On What is Haram?

 

Way

 

Life (from a different angle)

 

Casablanca

 You must remember this

A kiss is just a kiss

A sigh is just a sigh

The fundamental things apply

As time goes by

And when two lovers woo

They still say "I love you"

On that you can rely

No matter what the future brings

As time goes by

Moonlight and love songs

Never out of date

Hearts full of passion

Jealousy and hate

Woman needs man, and man must have his mate

That no one can deny

It's still the same old story

A fight for love and glory

A case of do or die

The world will always welcome lovers

As time goes by

Moonlight and love songs

Never out of date

Hearts full of passion

Jealousy and hate

Woman needs man, and man must have his mate

That no one can deny

It's still the same old story

A fight for love and glory

A case of do or die

The world will always welcome lovers

As time goes by

Beautiful Poetry

 

Processing vs Bypassing

 

Mysterious Edinburgh

My all-time favorite city. Wish I can move there...

 

Parizaad

 When Parizaad ran on TV last year, I was not aware of it. I got a text from an old childhood friend from Scotland to watch it. I asked him: "Why?"

He replied: "Hum sab ki kahani parizaad jesi hai." 

(Reminded a lot of episodes from my previous life in Pakistan)

حسن کے جزیروں میں روپ کے کناروں پر
ریشمی اندھیرے ہیں، سُرمئی اُجالے ہیں
ایک ناز آفریں دل پر قبضہ جمائی بیٹھی ہے
جس کی جھیل آنکھوں میں دو نیل بوں سے پیالے ہیں

نا پوچھ پری زادوں سے یہ ہجر کیسے جھیلا ہے
یہ تن بدن تو چھلنی ہے اور روح پر بھی چھالے ہیں
کیسے جان پاؤ گے؟ عشق میں کیا گزری ہے؟
کتنے زخم کھائے ہیں؟ کتنے درد پالے ہیں؟

سائیاں وے
سائیاں وے
سائیاں وے

خواہشوں کے جنگل میں حسرتوں کے بستر پر
جسم تو گلابی ہیں اور دل سے کالے ہیں
میں دھوپ کا پجاری ہوں
میں لفظ کا بھکاری ہوں
لیکن جہاں میں بستا ہوں، وہاں مندروں پہ تالے ہیں

کیا عشق وہ نبھائیں گے؟
کیا حسن کو سراہیں گے؟
تاریک جن کے چہرے ہیں
مقدّروں پہ جالے ہیں

ہیں دشمنوں سے کیا شکوہ؟ کیا گلہ رقیبوں سے؟
یہ سانپ آستینوں میں ہم نے خود ہی پالے ہیں

نا پوچھ پری زادوں سے یہ ہجر کیسے جھیلہ ہے

یہ تن بدن تو چھلنی ہے اور روح پر بھی چھالے ہیں 
کیسے جان پاؤ گے؟ عشق میں کیا گزری ہے؟

On Dukh, Sukh and Poetry

 

On Bouncing Back

 

Einstein's view on life

I am not an Atheist. I do not know if I can define myself as a Pantheist. The problem involved is too vast for our limited minds. May I do not reply with a parable? The human mind, no matter how highly trained, cannot grasp the universe. We are in the position of a little child, entering a huge library whose walls are covered to the ceiling with books in many different tongues. The child knows that someone must have written those books. It does not know who or how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. 

The child notes a definite plan in the arrangement of the books, a mysterious order, which it does not comprehend, but only dimly suspects. That, it seems to me, is the attitude of the human mind, even the greatest and most cultured, toward God. We see a universe marvelously arranged, obeying certain laws, but we understand the laws only dimly. Our limited minds cannot grasp the mysterious force that sways the constellations. 

I am fascinated by Spinoza's Pantheism. I admire even more his contributions to modern thought. Spinoza is the greatest of modern philosophers because he is the first philosopher who deals with the soul and the body as one, not as two separate things.

-- *Albert Einstein (1879-1955)*, _as mentioned in Glimpses of the Great by G. S. Viereck (1930), paraphrased in Walter Isaacsson's Einstein: His Life and Universe_

Hard Work

 

The Zeigarnik Effect

 You pull out the key to open your house. You unlock the door and get inside. Then several hours later you're looking for the key and wondering where it is. And you discover that you have left it behind on the door. Has this happened to you?

To understand why it happens, let’s flashback to Bluma Zeigarnik, a Russian psychologist. One evening, Zeigarnik and her friends went out for dinner to a restaurant. They had a lovely meal. Guess what the highlight was? It was the service. More specifically, their waiter. He had an amazing memory. So as everybody placed their orders, he remembered every little detail, without writing anything down. He remembered who ordered what. And how they wanted it. Zeigarnik and her friends were all amazed by the waiter's memory.

After the meal, they were driving back when Zeigarnik discovered that she had left her jacket behind in the restaurant. So she turned around, drove back to the restaurant and sought out that friendly waiter who she knew would be happy to help her locate her jacket. Imagine her horror though when she found the waiter, but the waiter didn't even recognize her. What happened?

It got Zeigarnik thinking. And her research then showed how our brain tends to work. When a task is completed, our brain hits the delete button. And our memory gets wiped clean. Our short term memory struggles with space to retain information. So it keeps only the unfinished tasks alive. And the minute a task is completed it hits the delete button. And that's why waiters at restaurants will remember every little detail of your order. But only until the bill is made. That’s why when we photocopy a document, we pick up the copy and walk away, leaving the original behind. This has come to be known as the Zeigarnik effect. A term that describes how our short-term memory deletes completed tasks. Fascinating, isn't it?

The Zeigarnik effect might explain why at a bank’s ATM, you are now required to pull your card out before collecting the cash. They know Zeigarnik will be at play and once you collect the cash, the task is finished and good chance you will forget to take your card back.

It's something we can all put to good use. In serials, every episode ends tantalisingly. Each episode ends at a point where you will say ‘wow, what happens next’? You want to know, you want to come back. There is no closure at the end of that episode and that's what brings us back all the time. Had there been closure, chances are we’d quickly forget about it. Maybe a powerful idea for all of us. If there is something you want to make sure remains alive, keep it just a bit unfinished. Writing a book? Make sure you end every writing session at a point of suspense or tension. Don’t resolve it. Don’t finish it. That will bring you back next day to writing again.

The Zeigarnik effect might also explain my favourite piece of communication advice. It’s this. Someone said that there are really two golden rules of communication: 1. Never tell everything at once.

That’s it. Ah, the Zeigarnik effect!

The writer is an author, speaker and leadership coach and former MD of Kimberly Clark Lever BEST BRAINS.

The director of the George Washington University School of Medicine argues that the brain of an older person is much more practical than is commonly believed. At this age, the interaction of the right and left hemispheres of the brain becomes harmonious, which expands our creative possibilities. That is why among people over 60 years of age you can find many personalities who have just started their creative activities.

  Of course, the brain is no longer as fast as it was in youth. However, it gains in flexibility. Therefore, with age, we are more likely to make the right decisions and are less exposed to negative emotions. The peak of human intellectual activity occurs around the age of 70, when the brain begins to function at full strength.

  Over time, the amount of myelin in the brain increases, a substance that facilitates the rapid passage of signals between neurons. Due to this, intellectual abilities increase by 300% compared to the average.

 Also interesting is the fact that after 60 years, a person can use 2 hemispheres at the same time. This allows you to solve much more complex problems.

 Professor Monchi Uri, from the University of Montreal, believes that the old man's brain chooses the path that consumes less energy, eliminates the unnecessary and leaves only the right options to solve the problem. A study was conducted involving different age groups. Young people were very confused when passing the tests, while those over 60 years of age made the right decisions.

 Now, let's look at the characteristics of the brain between the ages of 60 and 80. They are really pink.

 *CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BRAIN OF AN ELDERLY PERSON.*

 1. Neurons in the brain do not die, as everyone around you says. The connections between them simply disappear if one does not engage in mental work.

 2. Distraction and forgetfulness arise due to an overabundance of information. Therefore, *it is not necessary for you to concentrate your whole life on unnecessary trifles.*

 3. From the age of 60, a person, when making decisions, does not use one hemisphere at the same time, like young people, but both.

 *4. Conclusion: if a person leads a healthy lifestyle, moves, has viable physical activity and is fully mentally active, intellectual abilities do NOT decrease with age, they simply GROW, reaching a peak at the age of 80-90 years.*

 *So do not be afraid of old age. Strive to develop intellectually. Learn new crafts, make music, learn to play musical instruments, paint pictures! Take an interest in life, meet and communicate with friends, plan for the future, travel as best you can. Do not forget to go to shops, shows. Don't shut up alone, it's destructive to anyone. Live with the thought: all good things are still ahead of me!*

Ustad Zauq

پہنچا کمند ڈال کے اُس بام پر رقیب

‏سچ ہے حرام زادے کی رسی دراز ہے 

‏- ابراہیم ذوق 

Legend of dreamcathcher

After finishing my residency, I practiced family medicine in far-flung rural towns of the USA for a while. For two days a week, I used to do half a day clinic well deep down in Native Indian reservations.

It was a unique experience. I learned much about their beliefs, lifestyle, culture, and 'mehman-nawazi.' (No wonder they lost their land simply to a turkey).

When I was leaving to return to the East Coast, one of the family offered me a Dreamcatcher as a gift.

Shayed isi dreamcatcher ki badolat mere bohat se khwab pure huwe - who aaj bhi mere paas mehfooz hai

(The below descriptions are taken from the internet)

Long ago, when the world was young, an old Lakota spiritual leader was on a high mountain. On the mountain, he had a vision. In his vision, Iktomi — the great trickster and teacher of wisdom — appeared in the form of a spider.

Iktomi spoke to him in a sacred language that only spiritual leaders of the Lakota could understand. As Iktomi spoke, he took the elder's willow hoop — which had feathers, horse hair, beads and offerings on it — and began to spin a web.

He spoke to the elder about the cycles of life and how we begin our lives as infants. We then move on to childhood and in to adulthood. Finally, we go to old age where we must be taken care of as infants, thus, completing the cycle.

“But,” Iktomi said as he continued to spin his web, “in each time of life there are many forces — some good and some bad. If you listen to the good forces, they will steer you in the right direction. But, if you listen to the bad forces, they will hurt you and steer you in the wrong direction.”

He continued, “There are many forces and different directions that can help or interfere with the harmony of nature and also with the Great Spirit and all of his wonderful teachings.”

All while the spider spoke, he continued to weave his web … starting from the outside and working toward the center. When Iktomi finished speaking, he gave the Lakota elder the web and said, “See, the web is a perfect circle, but there is a hole in the center of the circle.”

“Use the web to help yourself and your people … to reach your goals and make use of your people's ideas, dreams and visions. If you believe in the Great Spirit, the web will catch your good ideas, and the bad ones will go through the hole.” (Note: Some bands believe the bad ideas are caught in the web and the good ideas pass through to the individual. Either account is acceptable.)

The Lakota elder passed his vision on to his people. Now, the Sioux use the dreamcatchers as the web of their life. Traditionally, it is hung above their beds or in their homes to sift their dreams and visions. Good dreams are captured in the web of life and carried with them … but the evil dreams escape through the center's hole and are no longer part of them. (Note: Some bands believe the bad ideas are caught in the web and the good ideas pass through to the individual. Either account is acceptable.)

Lakota believe the dreamcatcher holds the destiny of their future.

Maut - aur us ke baad 2 cheezain

 Jab jawani main insaan ka koi dost mar jaaye to insaan hil jaata hai

Aik din aik dost aik dam se accident main mer gaya - Chicago se Karachi main apne khandan ki umeedoN ka wahid chirag tha.

is baat ko 25 baras ho gaye.....

Aur phir hum sab use bhool gaye 

Jab peechle saal Pakistan gaya to pata laga us ke walid bistere marg pe hain. Main Moosa colony main, machli market ke saath - dhundhte dhundhte unke makan main pauncha to aik naheef kamzoor insaani dhancha bister pe para tha...

ajeeb yaad-dasht thi - ya shayed aulad se juRi har cheez - insaan ke dimag se chipak jaati hai - foran pehchan gaye

Mujhe dekh ke un  ki aankhon se 2 aansoo dhalak gaye. Main kuch der unka haat tham ke wapas nikal aaya

Jab main - sochon main gum - baRi saRak pe pauncha to mujhe aehsaas huwa

Agar Insaan mar jaaye - to peeche sirf do cheezain reh jaati hain

Aik qabar pe agar-batti ka dhuwaN (jo ab bhi meri nazron se nahi hatta)

aur dusre

ma baap ki ankhon main chupe aansoo

- aur phir aik din sab kuch hawa'on main tehleel ho jaata hai - jese kabhi koi kahani thi hi nahi

On Remembering Birthdays

 Agar birthdays ko iPhone ke calendar main save ker ke yaad rakhna paRe - to behtar hai 

       - aese birthdays yaad hi na rakkhe jaayain

What is Love

 

The most profound quote

 Over the years, all the quotes I have heard, I have never found more profound than this

“Death is the great equalizer of human beings.” ― Kilroy J. Oldster, Dead Toad Scrolls

Van Gogh’s “Potato Eaters”

 From Van Gogh’s realist work, I love this “Potato Eaters”. One could spend an hour finding the details and reality that they evoke.

Kuch khubsurat cheezain (aur dehshat)

 Kehte hain: "Russian literature brings nothing but the understanding of deep sorrows." In comparison to other world literature, I found Russian literature way more vibrating at deep human consciousness boundaries.

Aik Russian kahani parhi thi, us ka agaz kuch yun hota hai: (Ab to writer bhi yaad nahi.)

Duniya main kuch cheezain bohat khubsurat hoti hain

Chandni raat

Sufed kapron main malboos aurat

jheel ka kinara

aik udas gamgeen ma

ma ke piyar ki aarzoo kerta bachha

Aur - agar ye sab aik saath hon to is se ziyada khatarnaak koi cheez nahi, aur maut ke saaye kahin aas paas mandla rahe hain

*The story deals with the life of a man who was born to a woman who lives a constant melancholic life due to the loss of her love. The boy is growing up without much attention from his mother. The mother eventually commits suicide one night by drowning in the lake and he carries that trauma all his life. This brings complications to his relationship with the women he encounters in his life. The end was left open with the man standing at the side of a lake at night for readers to guess, whether he committed suicide or not?

Burhape ki do cheezain

 I was in my early twenties, and like any normal young man used to hang out a lot in the evening at the neighborhood corner with other boys.

Ye woh umar hoti hai jab insaan ko apne mustaqbil ki aur naujawani ke 'crush' ki fikar saath saath rehti hai

One thing I still recall (and a lot frequently as I progress towards old age), is an elderly chacha in his late 60s used to tell us

Mere bachhoN, burhape pe insaan ko do hi cheezon ki aarzoo reh jaati hai

Aik purani naukri chahey kitni hi buri kiun na ho

aur

Aik purani biwi, jis ki adat par gai ho aur chahey kitni hi bad-zuban kiun na ho

Spoonless Party

 It was an interesting and unique party.

Last week, I was invited by some Mexican/Spanish friends to their place for a "Spoonless Party", where utensils were not allowed. You have to eat everything from your hand.

The theme of this party was that: The food is more pleasurable if eaten with bare hands. Even if you have to eat steak, eat with bare hand."

I found it very conceptual and truly enjoyed every bite more than if I had used a fork/spoon/knife/straw.

A sane advice

اگر کسی شخص سے تعلق کاٹ چُکے ہو ، تو اُس کے متعلق اپنی زبان بھی کاٹ دو

265 years old letters

 Pakistan TV pe aik drama aaya kerta the: "Raat, Rail or Khat" - jis main aik train ka aik raat accident ho jaata hai - aur post-office ki khaton se bhari aik bori gum ho jaati hai

Aur phir har ghumshuda aik khat ke peeche ki kahani dikhai jaati hai

Aesa hi kuch peechele dinoN huwa.

Khaton ka 'treasure box'  -265 years - baad daryaft huwa.

“I could spend the night writing to you … I am your forever faithful wife,” Marie Dubosc wrote. “Good night, my dear friend. It is midnight. I think it is time for me to rest.”

Read this interesting story:

https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/06/world/french-letters-national-archives-scn/index.html

Dostoevsky says

~دوستوئفسکی

 عورتیں آتی جاتی ہیں لیکن زندگی کبھی بھی آپ کو ایک اچھی عورت سے دو بار نہیں نوازتی.

Gaza ke naam - Sahir Ludhyanvi ki nazam

I am still trying to absorb the shock and horror of everyday images of dying children, women, and old people in Gaza.

 We all have blood on our hand

So-called, "The Great Game."

USA, Ukraine, Russia, Iran, Hamas, Israel...blah blah blah

In the end, no one cares about dying children, women, and common men on any side of the border, in any corner of the world.

Chup of Love

 

A sufi equation

 

Hamsafar

 

Women

“باتوں باتوں میں مجھے خیال آیاکہ مرد کے دل میں عورت کی کشش کی ایک وجہ یہ بھی ہے کہ عورت کے سامنے وہ دل کھول کر جھوٹ بول سکتا ہے اور عورت بھی ہر دم جھوٹ سننے کے لیے تیار رہتی ہے۔ ہوشیار سے ہوشیار عورت بھی بلاآخر اسی مرد کو پسند کرتی ہے جس کے جھوٹ پر وہ اعتبار کر سکے

” لحمے/بلونت سنگھ افسانہ 1949 میں لکھا گیا تھا۔

Love

 

Right or left extremists

 

Worst year to be alive

 

Enough

 

Life Angels

The following video is very metaphorical. We have no idea, how many times angels have protected us!

 

 

Science and Religion

 I don't agree with him many times. I think he is overrated. But I liked this statement.

 

Muqabila

میں ان ہزاروں عورتوں سے مقابلہ کر سکتی ہوں جو تمہیں چاہتی ہیں مگر میں اس ایک عورت سے مقابلہ نہیں کر سکتی جسے تم چاہتے ہو

The Golden Duck - Web of our lives

Sir Don Bradman came into the 1932 Ashes - also known as the Bodyline series - with a great reputation, having plundered 974 runs in the previous Ashes in 1930. Also, in his last Test innings, he had scored 299* against South Africa. 

When Bradman walked out to bat in the first innings of the second Test (he missed the first Test), the whole MCG stood up to greet him. However, Bradman was out the first ball, hooking a ball outside the line of stumps back onto the stumps, leaving the whole ground in shock. 

As it is stated in one of the biographies on Sir Don, around 550 km away from MCG, in Hobart, a certain Mr. P. Hancock, who was listening to proceedings of the game on a radio in his hotel, was so disappointed with Bradman's duck, he walked out to take a stroll. 

Wandering aimlessly in disgust of Bradman's performance, he saw three kids drowning in a nearby river, with the youngest of the lot later reported to be only 2 and a half years old.

Mr. Hancock dived in without taking off his clothes and it is believed the three kids were saved by him.

Bradman's duck was a highly unanticipated event. However, it seems it had a bigger significance than just a number on the scoreboard as it ended up in a much bigger cause.

Bradman came back strongly in the second innings, scoring 103* in Australia's 111-run victory.

Subconscious Mind

Recently, a CEO of a big healthcare system told me that: 

"All of my landmark or tuned-good decisions and strategies were never made while I was vigilant. They all came out of my subconscious mind during the last stretch of my sleep. I sleep 9-10 hours a day. In the last two hours of sleep, during a trans-state before waking up, I usually find answers to my unsolved queries, difficult situations, and strategies for uncharted territories. They always turned out better than all brilliant minds' long discussion sessions."

No Gare Hira? - What!

 This video came as a shock to me

One of the finest scene from classic Indian cinema

 

‏روزی

‏تیرا ملنا ایسا ہوتا ہے

‏جیسے کوئی ہتھیلی پر 

‏اک وقت کی روزی رکھ دے

‏ امرتا پریتم 

Dilip Sahab Says..

 

Carl Sagan on Evolution

I don't agree, but respect his views.

 

 

Khojak Tunnel

 

Kaleem Aajiz - One of my favorites

بہت شاداب لیکن بے ثمر تھا

کسی ناراض موسم کا شجر تھا

وە صدیوں کا تھکا ہارا مسافر

جسے درپیش لا حاصل سفر تھا

وە اپنے آپ سے بچھڑا ہوا تھا

تلاشِ گمشدە میں در بدر تھا

بدن کہتا تھا کتنی داستانیں

ذباں چپ تھی کہ رسوائ کا ڈر تھا

وە سوچوں میں ستارے ٹانکتا تھا

کہ اسکی راکھ میں کوئ شرر تھا

مثالِ آئینہ تھیں اس کی آنکھیں

مگر اس کا زمانہ کم نظر تھا

وە ان دیکھے خدا کو مانتا تھا

فرشتوں سے زیادە معتبر تھا

خرد مندوں کے شہرِ بے ہنر میں 

وە زندە تھا یہی اس کا ہنر تھا

دیا اسکا بجھا رہتا تھا عاجز

کسی آسیب کا شاید اثر تھا 

It's not Faiz poem

 ‏یہ غزل غلطی سے فیض احمد فیض صاحب سے منسوب کی جاتی یے۔ اسکے شاعر اختر ملک ہیں

 انکی کتاب , بساط میں ہو تو بھول جانا.  , سے لی گئی ہے:

‏قرب کے نہ وفا کے ہوتے ہیں

‏سارے جھگڑے اَنا کے ہوتے ہیں

‏بات نیت کی ہے صرف ورنہ

‏وقت سارے دعا کے ہوتے ہیں

‏بھول جاتے ہیں ، مت برا کہئے

‏لوگ پُتلے خطا کے ہوتے ہیں

‏وہ جو بظاہر کچھ نہیں لگتے

‏ان سے رشتے بلا کے ہوتے ہیں

‏وہ ہمارا ہے اسطرح سے شاید

‏جیسے بندے خدا کے ہوتے ہیں

‏اختر ملک

Aulad ke liye aik nasihat

‏‏میرے بیٹے

کبھی اتنے اونچے نہ ہونا

‏کہ کندھے پر سر رکھ کر اگر کوئی رونا چاہے

‏تو اسے سیڑھی لگانی پڑے !

‏اتنے متعصب نہ ہونا 

‏کہ ایشور کو بچانے کے لیے

‏انسان پر ہی تمہارا ہاتھ اٹھ جائے !

‏نہ کبھی اتنے دیش بھگت بننا کہ کسی زخمی کو اُٹھانے کیلیے اپنا

‏جھنڈا زمین پر نہ رکھ سکو!

‏-                                          

‏کویتا کادمبری 

Wardat

جب بھی کہیں اچھا شعر دیکھو تو سمجھ لو کہ کہیں نہ کہیں کوئی عیسیٰ مصلوب ہوا ہے 

مشتاق یوسفی 

Power of Fiction

 

One Mind

 

History

 

Aaaj ka daur

 

Josh on Urdu (Read by Dilip Sahab)

 

Bertrand Russell Advice

 

'A locket, a soldier, and a broken heart …’

It was a difficult decision for Eric Chinner to enlist in 1915. 

After all, Eric had recently kindled a romance with Gladys Dunn, a fellow clerk he worked with. The smitten couple had planned to marry. 

But then in the patriotic fervour of the Great War, droves of Eric’s friends had enlisted. How could he possibly refuse his country’s call? 

Before embarking, Eric gifted Gladys an exquisite gold locket that contained his hand-coloured portrait, an engraving of his initials, and his school crest. 

No doubt Gladys firmly clasped the locket as Eric’s 32nd Battalion marched through Adelaide’s streets toward the port.

Gladys cherished the locket during Eric’s long absence; it was a constant reminder of her ‘Laddie

By July 1916, Eric’s battalion had been transferred to the Western Front near Fromelles. ‘We are taking part in a great offensive,’ he wrote home. ‘We are the first to go over the parapet...Of course, I'm a bit shaky, but not very scared.’ 

On the night of 19 July, 2,500 British and Australian soldiers were slaughtered in a hellish attack upon heavily fortified German trenches.

Weeks later, Gladys received the news that Eric was missing in action. 

Eric’s father, Thomas, closely observed the grief-stricken Gladys. He watched her tightly clasp that locket while she pondered what had happened to her ‘Laddie’. 

Years slipped by with no news. 

Gladys would never marry. 

Gladys, who lived into her nineties, died in a nursing home never knowing what had happened to Eric. While she rarely spoke about him, she did bequeath the locket to her niece, Sue Leask. 

‘I’d often looked at the photo and wondered,’ recalled Sue. 

Then in 2008 a burial ground was discovered near Fromelles. It contained the remains of 250 soldiers, including Eric’s, which were eventually identified.  

After seeing newspaper reports about the discovery, Sue noted the striking resemblance between the tiny portrait in the locket and one of the soldiers - Eric Chinner. 

 

After an exhaustive search, Sue contacted John Guest, Eric’s great-nephew, and told him of their family’s connection. 

At an emotional meeting, Sue returned the locket to the Chinner family. 

That 100-year-old locket enshrined all the emotions of war: love, forlorn hope, deep grief, and reconnection. 

Ustad Zakir Hussain

 Ustad Zakir Hussain son of another Legend Ustad Allah Rakha

Womens' Intuition

 

Aik Persian Kahawat - داشتہ آید بکار، گرچہ باشد سرِمار

 (not necessary to agree)

وہ لوگ جو معمولی اور وقتی طور پر بے مصرف سمجھ کر کسی چیز کو پھینک دیتے ہیں، لیکن ایک وقت ایسا بھی آتا ہے کہ انھیں احساس ہوتا ہے کہ جو چیز میں نے فلاں وقت اور فلاں جگہ پھینک دی تھی، وہ اس وقت ہوتی تو میرے کام آتی۔ اس لئے کسی بھی معمولی چیز کو بھی حفاظت سے رکھنی چاہیے۔ نہ جانے کب اس کی ضرورت پڑجائے۔ اس لئے کہا جاتا ہے کہ داشتہ آید بکار، گرچہ باشد سرِمار۔ یعنی رکھی ہوئی چیز کبھی نہ کبھی ضرور کام آجاتی ہے بھلے ہی کسی سانپ کا سر ہی کیوں نہ ہو۔ وہ بھی ایک دن کام آجاتا ہے۔

(کہاوت)

What if you become a Photon

 

Receipts

 It was almost 20 years ago. I was on my way in the evening rush hour to a far suburb hospital for an educational session for the incoming evening shift nurses. I stopped by on the highway to get gas. I put gas in my car after using a credit card. Everything went smoothly. As I retook the road, after 5 minutes, I saw a police car coming behind me with flashing lights. I thought I had been stopped for speeding (enough in my driving history). But it was due to a complaint about my car from the gas station attendant that I took gas and ran away without paying the money. I insisted that I paid via credit card but didn't take the receipt. To make story short, I requested the cop to meet me back at the same gas station and sort it out. After running the camera, pulling the cash register history, and calling American Express, it was confirmed that I paid for my gas. 

All these could have been saved if I had taken the receipt. I learned my lesson. 

Again and again, I have been reminded that though trivial, it is vital to take receipt - no matter what.

A lesson in Justice

 A 16th-century painting showing the skinning alive of a corrupt judge, Sisamnes, in the year 500 BC. Sisamnes was a corrupt royal judge at the time of Cambyses ll in Persia. It was discovered that he had taken a bribe in court and passed an unfair judgment. As a consequence, the king ordered that he be arrested for his corruption and ordered that he be skinned alive. Before passing judgment, the king asked Sisamnes who he wished to nominate as his successor. Sisamnes, in his greed, chose his son, Otanes. The king agreed and appointed Otanes to replace his father. He subsequently passed judgment and ordered that Sisamnes removed skin should be used to upholster the seat on which the new judge would sit in court to remind him of the potential consequences of corruption. Otanes, in his deliberations, was forced to always remember that he was always sitting on the skin of his executed father. This helped to ensure fairness and equity in all his hearings, deliberations, and sentences.

The Best Five Doctors

 The Best Five Doctors

Sunshine, Water, Rest, Air, Excercise

Amir Mehdi Khan of Hunza

 

Jibran says

 Found this true ever and ever in my life:

Travel and tell no one, live a true love story and tell no one, live happily and tell no one, people ruin beautiful things. 

 Kahlil Gibran

Lahore (Lahore Aeyy)

 

13:30

 Life is a bizarre web of unusual and coincidental circumstances. In this blog, earlier I documented my interaction with a young Sufi girl who wore jeans and puff cigarettes (Sonya, Sonya-2, and sonya-ki-kahani).

In the last few months, I was tangled in a life situation where I was unable to make a decision - I was confused. 

I am acquainted with a Middle Eastern Girl who lives in Vancouver, Canada. She is a women's magazine model. I met her a few years ago at the United waiting lounge when my flight was delayed. We exchange memes etc. here and there every few months just to stay connected. She sent me a message with a pic.

 "I am not sure why my guide is asking me to send this message to you"

Two therapies

 

Fyodor Dostoevsky says

عورت اُس مرد سے کبھی محبت نہیں کرتی جس پر وہ ترس کھاتی ہے۔

دوستوفسکی 

Haj-e-Akbar

 

Bilinguals

 

Shallows

 

War & poetry

The war will end one day, and I will return to my poetry.

 

Sweets of adversity

I visited Dallas for a Pakistani physicians meeting on July 4 to meet some old friends. Sitting with cigars and wine late at night, we shared many of our inner thoughts. Discussion, as expected, turned to moving to the West to find green pastures and to beat adversities back home. One friend made this beautiful comment:

In that process of progress & evolving yourself, you lose a big part of yourself, which you intentionally traded off for that Success, & then wonder if it was worth it. My dad's famous impromptu 'Sweets are the uses of adversity which, like a toad, though ugly & venomous, still bears a jewel on his head.'

On few regrets in life

 My life is not different from any other human's life; instead, I am over-blessed. Said that few regrets make me wake up at night.

I had a very close friend. Irrespective of allegations, charges, and plea bargains, he was jailed for seven years. He was sent to federal prison. He was discharged from prison during the pandemic due to his services of running a school and library for other prison mates.

It hurts me and makes me ashamed of myself that not even a single time I went to see him in prison.

Seemab akbarabadi ka ye shyr mujhe bohat tang kerta hai

Main gira tha to bahut log ruke the lekin 

Sochata hun mujhe aaye the uthaane kitne

Smell of poop and humanity

 America is an amazing country. When you live here, you realize what an interesting melting pot this country is of immigrants worldwide. I have interacted and made friends with people from many countries, religions, cultures, colors, and languages.

Somebody said it so well yesterday: "In the end, the smell of all poops is the same." :)

*

Karen Armstrong says

 

A Speech

 

Conversation between Two Woods

گئے وقتوں میں اخروٹ کے درخت کی لکڑی سے منبر بنائے جاتے تھے کیوں کہ اس کی لکڑی مضبوط اور پائیدار ہوتی  اس پھل دار درخت کا سایہ بھی کافی گھنا ہوتا ہے ۔

‏دوسری طرف چنار کا درخت ہے جس سے دار (پھانسی گھاٹ) بنائے جاتے تھے۔ اس درخت پہ کوئی پھل نہیں لگتا ۔

‏ایران کے مشہور ترک نژاد شاعر شہریارؔ نے ان دو درختوں کی آپسی بحث کو کیا ہی خوب شعری صنف میں ڈھالا ہے:

‏گفت با طعنه منبری به چنار:

‏سرفرازی چی میکنی؟ بی بار

‏منبر نے طعنہ بھرے لہجے میں چنار کے درخت سے کہا:

‏ اے بے پھل کے درخت! کس زعم میں اپنی گردن اکڑائے کھڑے ہو؟

‏نه مگر ننگی ھر درختی تُو؟

‏کز شما ساختند چوبی دار؟

‏ تمھیں نہیں لگتا کہ درختوں کی برادری میں تم باعث ننگ و بد نامی ہو ؟

‏کہ تم سے صرف پھانسی گھاٹ ہی بنائے جاتے ہیں.

‏پس بر آشفت آن درختِ دلیر

‏رُو به منبر چنین نمود اخطار گفت

‏اس دلیر درخت کو بہت غصہ آیا، اس نے منبر کی جانب اپنا رخ موڑ کے کہا،

‏گر منبرِ تُو فائدہ داشت 

‏کارِ مردم نه می کشید به دار

‏اگر تمہارے منبر اتنے ہی فائدہ مند ہوتے تو لوگوں کو پھانسی سے جھولنے کی نوبت ہی نہ آتی. 

‏رابعہ خرم درانی کی تحریر

Intelligence and Wisdom

I had never known these profound distinctions between Intelligence and Wisdom

Worth reading on ...

1. Intelligence leads to arguments. Wisdom leads to settlements.

2. Intelligence is the power of will. Wisdom is power OVER will.

3. Intelligence is heat; it burns. Wisdom is warmth; it comforts.

4. Intelligence is the pursuit of knowledge; it tires the seeker. Wisdom is the pursuit of truth; it inspires the seeker.

5. Intelligence is holding on. Wisdom is letting go.

6. Intelligence leads you. Wisdom guides you.

7. An intelligent man thinks he knows everything. A wise man knows that there is still something to learn.

8. An intelligent man always tries to prove his point. A wise man knows there really is no point.

9. An intelligent man freely gives unsolicited advice. A wise man keeps his counsel until all options are considered.

10. An intelligent man understands what is being said. A wise man understands what is left unsaid.

11. An intelligent man speaks when he has to say something. A wise man speaks when he has something to say.

12. An intelligent man sees everything as relative. A wise man sees everything as related.

13. An intelligent man tries to control the mass flow. A wise man navigates the mass flow.

14. An intelligent man preaches. A wise man teaches.