By: Shazia Yousuf

I was totally horrified when I read the article “Waiting to receive pieces of daughter’s body” published in The News. Reading about the brutal murder of Shamsul Anwar’s son by some terrorists, tore me apart. Shamsul Anwar according to that article was not an ordinary person, but a hero who risked his own life to save the lives of hundreds of people in a mosque by single handedly taking care of the terrorists who were planting a bomb in the mosque. These same terrorists, later on took revenge by murdering his eldest son, torturing the younger son, and now kidnapping his daughter.

The only thought that kept haunting me was that this world is not at all a safe place any more, where human life is a cheap commodity, which anyone could take easily, and there is no one to stop this barbarism! Even in jungle, rules prevail. But here, we observe “azadi” to the fullest. On the other hand, it was also great to see how people quickly started responding to the call for help to collect ransom money for Shamsul Anwar’s daughter and donations started pouring in even from abroad. I was anxious, and worried, waiting to find out the end result of the efforts.

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I am growing into a hater of slavery. The worst form of slavery … Temptations that is. how much i am loathing this idea at this point in life is manifest in my ways now a days as i feel i am not only turning into a misanthrope alone but a nihilist too (as per psychiatric definitions and not philosophical). Days in and days out i see physiological, intellectual, emotional, moral, religious, materialistic and spiritual slavery.

Physicality is tempted to desire and sensuality to indulge..

Intellect is tempted to create… ideas, words and then confusions followed by falsities..

Pride is tempted by conceitedness and Arrogance by disdain..

Impulse is tempted to folly and Wisdom is tempted to procrastinate..

Religiosity is tempted by self-righteousness and Morality by holiness..

Beauty is tempted to exhibit and Talent to express..

Inadequacy is tempted to depend and Loneliness is tempted to string along..

Passion is tempted to incinerate and Courage to brawl..

Patience is tempted to suffer and Faith to trust..

Skepticism is tempted to question and Cynicism to doubt..

Hatred is tempted to divide and Jealousy is tempted to malign..

Love is tempted to caste a beloved and Devotion to cast God..

Spirituality is tempted to seek the ultimate and Indifference is tempted to become its own God..

Hence the preordained paths for a journey called life in a void called destiny… I for one do not want to give in to the decreed temptations and refuse to be a slave to my own. I for once want to be my own creator and taste what was once called Free Will..

Dictators have been toppled and killed in the Arab world, but has revolution actually occurred and is democracy guaranteed?