you know that I remember.
I remember when you took my hand and walked me into my very first classroom. It didn't look like one though, it had toys all around. I remember you encouraging me on the day of exam to remember what came after Eleven, i remember repeating One to Eleven so many times and yet nothing helped.
I remember you in my first grade, when you taught me to read. I remember you showing me how to write "Footpath" and "National" I remember you helped me draw an Orange.
In second grade you gave me a scrap book and asked me to bring five types of leaves during the summer break. You taught me names of the planets and their order, and weathers and fruits and the national map.
In third grade you gave me homework to write an essay on my home and I cried because I thought the house was too big and had too many things to write about. You taught me what a computer was, and you promised to let me use it next year. You taught me about cardinal directions in easy words.
In fourth grade, you had me ready to read on my own, write whatever i wanted. You encouraged me to speak in the class and to ask outside the class. You fulfilled your promise too. And, also, taught us to use fountain-pens. You advised us to use fountain pen in homework.
I fifth grade when I'd have trouble in memorizing history you'd tell me stories of those people. You talked about them like you knew them from back in time. And I believed you. You scolded me for not being attentive and changed my seat to the front. You were mostly angry.
In sixth grade you got me confused in square roots and algebra. But you told me it will be alright. You advised me to practice it. I drew paramecium and plant cell and you checked it. I remember you told us about the greatness of our ancestors from the other lands. You taught us how many pillars and articles of faith I was supposed to have. You dictated the answers so I could copy.
In seventh grade you gave me some space to use my own skills. You told the class to write about ourselves on a piece of paper, I couldn't. You took us to the lab and showed us the preserved insects and asked us to memorize their forms and structures. I remember you told us about "the East and the West".
In high school I read a foreign author who wrote our history, for the first time, I was excited to know what others have talked about us. You gave me more homework and lesser dictations. You taught me how the blood circulated in veins and how our body coordinated. I remember you asking me about Organic Chemistry, something I couldn't explain. I remember you warning me about how weak I was in Math.
In College you taught me how to deal with and understand things conceptually for one exam, and then memorize them for another exam. I saw you were as confused and irritated by this as I was. I remember you gave us examples from your life to make us understand. I remember you advising me to pay attention to the diction. I remember you told me you had faith in me.
In University you questioned me and let me question you. You asked me about the East and the West. You left me with more questions in my mind. You showed me how similar you and I have always been. You let me disagree with you. You asked about what I thought and never forced your 'right' on my 'right'.
All my life, since I started getting into the system, you helped, assisted and gave guidance. You made a huge part of what I am today. And I know you will continue to be there. Thank You, Dear Teacher."

پهر سے

پهر سے کوئی آئے گا

کسی توہین کے الزام میں

.دوسروں کو جلائگا

پهر کسی کے ہاتھ سے

.قلم چهینا جائے گا

پهر کی آغوش کو

.ویراں کیا جائے گا

جس کی 'اکبر ذات' نے

کوئی سزا نہ سنائی

ایسی اک خطا کےنام

.سر کاٹ گرایا جائے گا

پهر سے, وہ لاشوں پر

'رقص 'اللہ اکبر

.کر کے چلا جائے گا

اور هم چپ چاپ

خاموش بمثل آب

بہتے چلے جائیں گے

چلتے چلے جائیں گے

جیتے چلے جائیں گے

...مرتے چلے جائیں گے

- کائنات حميد خان