DISHONORED DOLLS

 

Standing on top of the scenic hill, I inhaled the finest air of our homeland and reveled in the fact that I finally made it. For some strange reason I always wanted to visit this particular hill top. The subtle silence it offered, and the endless view it contained, always fascinated me. So, I decided to pay it homage while my family got busy setting up the massive barbeque gadgetry at a more convenient spot. I touched the big lone rock, which I am sure had never kissed the warmth of a human hand for years, and sat on it to delve in the beguiling beauty of nature. Everything looked so small beneath my muddy hiking boots. In fact, I felt most alive among the greens and grains of that very place.

While I was about to touch the heights of pride something threw me back into the depths of wicked world. I opened my eyes to the realization that my vast conscious took over my narrow sight. Disregarding the pleas of my mind, I paid close attention with my heart and the harsh revelations shattered me. There was a clutter of unnoticed agony before me, in the form of intermingled ways and paths. I saw dreadful stories written on the walls of tiny houses, I heard painful screams from the darkest blind alleys, and I felt the sound of barefoot women running across the country to keep their dignity intact. The extreme proximity to such blazing truths soon suffocated my mind, despite of the cool breeze that surrounded my body.

It is true that with each passing moment our people are becoming more and more civilized in terms of technology and more and more uncivilized in terms of moral values. We staunchly believe that as long as there’s food on our tables and smart phones in our pockets we are the kings of our castles. In this rat race of daylight robbery the telecommunication companies of Pakistan clearly get the trophy. Ranging from free calls and SMS round the clock to unlimited access of mobile internet 24/7, they never even miss an ephemeral opportunity to entrance the tiny egos of our general public.

Mobile Internet – what is it really? Is it a mean to stay connected to our closed ones at all times or a crystal ball to see what’s happening in every corner of the world or just a modern day substitute for oxygen? The answer is quite ambiguous and difficult to unravel. However, the thing that is beyond any contemplation is the reason behind offering it to every individual, when those who really need it already carry chic laptops under their arms. So, who is the actual target market for this pocket demon? Is it the conductor of a local bus, or the waiter of a cheap restaurant, or the driver of a rented taxi? If so, then with their countless anxieties and vacant minds, do they really need such temptation at their finger tips?

Pakistan has always been known as a conservative nation, but in 2011 it managed to top the list of countries with most online searches for pornographic material. Carting that scandalous tribute, today our telecommunication companies are more than happy to add fuel to this fire and give birth to another horrid crisis in the country. Earlier we merely believed in mummification of woman’s body by throwing acid on her in the name of honor, but now we can also progress towards mummifying her spirit by sabotaging each and every angle of it.

The biggest tragedy is that we simply refuse to open our eyes and see our real faces. Wearing a mask of civilized society seems suitable because it lets us fit in with the rest of the world, but in truth we are nothing but a bunch of hypocrites. We talk of women’s education but turn down the need to guard their honor. We hope to become saints but love to carry devils in our pockets. Alas, we all have become aware of the cursed fact that life is way easier for the blind, because they have so much little to judge.

Suddenly the sky reminded me that it’s time to leave my bittersweet utopia. For me, the hours spent there were beyond a peaceful brooding session; they were more of a redundant realization of ground realities. Since every aspect of life contains two sides, the one we wish to believe and the one we resist to see. Liberty is good for us, it lets us breath, but we must not misjudge its power to torment us if it lies outside the boundaries of principles. Although technology is one of today’s bare necessities, it is growing into an albatross around our necks. It’s purely devastating to witness our women living in a free country, and fearing the dark.

Omar Bradley once said: “If we continue to develop our technology without wisdom or prudence, our servant may prove to be our executioner.” I guess the time has come for us to quit maintaining the forged facade of indifference and superficiality. The lawless technology is devouring our nation like wildfire, especially young women. No natural catastrophe and mass killing incident can outweigh the cases of little girls with breathing bodies and shaking souls. Forever their silenced lips will speak volumes, but we won’t be able to mend their hearts as we are unaware of our limitations. Freedom is not becoming slave to our sightless desires; freedom is restoring our core’s fragments over and over again. Perhaps it is time to pay heed to the unheard pleas of numerous victims. Because if we keep on calling it a call of fate at this rate, rather than sifting through our unconscious conscience, it won’t be long before dishonored dolls dwell in each and every home of our land.

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