Pyar khi Yaad

 Pyar ki Yaad

Pyar khi Yaad

Ku nah rathi mereh paas,

Aur hum pyar keh jadoo meh ho gumrah, 

Pyar khi yaadh

Ku nah rathah mereh paas

Aur ku nah ho tu mereh saath

Nah koi ho or koi baath

Pyar khi yaadh

jaseh ho ek baraat

Aur pyar kareh to mereh saath,

Yeh hah meri pyar khi yaadh.

Trans. 

Love's memory

Why are you not close?

Why are we not lost in love?

loves' memory.

Why are you not close to me?

And why are you not at my side.

There is no one.

Love's memory,

Like a wedding party

Who love's only me,

This is my love's memory. 

Hate among the Coronavirus

 

Hate among the Coronavirus

 

We should not resent the old, elderly or infirm due to the coronavirus. I felt ashamed today, when I looked out an older couple and felt inveigled. As someone who recently had Covid 19, I felt some hostility towards anyone who might look sick or old since they could make me more sick. This is the wrong way of thinking. We really should be more open-minded. In short, we are all in it together and we should all look at each other like brothers since it is the only to overcome the crisis.

We should not rebuke anyone who may be sick or elderly since it affects everyone. We should be more caring and concerned for the poor and elderly, the homeless, and transient who may be prone to the coronavirus and show them remorse and pity. We should not let our fears cloud our better judgment and know that all people deserve the same care and empathy during this time.

It would be like condemning all Jews who may have survived the Holocaust as people who are disposed to such a tragedy and that all people who are slightly compromised to be viewed as lesser beings or less human. This is a travesty. We need to change our thinking and be bigger people who can think beyond the current crisis to have better values and be more humane and not let the epidemic define us but rise above and have better values and

We need to look at all people equally and not let ourselves be pulled into irrational thinking by a prolonged epidemic that can weight heavy on our minds. As we are reading more and more, how violence is affecting our lives and affecting people who are being chastised or condemned due to this epidemic, we should correct ourselves and be more accepting. It is a moment in history that is defining us and who we are and we can lot let it get the better of us. We need to face down this period and come out better by showing more humanity and civility.

It’s something that we have to face together and it is a test of the heart and mind that cannot beat us. We must overcome our fears and inhibitions and let not let ourselves be pulled into the mire of hate and contempt because it is suitable or convenient to chastise the sick or elderly for the sake of a moment’s reprieve. We need to stick it out and stick together to overcome this epidemic together that will define us for years to come and show the kind of people that we really can be when facing the most trying times.

AJ Naseem is a blogger and activist. He writes on topics related to health, politics and government.

Life after the Pandemic

 

I think we can all agree that the pandemic has taught us how to live better and that’s something that we should carry on in our lives. As a whole, we have learned to live better lives, sanitize daily, wear masks to protect ourselves and take care of our bodies. We are more wary of our personal hygiene and compelled to wash hands and keep our bodies and homes clean and be tested. We have also learned to treat others with respect and kindness. We have given each other space and social distancing has taught us how to respect one another and keep our distance that enables safety and healthier living. We are considerably better for it and we should carry on such good habits even when the pandemic is over.

Personally, I am grateful and happier interacting with people on Zoom when I need to that I never experienced before and the simplicity of turning on a zoom call has opened new doors and I am able to communicate better with my peers and it has offered much more freedom. It is also easier to telecommute during the pandemic that has changed my view and made me appreciate remote learning and social distancing as a great social virtue. We really should preserve such noble social norms into the future. If we go back to the old ways, let us not forget the simplicity, ease and humanness that have come with such a social transformation.

We all should appreciate the newfound grace and knowledge that we have gained due to the pandemic on how to live better lives and keep ourselves more spiritually intact as a result. For a lot of people, these new rules have been a saving grace and it is clear that they have found a safe haven due to the pandemic to carry on with their lives and be more active and productive citizens.  I am amazed by the kindness and congeniality that people have showed me during the pandemic and the care and concern that we all have for one another during this time is venerable.

From businesses to interactions on the subways, trains and buses, to neighbors and family friends and acquaintances, we are better for it and the pandemic has brought out all of our humanity. When crowded subways and buses, crammed spaces and workspaces, and crowded streets and supermarkets were frustrating and unbearable, we have seen a dramatic change in the way we live and how things could be a lot better with a simple caution and consideration. Can’t we make this last?

We can all learn from the behavior that has emerged out of the pandemic that shows us that we need to be better citizens for the sake and preservation of our society. We should carry on that legacy no matter when the pandemic ends but to continue to be watchful and mindful citizens who care for one another and all members of our society. We should embody those same qualities and show the same caring and concern that we are showing now even when the pandemic is over to truly have a model society and be model citizens. We owe it to ourselves and perhaps, it is part of some divine plan, that we should have become more humane due to a terrible tragedy and loss.

AJ Naseem is a writer and blogger. He is also an online tutor that has found solace and newfound wisdom is his work due to the pandemic.

Non-violence as fact and fiction

 

Non-violence as fact and fiction

When discussing non-violence it is important to understand fact from fiction- mainly, editorializing in our common culture. This is important since we often overlook the non-violent path when we editorialize. Often editorializing can rile up the masses, inflame passions and stir emotions, and it is important to sift our opinions from fact. Non-violence rests largely upon fact and the practicing of non-violence is subjective rather than objective.

As journalists, we should we wary when we editorialize, paying careful attention that we do not spur violence with our words. Oftentimes, editorials that are harsh can often lead to conflict and struggle that can often lead to violence. When we apply non-violent principles we notice that editorializing will also be bathed in humility.

Too many times, our opinions that are meant to galvanize someone can often be misconstrued. If you really hated that show, it is important that rouse people to hate all the actors or that your opinions do not result in a mass uprising.  If we can give our opinions in a more humane way, we realize that our opinions are more grounded in fact and clearheaded. For someone to hate the show or what is expressed should never leave the actors in fear for their livelihood or be booed off stage or heckled for instance but a quietus review of our sentiments is needed for an appropriate public response.

Too much editorializing, oftentimes, during times of crisis, can often lead to bitterness and resentment, anger and hostilities. We need to be wary of our editorializing and ensure that it also follows non-violent principles. Non-violence is a reality that is based in fact and by practicing non-violence we are also committing ourselves to a accepted reality. Violence is in fact, a non-reality or an imagined reality since the act of violence is always premeditated or conjectured until it becomes a heinous act and thereafter, can even refuted as being real, at all. On the other hand non-violence is not imagined but a reality that is ever-present in our lives and a way of life. It is practiced every day, in every aspect of our lives to give credence to our lives and is never based on “likes” or “dislikes” but “the way it is”. When we practice non-violence, we are showing the world that we are living in a real world not just a figment of our imagination.

Oftentimes, over-editorializing can often lead to misguided opinions and beliefs and we should be very careful when we pass judgments. It can lead to discord and disagreement. When we apply non-violence, we realize that we are also accepting a reality that is clear and laid-out. The non-violent path is always clear and is not muddied by the temptations of violence. A simple reference to the non-violent can always clear up our high-minded opinions that are so often expressed on the political stage in the case of a bill being passed that you might disagree with but how does it relate to non-violence in our lives? That simple reminder can often determine the gross neglect of editorializing with the reality of non-violence.

If we apply the principles of the Mandela every day in our lives, we see that the truth is clear and our editorializing no matter how much can never tarnish that reality. Therefore, it is important to discern the difference between editorializing and fact.

 

AJ Naseem is a writer and proponent of non-violence. He is currently affiliated with AVP.

Non-violence as Art

 Draw an image of non-violence.

Discuss the image and why it is important to you and what it signifies.

Violence then and Now

 

Violence then and Now

When I was growing up as a youth in New York City in the 1980’s, I felt estranged by my surroundings that seemed foreign and inscrutable. I would always find myself trying to fit in at school and outside, whenever I’d go out to play in the park. Alas, I was a foreign-born citizen from another country and trying to relate to a foreign land, after experiencing a family tragedy, was almost impossible. But like any youth, I tried to break the barrier but would always come face to face with violence. The violence was occurring outside of my home at a park that everyone used, where kids from all over, young and old, would come to convene. However, scenes of violence and bullying would often break out in these hostile environs that today, are recalled in the same violence that I see on our streets and roads.

In those days, when I was younger, I saw countless acts of violence that were truly shocking to me. I did not know what to make of it. If a lot of it was not directed toward the new kid on the block of Pakistani origin, it was other random acts of violence with kids fighting over anything like bragging rights for the smallest things, bullying or harassment on the playground by the bigger kid, gangs that would take out some kind of revenge, or racial tensions with kids teasing other kids or other kinds of playground brawls. Needless to say, it left a kid from a foreign land quite frightened and broken up due to witnessing such acts.

Now all these years later I see the same playing out on the streets of our great nation with clashes of protesters and police, citizens killing one another, policeman using excessive force, or simply damage of public property and vandalism. Such acts are distressing and to know that this is the same kind of violence that existed in my youth, is truly uncanny and makes me think that there is so much regress in our society. When as a person, I have been able to experience the true power of non-violence and peaceful protest to overcome the iniquities of my youth, it is hard to see that others do not have the same view. When in my youth, I reached out to others of different backgrounds in my community to make friends and was able to overcome some of the barriers of cultural separation, we see the same disintegration occurring in our communities today that hearkens back to the civil rights movement. How could the same pathos exist that bears such parallels to the microcosm of my life in those days to the macrocosm of our society today.

The reason is the lack of discipline and belief in the power of non-violence. When in my youth, my firm stance on non-violence often changed hearts and made friends out of enemies or outsiders, and even once, led one of the gangs in my neighborhood to come up to me and offer their thanks and gratitude, I knew that I could change my fellow man or neighbor by acts of love and kindness but in this current context, with so much uproar and furor, that leads to violence breaking out, we realize that there are forces that are trying to break apart the universal bond of humanity.

When I was able to withstand the violence in my youth, seeing my own family berated for their Pakistani origin, or my own siblings being harassed and stalked, accepting the insults of the white kids in our neighborhood who saw us as a lower caste, and random other acts of violence with kids beating up other kids in senseless brawls and macho fights to boost their ego, how can I forebear those same acts as they show up in my adult life in a whole new context but with the same violent undertones. It is through non-violent communication and an adherence to the principles of MLK and Mahatma Gandhi that can lead to greater hope and salvation.

If only the young people of today could know the scars of yesterday that are bore by people living among us that we can all heal and find real unity and forgiveness. Let’s hope through AVP we can bring that change in the lives of others.

Looking Ahead

 

Looking Ahead

As we reach the election, we should all hope that the next President is someone who espouses non-violence in our communities. With so much violence that has overtaken our communities, it is the one election where non-violence should be a key issue. We need our next President to address this problem and speak out against violence in a direct way. We also need the next president to be a symbol for peace and make non-violence a central theme.

As we hear stories of violence taking place en masse in our communities, it is time for the adherents of non-violence to speak out and stand up for a leader who will share our concerns. We need a President who understands the importance of peaceful protest and non-violent resistance and the ideas of our greatest leaders like JFK, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. We need to show a desire to be non-violent and to carry out the principles of the Mandela in our everyday lives.

Those of us that embrace the non-violent path must show our support for leaders who will also adhere to those principles. It should be our top agenda. When young people lose their lives due to so many senseless acts of violence, we should stand up for a leader who will show a better way. As our young people succumb to violence in their lives, we must set forth an agenda that shows people the meaning of non-violence and create more awareness and acceptance.

The teaching of Mahatma Gandhi and the life that he espoused show us that non-violence is the only path that saves so much heartache and sorrow. For those of us who are affected by violence, it is the panacea for all ills. Our leaders must embody such qualities for us to advance as humankind. The AVP community is blessed to have such a model and to invoke in our political lives. How can we be truly be great leaders without a real understanding of this noblesse oblige.

As a New Yorker, I am dismayed by so many acts of violence that take place in our big cities and leave so many scarred and broken. We must reverse the tide. We must attain a grasp of the non-violent path so we can have greater hope. We must seek out better resolutions than the old rock and dagger. Let us hope that the AVP community will grow and prosper with the new election and continue its work as a cupbearer of non-violence and that the next election, will see its growth and name spread throughout the land and throughout the lives of people to bring the light of its wisdom to those dark places. I hope with the next election, as a new wave of hope takes hold, that also a new foundation for non-violence will also be laid as its cornerstone. Let’s march on hand in hand.

AJ Naseem is an AVP Facilitator and avid blogger