View from my window

Its been a couple of days since Imran Khan and Reham Khan announced their separation and decision to divorce. Nothing out of the ordinary there, as the decision to marry was also theirs, except maybe the timing of the announcement which coincided with the local bodies elections and may have had an impact but thats something which would be very difficult to gauge. What I do find quite extraordinary and almost bordering on incredulous is the amazing audacity of PTI supporters to present this break up as a result of some sort of principled stand by Mr. Khan. The idea being that Ms. Khan wanted to play a role in party politics and Mr. Khan could not bring himself to allow this so he had to sacrifice his marriage for his principled stand! How utterly outrageous is this! This is not principled stance but rather immaturity and shortsightedness. These two got into this relationship out of probably love and, I would assume, mutual admiration and respect. It was definitely not an 'arranged...

Criminal justice system needs to be revised! I am saying this as a complete novice in the professional side of criminal justice system but living in this society, I am not entirely a layperson.   I believe it is fashioned in a way where it is creating professional criminals rather than stopping crime. Read this report of how two 15 year old boys tried to mug an 85 year old woman and when she resisted, they attacked and killed her. They were sentenced to 6 years in prison for the murder. When they leave the prison, they would have become professional criminals. I believe jails are the universities where people go in to gain advanced degree in crime! Their intention was not to kill the woman, it was to steal from the woman. It is quite clear that they could not have had the same start and privileges like what some of other human beings take for granted. Like a roof over their heads, supporting familial environments, access to education, a support system...

Pain, what pains us? Is the affliction of a malady or our unpreparedness pain? Our undeveloped, limited capacity to face situations? The more we know, the more ready we are and less we suffer: Nature of the malady does not change nor is it that its intensity lessens but we feel it less because we grow an understanding that has a wider encompass than the size of the pain and we are able to absorb it without being consumed by it. Unfortunately, the path to developing this understanding, what is also in 'bee in the bonnet' circles referred to as 'wisdom', is through encounters with a lot of pain. Almost like a rock in a ferocious river is rounded after centuries of erosion. Then, it simply lets the water pass over it without showing resistance and while it may still be eroded but the process slows down and the rock becomes a part of that universe of pain and changes the discourse where it ceases to be about pain.