Tomorrow

I was coming back from a movie today when I got stuck in traffic at Boat Basin. I looked out and I saw a flaming object in the sky. I freaked and the natural response, "It's a bird, no it's a crashing plane, no it's Superman!" flashed through my mind. Panicking, I turned to my space cadet (pun intended) cousin sitting behind me and brought it to her attention. "Oh, Faysal bhai, that's just a lantern they've lit for the Peshawar incident." Relieved, I watched as the lantern quickly ran out of fuel and crashed. The symbolism for our own reactionary emotions after such horrendous incidents was glaring.

See, after the incident, Facebook was filled with posts of people changing their display pictures to all black in mourning. I did not. I felt it was a useless guilt driven reaction and it doesn't help those kids. The same money can be used to fund kids, etc. However, that lantern incident got me thinking. If our intention when changing those pictures was to feel good about ourselves ('doing our part') or grief (if one truly feels grief, Facebook isn't the first port of entry), then it was an exercise in futility in terms of productivity. 
If one wanted to show that we are united as a nation, that doesn't mean jack squat. However, the ONLY reason for such symbolism that I feel justifies these posts is to show the parents and loved ones of those children that we are behind them every step of the way. And therein lies the caveat. Such symbolic gestures to express solidarity with the parents of those lost in the tragedy must ONLY be employed if we are willing to put our money where our mouths are afterwards. Why? As a parent, nothing can replace the loss of a child. For the little that it's worth, it is important for them to know that we are with them during this immediate post-tragedy period. It is however, EQUALLY important for them to know that a few weeks after the incident, we will not resume our lives like we did before the incident. They must know that their children are not forgotten. That must be reflected in how our actions change even if it is something as small and seemingly unrelated as deciding not to litter on the streets because everything is connected. This incident should change us somehow permanently. It is horrible to know that a loss of a loved one changed us for the better quickly but that change was just as quickly reversed with time. These parents cannot bring their children back. So let their deaths not be in vain. Let their deaths have some meaning.

A question many of us are asking after this tragedy is, "What can we do?" That is a natural manifestation of the helplessness we are feeling right now as a nation. We can't close our eyes, click our magic shoe heels together like Dorothy and wish the world into being right as rain. We can't all go to where the terrorists are and weed them out by ourselves, much as we want to. What then? 
Do a thought experiment with me. Have you heard of the 6 degrees of separation? The theory that everybody alive in the world is linked by 6 people maximum. As in, I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a girl who knows a girl who knows Lindsay Lohan (Alright!). I want you to link your job with fighting terrorism. For example, I am a future doctor inshaAllah. If I am a bad doctor, my patients will remain ill. If they remain ill, they will not go to work. If they will not work, the economy will suffer. If the economy suffers, the poor will get poorer. If the poor get poorer, they will get depressed, will not get an education and will turn to desperate measures. A recipe for terrorist-making. If I dump trash on the street, it will cause pollution. It will promote disease and sickness (from here on, the link to terrorism is as above). Such connections can be found for everything if one looks at the bigger picture. Do whatever you can, no matter how insignificant it may seem. Above all, please shun the mindsets of "What can one person do? Might as well get going before the going gets tough," or "Everybody is doing it, so why shouldn't I?". When we bribe a policeman, we are promoting some ill that will only serve to come back to bite us in the rear end. Go on, think about it. It's all great to blame the government for screwing up, but if we have a nation of evil-doers, even evil of the smallest kind, no government, no matter how fairly elections were held, can do much. No policeman can maintain law and order in such a state, no matter how well paid he is or how well the laws are written and enforced. How many criminals can he catch before he is overwhelmed?

There is a principle in medicine, arguably it's most important: Do no harm. If you don't know how to fix a problem, at least don't make it worse. It is as important to prevent a bad thing from happening as it is to do a good thing.

Lastly, don't give up. You may not see the change you want to see in your lifetime. But if you don't work towards the change, then you DEFINITELY will not see the change you want to see in your lifetime. If we give up and emigrate, citing the safety of our families, promising to send remittances to the country for the poor, very little will get done. Money is no substitute for human effort. The money that comes back will go to the poor. So far, so good. The money will then be used by the poor to purchase necessities of life. Great. These necessities are generally sold and controlled by those heavily involved with corruption. However if we stay, and become good at bringing about change, we will invariably be targeted along with our families. It maybe very hard for us to hear this but it must be said: Tough. If we think bringing about change is going to be a walk in the park, then let us continue to be satisfied by just uploading an MS Paint-made black display picture. However, if we truly are serious about change, then let's walk the talk, even if it means sacrificing our wealth, loves, time or lives.