The same cratered face after the lunar eclipse

For the last so many days, there was nothing more exciting than the lunar eclipse that was to be seen on 21st of December. Sky gazers and lunar eclipse lovers all over the world waited for the moment anxiously and excitedly for the eclipse day. I have seen forums full of questions as the timings and areas where the eclipse would be seen. The eclipse occurred as per the stipulated time, watched and then passed away, leaving the same moon with its cratered face once again.

The world now busies itself into its worldly affairs once more after the eclipse and the event would be soon forgotten. And once again Wikileaks will assume attentions of those who want to listen or read to dramatic and juicy news, scandals and finger pointers.

Most of the Christian world would now be engrossed to make the final purchases to celebrate Christmas two days from hence. And then there would be waiting for the New Year’s Eve celebrations. While the lunar eclipse was a “shady” event, Christmas and New Year’s Eve would be all lights and colours.

While the world for next seven-eight days will be all fun and laughter, few would ponder over the grave and tragic incidents that happened in the year 2010. People already seem to have long forgotten the flood victims of Pakistan and Haiti, just like the lunar eclipse. Our cratered face reappears which cares for the fun and laughter, but never cares for the miseries being suffered by a vast majority of the poor world.

I wish there comes a day when everyone joins hand together to save for the poor and needy rather than celebrating. Can there be a year dedicated for the poor, a year in which no celebrations are to take place except the inner celebration of having cared, thought and sided with the poor? Let not our joy and fun eclipse the miseries and sufferings of the poor of the world anymore.

Photo: Jalalspages

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Sugar is injurious to health – Health Ministry

We have been reading similar signs on the cigarette pickings that smoking is injurious to health, courtesy the Health Ministry. But this doesn’t seem to have any effect on the smokers as the cigarettes continue to sell as before and the tobacco growers and cigarette manufacturing companies continue to earn bag loads of profits. Who cares of the long term consequences if one is addicted to smoking?

Dejected by the mere notifications on the cigarette packs, the Ministry of Health is about to issue a new notification, “Sugar is injurious to health.” This time the ministry has done its home work and with the collaboration of Ministry of Food, which has allowed the price hike of sugar to an unprecedented level of over Rs. 100 a kg. Now the new notification may help in the reduction of sugar consumption. But would it? Eating sweets or taking a cup of tea with 2-3 teaspoons full is perhaps the only “luxury” a poor used to enjoy. Now with the soaring prices of sugar, this luxury will also be taken away from the poor.

In fact the price hike of sugar is based on the novel idea of the Ministry of Power, which had been advertising on TV channels which read, “If something is expensive, we must use it carefully and minimally.” So the people of Pakistan: Use less sugar as it is expensive.

And as if this would be the end to their miseries. The Ministry of water and power, which could not control the water of floods, is all set to electrocute the nation with a new power price formula which will push the country into utter darkness and chaos. And then the Ministry of Power will issue its warning: Electricity is injurious to health or even Water is injurious to health…..

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Integrity

We often come across the word “integrity” and label others as man of integrity (or otherwise). But we never really care what this word actually means. Often we take it as sincerity, truthfulness and standing by one’s words and so on. But I wanted a more meaningful and easy to understand this usually simple, yet very meaningful word that in fact is the essence of a man’s character.

I talked to a few “learned friends” of mine and each gave his own narration and understanding of the word. But none satisfied me. Then I finally found a wise man, a teacher, a mentor and a thinker. He looked at me with a frown, as if I had asked a question much below his wisdom. Then he smiled and asked, “Does what you eat make you strong or what you digest that makes you string?” Well it was a simple thing to ask me, but when I tried to answer, I understood the wisdom behind the question. Of course we eat a lot when attending marriages; rather we eat as if tomorrow would never come. But often come back with heartburns and have to take medicines to have a good night sleep. But does all those things that we stuffed inside us made us any stronger? Perhaps no. So what we actually digest is what matters most – it adds neutrinos to our body and makes our muscles and tissues stronger.

But my question wasn’t answered as yet. So I looked rather stupidly to the wise man, which had a smile on his face, probably understanding my inability to find the answer he was hinting at. He then went on to explain that a man may gain lot of wealth, but it is the savings that make him rich. We may read a lead, have closets full of books to impress others (specially a number of thirty plus volume encyclopedias and books written by famous authors), but what we actually remember makes us learned. And I readily agreed as I have come across many who have books but no knowledge, while a man living in the most desolate place on the earth that may have a page picked up from the trash, read and remembered the essence, was much wiser from then on.

And then he came to the final point. A man who professes but doesn’t practice for himself is man of no integrity. Simple isn’t it? Well yes and No. Now I started to understand the whole philosophy he was trying to teach me. And then I tried to correlate it. And here let me narrate a small incident. I once went to the market and while my wife went for shopping I just stood outside looking at people. I saw a man sitting outside his shop and reading something. I was impressed to find at least someone with a book. Suddenly, to my utter disgust and dismay, he spit on the road, which barely missed a lady passing by. I couldn’t stand this and went to the man. To my amazement the book he was reading was captioned, “Concept of cleanliness in Islam.” I indicated to the book and just told him, “Is this the book teaches you.” The man looked at me angrily and went inside. This is what the wise man had told me. Do we practice what we profess?

I can now apply this word aptly on anyone, including myself. Our prime minister asks everyone to pay the due taxes, but he and many members of his cabinet (including the fiancé minster) do not pay income tax. A leader in self exile in a foreign country lives on without any business or job, probably on the funding provided by his party, and professes others to give out their everything for the nation. There are politicians who have vaults full of money both in local and foreign banks, who ask “people” to donate generously for the flood victims, but haven’t donated a penny themselves.

I could go on and on, but my purpose was only to define integrity. Nothing more.

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