Last week we spent a few days with my daughter Mona and her family in the Hamptons where she had rented a house. It was a perfect time to be in this resort area, as the crowds had gone, and yet it was warm enough to enjoy the natural scenery as well as amazing eateries, e.g. Jack Stir Brew coffee for amazing lattes or seafood places with fresh catch! I made it a deliberate point to take solitary walks along the ocean to be alone and to decompress from the series of traffic jams in heavy rain I had sat in over the past few weeks visiting family or friends in our congested NY/NJ/PA area. Walking along the ocean, listening to the crashing waves and the lovely ocean breeze melts away any tension or stress. I like to imagine that each crashing wave was bringing me new energy from the universe, and each receding wave takes away any tension or worry.
And as I walked along the beach I kept thinking of my favorite saying by Maulana Rumi (who will be for sure the topic of a future blog) is:
You are not a drop in the ocean, you are the ocean in a drop
What does this verse really mean? And what does it teach us? One way to interpret it is that human beings underestimate who they are and what they are capable of, and that we automatically drop into a victim or complainer role especially when facing big problems. And yet Rumi urges us to see that the universe is within us and that we have more power than we imagine. It is a call to human agency and submission at the same time. It is when big, bad things happen at the macro level- such as a war or occupation- or at a micro level- such as a disease or mishap- we accept it as a reality, which is the submission and acceptance part. But the human agency part says that we have to do whatever is in our control to make a change for the better. It urges us to take positive constructive action, and keep the long term in mind. And it discourages us from taking the cynical bystander role which just criticizes everything, blames others and laments the circumstances. As in any sports, there are hundreds or thousands of observers commenting and second-guessing, but there are only a few players actually on the field taking the best action they can.
And lo and behold, I found myself a perfect example of “small actions in the face of big problems” only last night. For decades, we have heard and experienced the water and electricity problems in Pakistan. And it is believed that by 2025, Pakistan (and perhaps many other parts of the world) will face a drinking water crisis. Even on my last visit to Lahore in Pakistan, I would hear the generator kick in at my aunt’s house as the electricity went, and I thanked God that we were so lucky to have it in that unbearable heat! Imran Khan, Pakistan’s new Prime Minister, had raised funds and successfully built a cancer hospital in honor of his mother Shaukat Khanum, and I remember going to big fundraisers in the 80’s for that project. Now, he is using the same crowdfunding approach to the Dams Project, which is controversial, as some think it is unrealistic. But we go back to the observer versus activist role- the activist acts, while the observer complains!
The Pakistani Civic Association of Staten Island hosted a small fundraiser for the Pakistani Dam project at Denny’s in Staten Island. My samdhi (sons’ father-in-law), Javaid Syed, generously donated his restaurant and the food to the Association, and we were able to raise $27,950 with such a small group of people. Many could not join as it was a Sunday afternoon, and hopefully more funds will be raised in the future. When I learned about the “Mission Impossible” task of raising $14B in a country that has a failing economy, I realized that many would just give up and say: it won’t work because it is too large a project; why is the government not raising it through taxes; why should overseas Pakistanis- who have a new home and new adopted country- contribute; how do we know that the funds will go to the right place?; how do we know that Imran Khan will last as a leader in our corrupt system? And so on. The cynical observer can question and challenge forever. But the positive activist does what he or she can do in his/her limited capacity, because positive action is always more noble than negative words. Thank you, Pakistani Civic Association of Staten Island, Dr. Khalid, Javaid Syed, and rest of the amazingly organized team for all your past efforts to help Pakistan- our birth country- and for taking the first step towards “Naya (new) Pakistan” and the Pakistani Dam Project in our area. We applaud your positive activism which is how movements are born and succeed.
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