Compassionate Capitalism

My nana abu once told me that there are only two ways that a person is going to listen to you; if you can benefit him or you can harm him. I remember my father and I looked at each other and shifted disagreeably in our seats.

The points of view are understandable though. Nana abu has lived his life dealing and negotiating in the business world and definitely the Hippocratic Oath which my father took, couldn’t have given much insight into the ruthless minds of businessmen. My dad thinks that if any member of our family starts selling hats; children without heads will be born (such is the extent to which we could suck in business).

Different fields require different attitudes but do businesses have to be completely deprived of compassion? I guess they need to be. When profit is the goal, leniency and mercy take the back-seat and in our part of the world even honesty goes and sits beside them.

Where running businesses could be a cold-blooded affair, it is nice to see that many companies in Pakistan are realizing their social responsibilities and fulfilling them in a remarkable way. Some of the examples I have seen and heard are

* Depilex - Smile Again Foundation
* Bahria Town – Muft Dastarkhwan
* KFC – At some branches all the employees are physically challenged
* Gourmet – At the end of the day bakery items are sent to Shaukat Khanum Hospital.

These and many more examples of compassionate capitalism are certainly praiseworthy and can make a huge difference if all the money making giants start to chip in.

Seeing a loved one leave for another country...

N : Can't I hibernate till he returns?

Make it a double!

Watching an Indian movie in cinema and joining facebook in one day; that is how impulsiveness is defined in my dictionary. Interestingly even a month ago if someone had offered me any one of them I would have politely declined with a 'never'.

Indian cinema with its slapstick comedies and redundancy of dance numbers has become unbearable. Of course there are a few classics once in a while but usually it's the same run-of-the-mill, two and a half hour long agony. So, I always managed to find a better use of the two hundred bucks I was going to spend on it.

The surprising part is that I actually enjoyed the movie or was it Ms. Monteiro; either way with this new multiplex just around the corner, it would not be a bad idea to drop by in the future. At least it made me realize that we can very comfortably bade farewell to lollywood forever unless there are more Khuda Keh Liyais.


Secondly, I know facebook is something so common that getting excited over joining it seems absurd or in the words of Moni Mohsin, paindoo pastry. Well, it's not the case if you're the person who is destined to become that old lady with hundred cats. Like that social experiment in which a girl who was raised in jungle was brought back into the human society; she was never able to acclimatize herself and eventually died. I am not dead but yes, the feeling has been mutual.

Facebook is actually managing friendship virtually but I guess that is the way to go. My boss at the last internship was truly taken aback when I told him that I’m not on facebook and still manage to survive somehow. Then on the last day of my internship my immediate supervisor in his farewell talk also pointed out that this whole introvert thing doesn’t work anymore; you have to take initiatives.

Thinking about this, other than feeling like an intruder there is a major reason why I dislike these initiatives. I don’t know what I’m afraid of? Maybe that it would break the spell once I get to know more about a person or even bad, it would bring out the worst in me. We can be so stubborn about our points of view that no matter how many facts and figures you present contrary to our views, we won’t budge. It is considered a bistee(insult) to change one’s views. People who can kill their children in the name of honor; how they can ever digest so much humiliation?

Similar Yet Different

While waiting at a car-wash I was thinking that at times two people like these keys can look very similar...

But on a closer inspection we realize that they are destined for different fates altogether.

Justification?

Is there any justification not to love those who are so dear to us just because they will leave us eventually and it would hurt so bad?

A random verse from my diary. Unfortunately this and many others were jotted down during the period when I didn't bother to write the name of the author. So, i'm clueless about the origins.