Our Land: A Dustbin ?

A couple of days before when I was on my way to university, a beautiful car stopped at the signal right beside my van. A very decent and educated woman was sitting at the back seat accompanied with two children. She seemed well off and exhibited good position. Meanwhile, window rolled down and handful of garbage was thrown out from the same car. And then I was smiling at myself that I misunderstood about that ‘educated ’and ‘decent’ woman.

Right after that, a man came and spat paan on the footpath without watching pedestrians on the footpath. I was feeling to puke. I was cursing the system but there, the system is not responsible, we ourselves are responsible.

When I reached university, I was very hopeful that maybe I could bring change, so I decided to start the campaign from my own university. When I went to cafeteria, as usual I saw the floor full of wrappers and bottles. I approached a girl who had just thrown the wrapper and ask her very politely to use dust bins rather than floor. Instead of understanding what I said, she paid no heeds and I noticed she was making fun of me with her friends behind my back. Very sadly, I moved to my friends, hopeful for the positive response at least from them. But as I asked them the same, my advice fell flat on them as I said nothing at all.

It was very hurtful, why no one considers cleanliness? It is our educational institute, contain piles of garbage. What our education worth for if we forget etiquettes and cleanliness? The dustbins are empty and class rooms and corridors give the look of dustbins. We can’t even keep our educational institute clean, so the idea to keep our country clean would out of question.

On going back home, I was thinking the same. Then I saw something else, a wall painted “yahan kachra phenkna mana hai”, and piles of garbage were present right in front of it. What impression we give of our country? It is said that our actions reflect our mind, so what mentality we show to the world? Round the world, Pakistan is recognized in one of the most dirty and polluted countries. And abroad, the same Pakistanis become very anxious to keep their land clean, but why not here? Why not in our own?

Moreover, thousands of boards are painted which command us against rubbish and spitting but what is the benefit? We never bother to follow. We have to understand that we ourselves are the destructors. Nothing will change if we don’t want to. Our cleanliness shows our faith, our mind. In Quran it is truly stated:

                                        “Safai Nisf Emaan Hai”