by Habiba Ahsan
I see empty parks. Isolated play areas. I don't see children playing hopscotch anymore. I cannot imagine a child running down a street any longer. I fail to figure what is so wrong with the picture here.
I think of my schooling days and I feel the bliss of absolute freedom. I think about parking lots and I want to play tag again. I think about my school building, my memory flashes pictures of walls dressed in cute animal drawings and the hand prints we left behind after every art class. The after school bell was like an overbearing sorrow clinging to every young soul. The leaving behind of friends almost depressive. Waving to each other until our parents would finally tug at us to move along, often crashing into a grownup or two.
Today I look at a school building and I see plain cemented wired walls. Wires so stingy that I'm sure even a cat would fail to tackle them without getting hurt. I witness armed guards securing the buildings. In the olden days all we had to deal with was a guard and a battered wooden stick, never was it a guard with a loaded gun. There are no children running around the parking lots anymore. The after school bell used to spell absolute freedom but now it's like a soldiers booming voice yelling at a bunch of toddlers to salute him. Through the metal detectors, the iron fences, the armed guards – I see terrified faces being shepherd by stern nervous teachers. I would say even a dog is not so much frightened of a wolf as these mere teachers are of a teenage with a ticking jacket tied to his chest. Little children are not allowed to step outside the boundary gates and if someone tries to - for the love of sweet corn they are bound to be endlessly lectured on never to touch anything out of school boundaries because there might be a ticking bomb inside it. Nonetheless the routine is soothing for the very fragile nerves of parents. As soon as a child steps through the haunting black gates of school he would be bundled up by the parent and securely locked inside the car before they could figure what had hit them. The fear of terrorism is almost palpable in the air.
At home parents are forced to forbid their children from going out on streets no matter what the age. The child would incessantly argue against the notion and post his argument that he can't possibly do anything behind locked doors. To which the parent would direct him to either the computer screen or the television set. Even a Mickey Mouse toy is a threat. You never know when it might tick and boom. Its more like living inside a time bomb itself, you never know, it might blow.
I believe here we utterly destroy the innocence of a young mind. I don't think a terrorist aims to kill, I would rather say he would want a child to have an absolutely stunted intellect. What has become of this country? It's saddening actually how no more are we able to give our children the experience they would never possibly get and something that we could forget.
I think of my schooling days and I feel the bliss of absolute freedom. I think about parking lots and I want to play tag again. I think about my school building, my memory flashes pictures of walls dressed in cute animal drawings and the hand prints we left behind after every art class. The after school bell was like an overbearing sorrow clinging to every young soul. The leaving behind of friends almost depressive. Waving to each other until our parents would finally tug at us to move along, often crashing into a grownup or two.
Today I look at a school building and I see plain cemented wired walls. Wires so stingy that I'm sure even a cat would fail to tackle them without getting hurt. I witness armed guards securing the buildings. In the olden days all we had to deal with was a guard and a battered wooden stick, never was it a guard with a loaded gun. There are no children running around the parking lots anymore. The after school bell used to spell absolute freedom but now it's like a soldiers booming voice yelling at a bunch of toddlers to salute him. Through the metal detectors, the iron fences, the armed guards – I see terrified faces being shepherd by stern nervous teachers. I would say even a dog is not so much frightened of a wolf as these mere teachers are of a teenage with a ticking jacket tied to his chest. Little children are not allowed to step outside the boundary gates and if someone tries to - for the love of sweet corn they are bound to be endlessly lectured on never to touch anything out of school boundaries because there might be a ticking bomb inside it. Nonetheless the routine is soothing for the very fragile nerves of parents. As soon as a child steps through the haunting black gates of school he would be bundled up by the parent and securely locked inside the car before they could figure what had hit them. The fear of terrorism is almost palpable in the air.
At home parents are forced to forbid their children from going out on streets no matter what the age. The child would incessantly argue against the notion and post his argument that he can't possibly do anything behind locked doors. To which the parent would direct him to either the computer screen or the television set. Even a Mickey Mouse toy is a threat. You never know when it might tick and boom. Its more like living inside a time bomb itself, you never know, it might blow.
I believe here we utterly destroy the innocence of a young mind. I don't think a terrorist aims to kill, I would rather say he would want a child to have an absolutely stunted intellect. What has become of this country? It's saddening actually how no more are we able to give our children the experience they would never possibly get and something that we could forget.
you depicted the real picture currently prevailing and we can change this picture if we stop participating in the America's war.
ReplyDeletei totally agree with arsalan if we stop ourselves from following the foort steps of America like lost dogs we can surely change the scenario
ReplyDeleteSidra Shahid