We all read Ghalib's this verse wrong

 Ghalib ka aik shyr hai -

Zia Mohiyuddin read it right; otherwise, 99 percent read it wrong without stopping at "fursat"

On drifting in life

 

On Parenting, Children and Shepherds

As Jibran said: These are not your children; they are children of the time."

 

 

Aurat aur baap

 Medical college ka shayed 4th year tha. Karachi ki aik suhani raat thi. Bijli gaayeb thi. Aur hum chandni raat main hostel ke bahir manji daal ke cigarette phoonk rahe the.

Main ne us se poocha: "tumhe chor ke us ne us buddhe professor se shadi ker li. Koi to wajah rahi ho gi?"

Us ne cigarette  ka aik kash lagaya aur bola: "Aurat saari zindagi baap hi dhundhti rehti hai."

Bertrand Russell on Intellectual Rubbish

 "If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do. If some one maintains that two and two are five, or that Iceland is on the equator, you should feel pity rather than anger, unless you know so little of arithmetic or geography that his opinion shakes your own contrary conviction. 

The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there is no good evidence either way. Persecution is used in theology, not in arithmetic, because in arithmetic there is knowledge, but in theology there is only opinion. So whenever you find yourself getting angry about a difference of opinion, be on your guard; you will probably find, on examination, that your belief is going beyond what the evidence warrants."

— Bertrand Russell, An Outline of Intellectual Rubbish (1943)

Ghar ka chota/nikamma bachha

 

Aur Muhabbat!

 

Lonely

 

'I miss you' in Pashto

 

Beautiful

پتھر تھا مگر برف کے گالوں کی طرح تھا

اک شخص اندھیروں میں اجالوں کی طرح تھا

خوابوں کی طرح تھا نہ خیالوں کی طرح تھا

وہ علم ریاضی کے سوالوں کی طرح تھا

الجھا ہوا ایسا کہ کبھی حل نہ ہو سکا

سلجھا ہوا ایسا کہ مثالوں کی طرح تھا

وہ مل تو گیا تھا مگر اپنا ہی مقدر

شطرنج کی الجھی ہوئی چالوں کی طرح تھا

وہ روح میں خوشبو کی طرح ہو گیا تحلیل

جو دور بہت چاند کے ہالوں کی طرح تھا

Shafqat bhai (walmart wale)

I am not a big fan of Walmart, but once in a while, I had to go to my neighborhood Walmart to buy stuff I could not find anywhere else. Shafqat bhai is in his late 60s. He is from Pakistan and started working at Walmart after retiring from a VA job. He has been working at our local Walmart for about a decade. His job is to stay at the door, check receipts, and guide people to appropriate sections.

Yesterday, I had to go to Walmart to buy an alarm. I stopped by the door and had a brief chat with him.

"Shafqat bhai: I am amazed. It takes a lot to stand at the door every day for ten years and check receipts. It's incredibly dull and frustrating."

He put his hands around my shoulder, and as we walked, he said: "It was. In the beginning, it was extremely frustrating to stand at the door for 8 hours and check receipts. But being at home as a retiree was even more frustrating. Finally, I learned a new thing. I start saying 'Good morning' to all comers to store and 'God bless you' to all 'outgoers.' A glimpse of freshness, happiness, and a smile on customers' faces brings a special joy to my heart. I never imagined it could be so huge. Now it's ten years, and I look forward to my job every day."

I just said: "WOW," and walked to my car.

*

So true

 Someone shared this today. I think this is very true. I still remember a few nights I had to spend at a few places in my early days of struggle in the USA.

You haven't struggled until you slept in someone else's house, KNOWING they didn't want you there‼