Way of the Warrior!!!

The Way of a Warrior is based on humanity, love, and sincerity; the heart of martial valor is true bravery, wisdom, love, and friendship. Emphasis on the physical aspects of warriorship is futile, for the power of the body is always limited.- Ueshiba Morihei, The Art Of Peace

© 2010 posted by Mustafa Ali Khan Afreedi (DarkMystic)

Are we A nation of FOOLS!!!

Yes we are a nations of fools, Now my friends you will be wondering why am I calling myself and about 180 million people fools, i'll try and answer the question through this post, and let's see what do you all think.....


99% of the people in the world are fools and the rest of are in great danger of contagion (Thornton Niven Wilder)

We are a nation of fools because:

1. We think breaking the traffic rules is cool.
2. We think cheating in papers is justified and we can do it and many people do
3. We think that having an attitude and using bad language makes us cool( in normal circumstances).
4. We follow any trend or anything which is done by the rich and powerful without giving a damn thought on whether it is right or wrong.
5. Only a nation of fools will put emphasis on rota system rather than the conceptual system in exams.
6. Only a nation of fools will follow the quota system instead of the merit- based system.
7. Only a nation of fools will vote for  politicians again and again who have given us countless empty promises in the past and continue to do so.
8. Only fools will fight over the naming of provinces, rather than focus on real issues like the increasing inflation, electricity problems, gross violation of human rights (women's rights specially)
9. Only in a nation of fools will, old buildings be brought down to make new houses or malls instead of just refurbishing them, as they are an integral part of our city’s history and heritage.
10. Only in a nation of fools, people have no civic sense and they will continue to create trouble for other people.
11. In the developed countries or lets say where people have brains spend quite a bit of their GDP, about 15% or higher on R&D, and what about Pakistan, R&D does not mean research and development its more like rona dhona
12. We as a nation look towards others like World Bank and IMF to solve our problems rather solve them by ourselves.
13. Yes! we are the nation of fools who think that the education of women is not necessary for social, economical and political development of nation. Even many times, we quote that the first educational institute of a child is mother. Moreover, in our foolish patriarchal society, child means only boys.
14. Yes we are a nation of fools, in fact are we even a nation, none of us is a Pakistani first, we are Lahoris, sindhis, balochies, punjabies, pathans, sunni,Shia, we are everything , anything except a Pakistani.
15. What else is this if not foolishness to destroy one's home over something that has happened a 1000 miles away.
16. Why kill our own people, destroy our own assets, is this not the work of a fool or not.

Need I go on my friends, the list is endless, we cannot dream of change unless we change the very essence of who we are, we need to change the way we think, to better understand ourselves and the world.

I end this post with an Arabic Proverb

A fool may be known by six things: 

• anger, without cause; 
• speech, without profit; 
• change, without progress; 
• inquiry, without object;
•  putting trust in a stranger, and 
• mistaking foes for friends. 

So ask yourself today are we really a nation of fools, or can we change, can we show the world that we are wise and sensible humans striving for the betterment of humanity, and our country and the world at Large.

© 2010 posted by Mustafa Ali Khan Afreedi (DarkMystic)

A tribute to Hakim Muhammad Saed Shaheed!!!

             As I sat today thinking what I should write about, my thoughts turned inwards and I took a trip down memory lane remembering my time at Hamdard, and whenever I recall Hamdard, the memories I have of Hakim Sahab are not far behind, this is a small humble tribute to the man that touched and inspired so many people.


         As a student of Hamdard (12 years of my 21 year old life have been spent there) I feel the need to pay tribute to the founding father of Hamdard and Madinat-ul-Hikmah.


        Shaheed Hakim Muhmmad Said was a role model who not only inspired my but every hamadrian and countless others. He was a man of choices, challenges and commitments. Hakim Sahab was a friend, traveler and a patriot but nothing best describes his character and personality than "visionary" and "realist".


       Everyone has a vision, a dream and each of us strives to attain that goal in our own way, each one of us marching to the beat of our drums. The vision of Hakim Mohammad Said was a vision of the heart. But what was it that made him different from other visionaries? What motivational force inspired him and drove him to turn his visions into a reality? It was his sense and belief of a tryst with destiny. He believed that he had something to do, something to give and a way to give it. But the heart of his humanitarian mission and his vision for Pakistan lay in the world of children, child development and human development through education. It was his belief that Pakistan could progress and prosper if the educations were educated and this was his mission and it was his dream to see that someday Pakistan would be one of the developed nations of the world and a role model to for others to follow. To see his dream turn into a reality he established Madinat-ul-Hikman the city of education and wisdom in a land of sand and scrub. 


       Hakim Muhammad Said's vision and he himself symbolized the ethos and aspirations of the Pakistani nation and their fulfillment as enshrined in the creation of this country by Quaid-e-Azam and the ideal of Allam Iqbal. The idea of Pakistan according to Hakim Sahab could only come to fruition if education became the rock hard foundation of our nation, harmonizing the imperative of modern life and quintessential values of Islam.


       He had a vision the Pakistan would stand shoulder to shoulder with the developed countries and each and everyone of us, the people of Pakistan would leave a legacy of greatness that the future generations of the world will remember for eternity and aspire to reach. This is what he did, he left an undying legacy of greatness and it is up to us to carry out his work and carve a legacy of our own, in the history of humanity.


      Hakim Sahab's cruel and untimely death was a terrible blow to his family, friends and the institutions he build. His adventure in life came a full circle ending in a coda of achievements. His legacy is not riches, possessions or worldly goods of any kind. It was the way he lived, the lives he touched, the promises he kept. It was the kind of man he was. He looked on life as a journey and one of his favorite quotations was a passage from Robert Frost:


"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
  But I have promises to keep............,
  And miles to go before I sleep,
  And miles to go before I sleep"

© 2010 posted by Mustafa Ali Khan Afreedi (DarkMystic)

Thought of the Day!!!

“Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What's a sundial in the shade?”  Benjamin Franklin

© 2010 posted by Mustafa Ali Khan Afreedi (DarkMystic)

More posts will be comign soon as time allows busy with a few events at the university

Edge of Sanity

a chill runs through my spine
an unholy desire in my heart
an unnatural voice in my mind
is this reality or a fantasy
All the lines blurring in my mind
Taking me to the edge of sanity


I feel drained,not like me
an unholy spell seems to bind me
Like a weight in my chest, can;t breath
will I ever return, 
need to break the enchantments, 
Taking me to the edge of sanity


Time goes on,
when will we see
the cracks  in my mind,
the world closing in, 
binding me,zombifying me, Draining me
Taking me to the edge of sanity


Still asking, still wondering
what happened, is this me>
I don;t know, seems like they got to me
drained me, left me, feeling like a ghost
so surreal everything seems, untangaible the world
Taking me to the edge of sanity

© 2010 posted by Mustafa Ali Khan Afreedi (DarkMystic)

Thoughts on Mother's Day (dedicated to Mom)

The sweetest sounds to mortals given
Are heard in Mother, Home, and Heaven.
~William Goldsmith Brown




Mother's day, although to honor one's mother it should not be confined to one day, I honor my mother every day, every minute, every second by living my life in such a way, that would make her feel proud of me.


She has been my mentor, my inspiration and the very reason the way I am today, she taught me how to be gentle and kindhearted and yet be strong. She taught me to love the arts, literature, music, instilled in me the very ethos that have given me the ability to write and be creative, to be a better human being, for to be a good human is to be a good Muslim ( no way around it people).


My mom is a neverending song in my heart of comfort, happiness, and being.  I may sometimes forget the words but I always remember the tune.  ~Graycie Harmon


Dedicated to my mother, who has given so much to make me the man  i am today, may God give me the strength and preseverence to make her proud and be the man she has always wanted to me a good and kind human with the sharpest of minds and soundest of bodies and purest of souls.


Love you mom

ME AND MOM

© 2010 posted by Mustafa Ali Khan Afreedi (DarkMystic)

Changing The Way we Think!!!

We have often talked about how we want to see change in our nation, How we want change for progress and prosperity?


My answer to that, one can have a 1000 ideas for progress, and prosperity but change cannot be brought about until and unless we change the way we think, we change our mindset.


We need to become a nation that is proud of its rich and vibrant culture and history, we need to learn how to be respectful of others.


We need to have the Yes it can be done attitude, and First and foremost you change yourself, then you change 3 other people, they in turn change 3 other people's mindsets, and so on and so forth so what we have is a snowball effect.


Question: What mindset do i want to change?


I want to change the mindset, that We don;t have anything we have not progressed one bit, 


We have everything, what we lack is the attitude to change and work hard to make ourselves better,


stop whining and start competing.


How do we change the way we think, how people think?


Use the media. use radio, tv, newspapers, Music, sms, the internet. and spread the message.




This is a general overview, and InshaAllah in the future I will talk about Changing the way we think to change Pakistan for progress and prosperity in detail


till then


 " Every innovation in history started off a question CAN IT BE DONE? and was answered by the makers of history with YES WE CAN. This is the attitude that defines progress, and brings about innovation today, betterment of humanity tomorrow"

© 2010 posted by Mustafa Ali Khan Afreedi (DarkMystic)

The Media Circus & Ethics!!

Nowadays when one watches news, all one gets is a serious dose of depression, anxiety and anger. The question arises,

1.  What is the news media doing?
2.  Are they following the code of ethics of media(journalism)?
3.  Is sensationalism and spicy gossip style news the right way to go? 
4. And is the media branding or debranding Pakistan? 

In my opinion the question to all of the above questions is a big NO.


The news media of Pakistan although claims that it is only reporting the truth and nothing but the truth, is not doing what it claims, every channel has a certain pro attitude towards a certain political party or is pro or anti government. Now what the media does, specially the so called talk shows on air, are more of a verbal fight between people rather than arenas of intellectual debate, and each of those talk show hosts tows their own party line.That is quite evident if you look beyond the sensationalism and the emotional talk of no substance. Although the news media still despite all this has gems that remain true to what the news media should do within the bounds of the generally acceptable moral and ethical structure.


Before answering the other questions lets take a quick look at what are the basic elements of media ethics:

• News manipulation. News can manipulate and be manipulated. Governments and corporations may attempt to manipulate news media; governments, for example, by censorship, and corporations by share ownership. The methods of manipulation are subtle and many. Manipulation may be voluntary or involuntary. Those being manipulated maynot be aware of this. 

This is being done all around the world, not just in my country but all around the world, and most of the time its so subtle that its hard to recognize it, unless you cross reference and check with various other sources.

• Truth. Truth may conflict with many other values. 
• Public interest. Revelation of military secrets and other sensitive government information may be contrary to the public interest, even if it is true. The definition of public interest is hard.
• Privacy. Salacious details of the lives of public figures is a central content element in many media. Publication is not necessarily justified simply because the information is true. Privacy is also a right, and one which conflicts with free speech.
• Fantasy. Fantasy is an element of entertainment, which is a legitimate goal of media content. Journalism may mix fantasy and truth, with resulting ethical dilemmas.
• Taste. Photo journalists who cover war and disasters confront situations which may shock the sensitivities of their audiences. For example, human remains are rarely screened. The ethical issue is how far should one risk shocking an audience's sensitivities in order to correctly and fully report the truth.

They say that the truth shall set you free, but the question is can the people handle the truth, We have seen a lot of examples of these in the past where the media in a hurry to be the first to report "the truth" has reported something that was later found to be false, but the damage had been done, The damage we are talking about is psychological and on a greater level the very image of one's nation.

Talking about privacy, the biggest example would be the recent vulture like antics of our news media on the whole shoaib sania issue, I mean seriously famous people get married all the time, but the way it was handled here, well its nothing to be proud of.

Taste our media in its haste to be the first to break the news, and to create sensation and grab viewer ship often shows graphic images and videos, in fact if one watches our news media it gives the impression that we have a full scale war going in every inch of our country worse than Iraq which is not the case. All that is shown is suffering, anger, blood, gore and an animosity and animalistic depiction of people, which i am sorry to say is not who we are. 

• Conflict with the law. Journalistic ethics may conflict with the law over issues such as the protection of confidential news sources. There is also the question of the extent to which it is ethically acceptable to break the law in order to obtain news. 

It is this author's opinion that the news media here, and in many places around the world does not follow the code of ethics, although there are ethical dilemmas but some lines should not never be crossed.

Spicy and sectionalism is not the the right way do go, although the news sounds nice, but it has a negative impact on the general psyche of the populace, and the populace in general feels, anger, helplessness, frustration, all these feelings lead to various psychological problems and also make the common man susceptible to the brainwashing of extremist and trouble making elements of the society.

Another grave issue regarding all this is the damage the news media is doing to the already tarnished image of our country, the images being relayed on airwaves by the news channels the so called defenders of truth is portraying a country that is worse off than the poorest nation of Africa and more war torn than Iraq, but frankly my friends my friends that is a small portion of what Pakistan and its people are, when will the media start showing, the rich culture and history of our country? when will it show the beauty of Pakistan?

If the media will not show it then why can;t we the people of Pakistan show that picture of Pakistan as the historically and culturally rich country that it is to the world via the internet, yes we can yes we can, I am doing it, and so are many others, so why can;t you?

In the end I do accept that Ethics in journalism is an utopia, can never be applied in practice, but we can be as close to it as possible.

 

© 2010 posted by Mustafa Ali Khan Afreedi (DarkMystic)