CHOICE

Every moment is a choice
to live or to die
to do or not to do
to aim low or high

every moment is a choice
to smile or to cry
to believe or to doubt
to thank or to sigh

every moment is a choice
to give or to take
to dare or be afraid
to voice or be shy....
every moment is a choice
a choice for you and I

Sometimes choices can be a curse, you can choose not to do things, not to make an effort, especially when you are self-employed as many stay-at-home moms are. I've been through it and still have those days, when I feel weak in my resolve, the freedom to choose tempting me to get lazy, telling me it doesnt really matter if I let the day just go by, not doing as much with it as I resolved to....its a constant battle within:)

An Eight Year Old's Thoughts on Global Zero

The Global Zero event was not only enlightening for adults, but my 8 year old daughter had much to say and write about it. Here are Khadija's views about nuclear weapons:

Yesterday we went on a trip on the double Decker bus. A double decker bus is another bus on top of a bus. We sat in the upper part. It was so much fun, there weren't even windows or a roof. It was actually a trip of sightseeing Lahore and also it was basically an awareness to try to finish nuclear weapons from this world.

There were first no nuclear weapons in this world but then different countries started making them. In Second World War, America bombed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and thousands of people were killed. When a nuclear bomb explodes, it causes so much destruction that besides humans, even the air, water, soil, plants and animals get effected and that effect lasts for generations.

I am an eight year old girl and I want to finish all the nuclear weapons in this world. If the 15000+ nuclear weapons made by the 9 countries in the world get in the hands of the terrorists, then that will be the end of this world. We don't even need nuclear weapons to be safe, all we need is educated people who are helpful, kind, respectful, just and tolerant.

Global Zero- A World Without Nuclear Weapons!

 I have always been a person who feels strongly for social causes be they women, children or environment related. That is why when I first saw the Global Zero event on Facebook,while the sightseeing aspect seemed most appealing, the linkup with a cause as big as Global Zero caught my attention too.

However, on the very day of the event, I again fell in doubt. Having never met the team of Global Zero, I had no idea what to expect but then I told myself that obviously, there's only one way to actually find out how they are and so I set out with my 3 daughters, on an adventure that we will surely remember for a long time.

Not only was the Global Zero team most professional, organized and friendly, but the govt initiative of Sightseeing Lahore was a wonderful discovery too.Very rarely do you see a govt run project being handled so well.

The tour in itself was refreshing, a totally different experience of viewing the city from a double decker bus. The trees of Lahore and sky full of clouds made it the perfect day for such a trip. With songs on Lahore in the background the drive was quite entertaining.

Here I must say that the cause was very well woven into the event as on the way, everyone was encouraged to share their views on the topic of nuclear weapons and how can the world become a safer place.

Once we reached Badshahi Mosque, the interactive sessions with Andaleeb Abbass and Maria Malik generated quite a discussion and debate on the need for nuclear weapons to make this world a safe place for all. Despite all arguments that supported the need for nuclear weapons, noone could defend that the 'use' of nuclear weapons will ever be a choice for any country for the level of destruction and catastrophe it will cause can never make it an option for defense. However, if these come in the hands of any of the terrorist organisations so active in the world today, the entire world community will be under threat.

Hence, the only sensible way out is the complete elimination of nuclear weapons, regardless of which country has them and why. In the words of Andaleeb Abbas, "Countries dont become strong with weapons but with strong economy, strong systems and structures and with investment in its human capital."

"The nuclear war is not the solution or way forward, infact hundreds of millions are required only to keep them safe from terrorists' hands. That same amount can be invested on development of the people, eradication of poverty, malnutrition and illiteracy!"

Speaking on the ocassion, Maria Malik,was of the view that while Pakistan had valid reasons to enter the nuclear race, the time has come that each country realizes that this race will be inconsequential and while it may be used to establish dominance of one country or the other,it will never be the answer to the anarchy surrounding this world. In her own words, "The world does not need more of Prithvi, Agni, Ghauri, but it needs more of Edhis and Mother Teresas!"

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness;
only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate;
only love can do that.
Hate multiplies hate,
violence multiplies violence,
and toughness multiplies toughness
in a descending spiral of destruction....
The chain reaction of evil --
hate begetting hate,
wars producing more wars --
must be broken,
or we shall be plunged
into the dark abyss of annihilation.

(Martin Luther King, Jr.
Strength To Love, 1963)