Be A Bridge
Over the few weeks or so, I have begun to reflect a lot on what unity means and how we, as individuals, can contribute to it, to bringing people together as a whole. And since then, my mind has been constantly been making a Dua (Prayer) to please, Dear God, make me a bridge. Let my actions be a bridge. Let me be able to make people oversee all differences and just, for once, come together.
What prompted this exactly? Well, I work for an organization which has taken up an initiative to train the admin and security forces at different Places of Worship here, in Karachi, Pakistan. The fact that these Holy Sites that serve as a sanctuary for many would need to be trained to respond to disasters or emergencies seems absurd. The reality, however, is that these Places are a constant target and attacks on them have been increasing in frequency. So we decided we could atleast go and give them something we know; knowledge. Knowledge of trauma management. Of SRABC protocols. Of CPR. Of triage. And all the relevant skills needed to help someone who may be about to breathe their last. To give them a fighting chance.
In light of this, we held a workshop on Sunday, 29th March at St Patrick Church. The fulfillment I felt was overwhelming. No longer did I have no answer to the constant nagging of my mind as to what have I done to give back? Becuase, this time, we werent the ones teaching them to give a chance to help others. We were also giving a chance to help ourselves. Every human being is beloved to the Creator. And each and every human being deserves to be fought for. The smiles on the faces of the participants, their hospitality was truly a gift for us.
In a polarized country like Pakistan, you meet a lot of different kinds of people with diverse views. There are those who are extremely doubtful and love to sow the seeds of suspicion. And dealing with them can be a frustrating expereince. However, I have come to realize that they are simply part of those things we dont have control over. No matter what our intentions are, there will always be those to seek to divide. And when we talk about control, of free will, the only thing we truly do have control over are our intentions. We can intend to do good but we can mess up and our actions may seem less than what we intended. On the other hand, we can intend to commit something evil, but outwardly it may seem like a good deed.
The Holy Propher (S.A.W) said, "Actions are judged by Intentions." Can we ever appreciate the wisdom of this, enough?
My motivation for being a part of this initiative is simple: I follow a religion that honours all human beings. The Creator does not discrminate in His Love and Mercy. What right do I have, as a Creation, to not reach out to those fellow humans whose status He has elevated simply because they are His Creation? I follow a Prophet (S.A.W) who once, when on getting up, to join a passing funeral of a stranger and being told that the departed was a Jewish woman, simply responded, “Was she not human?”. I follow him (The Prophet S.A.W) who entered Makkah after years without any fanfare, without any arrogant pride of a conqueror but with his head bowed.
I dont know how much difference this initiative and these actions of ours can make, or how they will be perceived. But I know what I intend.
Be a bridge. Be a bridge. Be A bridge. Unite, rather than divide. Make people come together. Make them realize that we all want the same thing. We want to be happy. We want to be loved. And we all want to have an impact. We all want to leave something behind. Show them its not too late. That for as long we have this beautiful miracle of being alive, always have a chance, we can always make a choice for the best.
Be a bridge. Be so strong that even if that bridge were to collapse with the weight it has to bear, people can still come together and find their ways.
What prompted this exactly? Well, I work for an organization which has taken up an initiative to train the admin and security forces at different Places of Worship here, in Karachi, Pakistan. The fact that these Holy Sites that serve as a sanctuary for many would need to be trained to respond to disasters or emergencies seems absurd. The reality, however, is that these Places are a constant target and attacks on them have been increasing in frequency. So we decided we could atleast go and give them something we know; knowledge. Knowledge of trauma management. Of SRABC protocols. Of CPR. Of triage. And all the relevant skills needed to help someone who may be about to breathe their last. To give them a fighting chance.
In light of this, we held a workshop on Sunday, 29th March at St Patrick Church. The fulfillment I felt was overwhelming. No longer did I have no answer to the constant nagging of my mind as to what have I done to give back? Becuase, this time, we werent the ones teaching them to give a chance to help others. We were also giving a chance to help ourselves. Every human being is beloved to the Creator. And each and every human being deserves to be fought for. The smiles on the faces of the participants, their hospitality was truly a gift for us.
In a polarized country like Pakistan, you meet a lot of different kinds of people with diverse views. There are those who are extremely doubtful and love to sow the seeds of suspicion. And dealing with them can be a frustrating expereince. However, I have come to realize that they are simply part of those things we dont have control over. No matter what our intentions are, there will always be those to seek to divide. And when we talk about control, of free will, the only thing we truly do have control over are our intentions. We can intend to do good but we can mess up and our actions may seem less than what we intended. On the other hand, we can intend to commit something evil, but outwardly it may seem like a good deed.
The Holy Propher (S.A.W) said, "Actions are judged by Intentions." Can we ever appreciate the wisdom of this, enough?
My motivation for being a part of this initiative is simple: I follow a religion that honours all human beings. The Creator does not discrminate in His Love and Mercy. What right do I have, as a Creation, to not reach out to those fellow humans whose status He has elevated simply because they are His Creation? I follow a Prophet (S.A.W) who once, when on getting up, to join a passing funeral of a stranger and being told that the departed was a Jewish woman, simply responded, “Was she not human?”. I follow him (The Prophet S.A.W) who entered Makkah after years without any fanfare, without any arrogant pride of a conqueror but with his head bowed.
I dont know how much difference this initiative and these actions of ours can make, or how they will be perceived. But I know what I intend.
Be a bridge. Be a bridge. Be A bridge. Unite, rather than divide. Make people come together. Make them realize that we all want the same thing. We want to be happy. We want to be loved. And we all want to have an impact. We all want to leave something behind. Show them its not too late. That for as long we have this beautiful miracle of being alive, always have a chance, we can always make a choice for the best.
Be a bridge. Be so strong that even if that bridge were to collapse with the weight it has to bear, people can still come together and find their ways.
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