The NaySayers.

 My life to this date has been one of surprises, struggles and challenges.Most importantly it has been a life in which I have learnt a lot. These things have led me to a psychological evolution of some sorts. I used to be the same as the herd of sheep who follow the shepherd wherever he goes. I still remember in O levels , I had no clue what I was doing. I was enjoying with my friends and mostly did what they did. I felt ashamed of doing anything different, I always felt embarrassed at the hint of a mocking laughter coming at me from a “party boy”, naysayer , group of friends. I was to go with the flow or get ready for some criticism. In my first year of A-levels, as my power of reasoning and deduction grew stronger, I could not tolerate the happenings around me. A sense of emptiness had conquered me. My heart never felt satisfied anymore. They were nights which made me reflect on the days and I was disappointed at what I was becoming. A spiritual revolution followed, and I set sail on a journey that required extreme sacrifices. I was now going against the flow of my peers. I had to listen to their mocks, I had to learn to tolerate and learn to be ridiculed. I had set myself a mountain to climb. The truth is the reward was much higher. I had never felt such calmness which overthrew the emptiness that had existed within me. This is what inspired me to keep going against the flow, to keep increasing my muslim spirituality. A time came when people started branding me popular names as “extremist”, “rebel” etc. I still tolerated this with a smile and kept my journey on its course.

                                                      

 After joining NUST I thought I had evaded the past and was now ready for a fresh start. To my disappointment the naysayer group was present over there as well. The challenges were different in nature but very similar in impact. While I continued to be branded names form the society in general, I realized the naysayer group opposed any “novel idea” of any nature.They were watching you like a hawk waiting to interfere and oppose you. They  mocked you, and did nothing except that. But as I always found in situations like these, you would always come out on top eventually and that really is your supreme victory.

 What surprised me however that it was not only NUST and my school , but most of the society in Pakistan that was part of the naysayer group. I found out people in Pakistan, in general, like to interfere in other people’s affairs. They would rather live and follow the hype , like a herd  and ridicule the “rebels” . That was perhaps their favourite pastime. It disappointed me , but I kept going on my path.

To this day, I still follow the hard path, the path that is bound to give you more enemies than friends. But I still follow it, because I know the satisfaction of my heart lies in it.

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” Gandhi