Something for the First Time

“How cruel this season of unrest!” I reflected. Day in day out - the jarring sounds of catastrophic sirens, heinous carnage flooding the television screens, flashing images of mutilated bodies at every second scroll and those of disgraced selves at every third tap – the sorry state of humanity, it had my creativity enslaved. This demise of human virtue was broken one fine evening, as I was browsing through some art, by a promising pop up of a philanthropic organization. There are several academic institutions in our community, but there is hardly any that offers education and counselling to those deprived many who occupy the urban slums. I was destined to be a part of the movement; I urged to share my two cents.

My orientation at “The Citizens’ Foundation” was less insightful than I had imagined. The primary concepts were laid by the speakers in a rather well articulated but somewhat rugged manner. There was plenty left for the future sessions, which at that particular point I stayed unaware of. People from all walks of life were in attendance, some aware of their own strengths and weaknesses, others aimlessly wandering another realm for self discovery. In a conservative environment as is experienced in this part of the developing world, the mentors in attendance were surprisingly offering a somewhat pluralistic space. Far rightists were little in representation, presumably due to the organization’s policy, irrespective the leftists were cautious to make any bold statements. Inclusion of varying schools of thought in an agreement to their respective disagreements was a breath of fresh air.

Ice breaking with the mentees in the first week was a tedious task. The social gap and fear of stereotypes was perhaps the greatest obstacle. Where the mentees were able to find refuge in their own familiar space, it was the mentors that were found struggling to empathize rather than sympathize with the wretched state of their mentees. An exploration of the community did benefit both sides as the gap was, to a lesser extent, bridged. The most precious gain was a smile acquired from a thirteen year old, who presented as a challenge – an introvert with a history of domestic abuse. The abuse history was easier to discover, what was hard was to make the mentors see what abuse does to the creativity and well being of an individual. In this part of the world, abuse is accepted as a cultural inheritance. Where some forms of abuse, such as sexual, are condemned by literally all segments, emotional and physical abuse are not just embraced but sometimes endorsed in the name of conditioning. The arrested development that ensues after goes, therefore, unnoticed in the society. It was indeed a moment of gratitude to discover that this organization was neither willing to promote nor accept such atrocities on campus. Compared to some of the established private schools the extent of emotional and physical abuse on the campuses of TCF (The Citizens’ Foundation) was less, and hence highly commendable.

A more challenging concept for the mentees was the notion of thinking out of the box. Working on self development is hard at any stage of life. It is particularly hard for those adolescents who have been subjected to the belief that the more fortunate in terms of social stati, dominant gender, or even greater age are not to be questioned. Independent thinking is limited and positive thinking is a rarity. Not only were several mentees able to comprehend the concept of mindfulness in pursuit of a meaningful life, some were able to practice meditation and differentiate between their long term and short term goals to both my surprise and happiness.

Where predestination limits human struggle, the simultaneously existent free will increases it. Not every mentee would comprehend this notion, much like their mentors but there were several bright ones who did. The program offered them exposure in the form of a trip for understanding of diverse vocations alongside speeches from those amongst them from the past that were able to make it big in their present by developing envious traits. Habit inculcation techniques were few but focused. Target audience was able to comprehend the concept of a house of happiness within them, founded in gratitude alongside support (both external and internal), elevated by mindfulness and positive thinking, roofed by a singular focus on a meaningful life.

At the end of this revitalizing program the mentees as well as their mentors were astonished to find each performing a literary skit. To several, much like me, composing in Urdu was no less than climbing the Everest. I asked myself, “when was the last time you did something for the first time?”

Not only was this effort appreciated in the form of an understanding of gender studies by the mentees, but the smiles it brought to their innocent faces was worth more than tapping on any screen, or changing any amount of channels to find yourself burdened by the transgressions prevalent in the society.