Daily Times

I sent my last out-of-turn submission on the Khadim Hussain-led dharna. The piece was carried on November 28, and was written in pain. I had not then read the instrument of surrender that we so gleefully and victoriously signed. I submit this today in shameful agony.

We have disgracefully acquiesced to all the demands made by a handful of thugs; acceded to everything. Up to and including rewarding them for their mayhem. Even as the capitulation was being negotiated — two police officials were kidnapped, robbed of investigating documents, tortured and thrown to the roadside. And the perpetrators have been guaranteed that no punitive action will be taken against them. Can we ever again expect police personnel to show courage, after this?

But, even as one is in the throes of anguished pain and frustrated anger, life goes on. No individual committed suicide or self-immolated, or went on hunger strike in protest of this surrender; including me. Today, therefore, despite my own torment, I choose to write on life and the ecstasy of living.

“Whither cometh I, and whither do I go?” is a question philosophers have pondered over, since recorded history. Darwin sought the answer in biology to arrive at what some believe to be a credible answer. Quantum Physics took over, with its study of matter and came to its own deductive answer. In this and other spheres, where science is at variation with religion; all religions have condemned thoughts that challenge theological dogma.

The one thing we are certain of is that every life which begins must come to an end. We know not when or how; but end it must. Is life, then, merely the span of time between birth and death? Certainly, it is for some. Meaning that there are those who “live, merely because they are alive”. But, there are others, too. Those striving for a better life, if not for themselves, then for their children. Those with ambition; who seek to rise in whichever way they may need.

My father was a man of few words. I cannot recall many occasions that he sought to guide me on life. But, whenever he did, it was something I treasured throughout mine. I was only 10 when Daddy sat me down to talk to me about studies. And had I acted upon his wishes — I would have been a better man

And then, there are the “Glory Boys”. These may be few in number but they leave their mark on history. They seek out challenges; they are “Conquerors”. They surmount mountains hitherto unclimbed; sail seas hitherto un-sailed; teach mankind that it can fly beyond the skies and swim far below the seas; they are pioneers of land, sea, and air; but, most of all they are conquerors of thought and knowledge. In short, they challenge known precepts and doctrines.

Do all of the above suggest glimpses of how life should be lived? A question all philosophers have sought to answer. I am a simple man, of elementary mind. I cannot even claim to understand the reasoning of these great minds. However, I am fortunate to have had guidance from my elders.

My father was a man of few words. I cannot recall many occasions that he sought to guide me on life. But, whenever he did, it was something I treasured throughout mine. I have never been a ‘hard-working’ person. I can work very, very hard, when I need to but I am not hard-working. I was only 10 when Daddy sat me down to talk to me about studies.

Had I acted upon my father’s wishes, I would have been a far better man than I turned out to be. But I did pick up two invaluable nuggets of wisdom, which have guided my days since. Daddy told me, “Knowledge is a priceless commodity; which empowers the one who has it. It is to be sought but, if you cannot seek it out, never spurn whatever come you by”, or words to that effect. I cannot say I sought knowledge, but I never spurned what came my way either.

The second thing I learnt that day was, “You need to excel in whatever you do. What you do must always have your discernible mark on it. But remember, you compete only against yourself and no other. Thus will you always be satisfied and will avoid the contemptible emotions of hate and jealousy”. I may have had some modicum of understanding of Daddy’s first advice; but I am certain I had none of the second. How can one compete with oneself? In any case, I was never a competitor.

However, the words must have touched a chord somewhere since they stayed with me. It was not till my late teens that I began to comprehend them and yet another decade, if not more, to understand the import of what I was told that day. These two pieces of advice have instructed my life.

The third guiding principle came of its own accord; from the American Declaration of Independence, no less. Namely that happiness has to be pursued. I learnt to seek it everywhere; in whatever I did, in the challenges that life meted out to me, in the hardships that befell; in defeat and in victory. In the house in which I live, in savouring a meal, in my children, and my grandchildren. Everywhere and in everything; I seek happiness and pleasure. Thus am I content.

My fourth and final shinning light did I learn from my children. I realised that whatever little understanding of life I had, including the gist of experiences materialised, was of no use if left unshared. So I share it all. With my children, my grandchildren, my students, and through my writing. But most importantly, I understood that, while I must share my meagre understanding of life, my children and any other, would best comprehend these if I refrain from telling them what to do and let them solve their own puzzles of life.

Thus have I lived and will continue to do so for the days I may have left.

The writer is a retired brigadier. He is also former vice president and founder of the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI)

Published in Daily Times, December 3^rd 2017.