I come from a family where you have to be perfect at everything. The blame is not on the parents. They only want the best for their children. Also, they never explicitly ask anyone to be perfect. The blame is on the debatable perceptions, unsaid but well understood expectations, envious community fellows and few relatives, and anyone and anything that can take the blame. After all, reasons and seasons are not the (pre)requisites for playing the blame game.
There is one thing that my parents have always kept explicit to and well understood by their children. They say that they have a philosophy for raising excellent children. They express it as “khilao sonay ka nawala, rakho shair ki nazar“. This Urdu phrase can be literally translated as “Feed morsels made out of gold, (but) keep an eye (on the person in question) as if that of a lion”. My parents are people of action. I have to critically evaluate their philosophy yet, but I understand and appreciate what they have done for me. Their “shair ki nazar” (lion’s gaze) has kept me grounded while their “sonay ka nawala” (gold morsel) has given me wings.
Since my graduation from NUCES (aka FAST-NU), my aim has been to acquire higher education at THE best university of the world. Here I would like to mention that I am a Computer Science major, and THE best university of the world is subjective. My family has given some of the notable and world renown figures to the nation and world. Some of my cousins have studied at the top tier institutions. I am surrounded by people who, as per their capacity, are making significant difference on daily basis. With the bar set high, I cannot dare to dream small.
However, the inspiration, encouragement, and passion cannot make up for the shortcomings which surface from being in the hands of fate. I have a long way to go. The path is not an easy one either. My family is unbelievably supportive. It is the colleagues, friends, few relatives, and community members who seem to have a better idea on who I am, how my family and personal life is, and what should be done with my (future) life. With my family leading the way and my strongheadedness, they don’t have any room to interfere or influence. But, oh boy! How relentless we can be! If nothing, peer pressure can be introduced, energies can be killed, and doubts and ideas can be injected.
It is simply heartbreaking.
People’s superiority complexes and huge egos require me to go an extra mile. My own inability to accept people for who they are surprises me, and it is certainly a topic of discussion for another time. For now I think that people need to understand that everyone has a different destiny. People, who are momentarily at the disposal of fate, are in no way intellectually inferior. In fact those who are challenged by the fate on daily basis have ample (and sometimes realistic) understanding of their life path and destiny.
There is no competition either.
People of faith should also know and believe that nature goes into frenzy if accounts are mishandled, and no stone is left unturned until the balance is restored.