Random

Self-conservation is a defense mechanism. When persons employ mechanisms like projection and principalization, they are obviously intent on protecting psychological territory integral to what is usually defined as the "self". Many complex strategies are employed to maintain a preferred self, somewhat irrespective of whether that self-definition matches customary "reality" criteria.

Greenwalf (1980) pictured most dramatically the extent to which individuals manipulate and distort information to bolster their self-concepts. He indicated that persons are engaged in a constant process of revising history so that it will be congruent with preferred notions of the self. 

Reframing performance strategy: To dismiss failure by "inappropriate" justification of what has been done.

Transformed responsibility strategy: Calls for acknowledging failure but minimizing responsibility for it (e.g. due to temporary or "not really like me" mistakes).

M. W. Martin (1985) noted that a favourite form of self-excusing revolves around drinking alcohol, which permits rationalization of failure by attribution to one's intoxicated state. 

Albert Camus: Each of us insists on being innocent at all cost, even if he has to accuse the whole human race and heaven itself.

Swann and Read (1981): "In the course of their social relationships, there is a systematic tendency for people to solicit feedback that verifies and confirms their self-conceptions."

Continued: "During their social encounters, individuals may actively bring their interaction partners' interactions evaluations into harmony with their self-conceptions. To wit, the man who conceives himself to be intimidating may sustain this conception by behaving in ways that induce others to grovel in his presence; the woman who views herself as unlovable may validate this conception by acting in ways that foster rejection by her would-be lovers."

9/11

Today is the day that Muslims were outcast in the entire media-brainwashed world. Those images of the planes crashing into the building being played over and over again as if it was the most ridiculous thing ever - I mean, who would think a plane can be crashed into a building? Architects and engineers apparently. Yes, they have been designing plane-crash-proof buildings since a few decades and the WTC towers were specially designed to absorb impact. Anyway, screw conspiracy theories. Who doesn't remember those videos?

Everyone agrees it was a horrible tragedy. 2752 dead. 2752 families ruined. But no one realizes the horror of the aftermath.

The millions and billions of Muslims that practice their faith in moderation began to get identified as terrorists. People like Aafia Siddiqui who may be considered a little on the extreme side because they try to preach ended up suffering immensely, and the thousands that went 'missing' are all tragic stories untold.

Compare Aafia's case with the Catholic number of missionaries traveling to India alone each year (a huge number) - you will learn that the world is quite open to preaching - only not by Muslims any more.

Why? They're potential terrorists? Now isn't that a little extremist I say!

Yes. Today was a horrible day indeed. Horrible, horrible day.

Clichés

Sometimes you really wish you could believe in cliches. Like if you love someone, you should let them go and if they come back to you, you know you really have something going.

I really hope it's true.

Ramadan Mubarak!

The month where all hypocrites come out and practice being Muslim or trying to be Muslim has arrived. In case you don't know, Ramadan is the month where Muslims (that's followers of Islam, not terrorists, for your kind information) are supposed to fast (means eating or drinking nothing) from dawn till dusk. The whole idea is for 'haves' to feel the suffering of the 'have-nots' etcetera.

So what is so hypocritical about this month of Ramadan, or the month of Hypocrisy if they decided to rename it? Well, you see, Muslims are supposed to do a lot of things and there's no flexibility allowed. You have to pray 5 times a day. You can not engage in pre-marital or extra-marital consummation. Sodomy is not allowed. You need to give a portion of your income to the poor (that is not tax). You can not consume alcohol. You can not see a woman's hair (or a woman show hers). Etcetera.

When Ramadan arrives, people showing one or more of the above-mentioned forbidden behaviours stop demonstrating them temporarily. Hell, a rapist could stop raping people and think he's being religious. What's wrong with that, they say, it's out of respect! They respect the month of Ramadan!

But if they respect the month of Ramadan so much, why don't they respect God's other commands? Just because God said blessings will be multiplied in this month doesn't mean you can be 'good' for this period and then continue being 'bad', does it?

With respect to sins, the way it works (in Islam at least) is that you commit a sin, beg for forgiveness and never do it again. Odds are, the All-Forgiving will forgive. But if you don't beg for forgiveness, and you are certain you will be sinning again, then how can you expect all your temporary goodness to be accepted?

It's like a cold-hearted criminal becoming good in prison only to continue being a criminal as soon as he is out.

Ramadan is not a prison for Muslims. (Though you will see many of them treating it like that!)

What's more, even though fasting means not eating, so many Muslims end up gaining weight! How is that? Well, they eat at dawn, they eat at dusk, and often have dinner as well. But they eat more to make up. Yes, they eat approximately twice as much because they have to go the whole day without food - which is really hard - considering the air-conditioner makes your throat dry (which some may think is worse than what a construction worker might go through lifting bricks and all, but oh well).

Another hypocritical thing about Ramadan is that it's the ultimate excuse for laziness. Public servants and private employees all alike take long breaks for prayers (in other Islamic months they would usually not even pray) and they will not get any work done because well, they're feeling hungry. ("Mujhe roza lag raha hei" - I can feel the fast!) What kind of an evil boss would make a hungry person work, right?

However, the most hypocritical thing that Muslims do in Ramadan is being self-righteous. Just because a person fasts gives him or her the license to indicate to others that they're not a good person because they don't fast, or pray, or say their Tarawwi. I mean, what is that all about? You've been bad all year, and then suddenly, because of culture and society (or the misconception that you're a Muslim just because you were born one) you think you are better than another? That is just not acceptable.

So what's this rant about then? Well firstly, I want to wish all Muslims (hypocritical and those who are not) a very blissful Ramadan. And secondly, to announce that I will not be a hypocrite this Ramadan; hence I will not fast this 9th month of 1429, Islamic year.

Due apologies to God and no one else.

Satanic Voices in my Head

Everyday we go on with our monotonous lives without ever really thinking. Which is why whenever we have free time we get to think things a lot. Over and through. Up and down. Thoroughly. Comparing past and present scenarios. Imagining future ones. How it has been. How would it be. What is the best angle for the chair to be at so that you can catch the fan, the TV and keep an eye on the pot if something is cooking. And you get to make conclusions.

Thinking. It's such a complex task that humans do without even thinking (intended pun). Or do they?

Did you know that before we move any muscle or perform any action, it takes our mind 1.5 seconds to make it happen?

You must be thinking that can't be true - because you fold your arms as soon as you think it - you scratch your nose as soon as you feel the itch - you slap him across his face as soon as he tries to feel you up.

It appears that our brain has a separate component - the subconscious. It's the subconscious where the electrical signals start working 1.5 seconds before we say something or perform any action. We are not aware of it, but we already know it. (Hey, don't try to negate me - ask the scientists and researchers who did the MRI tests to confirm this fact.)

So now, what is this 'subconscious' anyway? Another fairy tale? They say it's always more active than the rest of our brain, and it takes in each and every detail about everything we do or say like a sponge (yet it never helps us during our exams). It's so weird.

But think about it. Our mind tells us whatever the subconscious tells it. Right? And apparently our subconscious is not exactly in our control. We take direction from it. We don't direct it ourselves. Then whose control is it under?

All those media messages that we receive day in day out - has anyone ever thought about how they affect us?

In the early '90s when the dish antenna was still something new - in Pakistan at least - I remember there was some kind of campaign that asked people to switch off their television screens for a whole week. The advert featured a little girl staring at the tube with the audio blaring and the commentary said something like, "Is this your child or the network's child? What kind of values will she have? What kind of ideals will she look up to?" Etcetera etcetera. Then they asked people to switch off their televisions for a week.

This example is important. Because someone realised a long time ago that this tube - this TV screen that we stay glued to whenever we don't have anything else to do has the power to dominate our subconscious.

Does anyone remember the famous RATS incident during one of those US political campaigns? See, what they usually do is that they run words over the screen for as long as a millisecond - long enough for our subconscious to store it but too short for us to actually notice it. So that when our subconscious finally reveals those words to us as thoughts, we think they are our own thoughts.

The RATS incident was when the word RATS appeared during Bush's TV appearance (if I am not mistaken) for long enough for people to just see it. Still, only some people remembered it though.

So where was I? Ah yes, thinking! Yes. Nowadays we don't think. We let the tube do the thinking for us. We let the tube decide which football league to support, or which actor's performance to be impressed by. That is partly true for me at least - I rely on movie reviews a lot. I know some people who actually read the reviews after watching the movie. I try to write my own afterwards, heh. On Flixster!

So anyway, thinking is good. It makes the mind cloudy for a bit, which is a signal that something is going on (the machinery is still functional). It can help straighten things out as well. It can help you decide what you really want (or don't want) out of life. It can help you decide things regarding your family, friends and relationships.

Life is still a mystery to me though. I don't understand a lot of things. And I am adamant on finding answers for myself. Lucky for you, you don't have to do the thinking (or the searching). You just keep reading.

*in an evil satanic voice*
Give me the reigns of your subconscious! Muahahaha!

Dream about End of World

I had a weird dream last. A weird weird dream. There were hundreds and thousands of people out on the street. And they would go to each and every house and make every person come out. All of them were angrily chanting "There is no God but Allah, and Mohammad is His Prophet" in Arabic, and they were all very loud. Most people would just come down because of the noise without anyone having to bring them.

Muslims would join the parade (not sure if that is what it was) and non-Muslims would be given a choice - either to accept Islam (and start saying the chant) or be slaughtered right there.

It was a deadly war of some sort. The street I saw in my dream was one at Model Town Extension, near my father's place in Lahore. The left right after the Model Town graveyard.

The funny thing is, I am not even a religious person, let being religiously extremist aside. Neither would there be more than 1% non-Muslims in that area I saw. But from my dream it seemed it was something happening the world over.

It was scary. I was scared in my dream.

I feel fine now after waking up. Cheers.

Mass Hypnosis

Most of you are just so brainwashed by the media that you don't even see it. You say Pakistan harbours terrorists. You say stuff like "Pakistan is a terrorist state". You say that stuff without even realizing how ignorant you sound.

If anyone gets to call Pakistan a terrorist country, it's a Pakistani.

Why? Because it's so bloody ironic that it's funny.

No one else has the right to try to be funny because they don't have the right to.

Pakistan is at war within its own borders. It's Pakistanis against non-Pakistanis. Religious extremists from another place versus liberals who helped form Pakistan. Pakistanis are not terrorists.

Americans fueled money into the Pakistan army so they could help the Taliban crush Russia. Yes, Talibans did it with America's aid. Why did Pakistan agree to do it? Because India was a major threat and Pakistan could use the extra money for defence.

Then the Taliban went out of control and the U.S. needed Pakistan's help because they were in the best position since the Pakistan army trained them in the first place. Why did Pakistan agree to do it? Because the other option was to go on war with America.

Now Pakistan is launching Taliban offensives within its borders. and American forces are killing innocent Pakistanis mistaking them for Taliban. When the whole world hears the words 'terrorist' and 'Pakistan' in the same headline without reading the print they think they know so much about the world? My beloved country is a mess. The least we deserve is not to be thought of as dangerous or terrorist-like in any way.

And all of this is for what? This is not our war. Maybe it's a war for oil? For greed? A one-world government? American dominance over the world? A world war III spoiler? I don't know.

I just don't want to hear anyone calling Pakistan a terrorist state again. Ever.

Go get your facts right. And don't let the mass media hypnotize you.

Why I carry on with AIESEC

Okay I get it. I think I now know why I continue with AIESEC despite everything.

AIESEC gives me things to do. Things to do give me the sense of purpose in everyday life (that doesn't have to be long-term, but can be). The sense of purpose gives me direction in day-to-day activities. The direction keeps me from straying away and doing useless things.

Useless things include sitting idly online, or with friends, or just lying on my bed.

I'm not saying that doing these things doesn't give me pleasure. Of course it does. But sometimes you need to stick to a few things and obviate hedonism in order to make progress.

Or to stick to a pattern of making progress (as opposed to sticking to a pattern of epicurean and self-destructive tendencies).

Heading in the right direction means having more fulfilling days, filled with achievement(s) that boost my morale and increase my self-confidence.

At some events, participating in AIESEC despite ridicule from friends actually gives me the motivation to go on with the struggle (that is life).

Motivation strengthens the mind.

Friends

You can forgive your friends for anything. Whether it is for literally inhaling that last piece of chocolate you asked them to save for you, or even for stealing your girlfriend. But you can't forgive them for spitting on your dreams.

It's just sad when that happens. You feel like they don't respect you or what you aim to do in life. They can't provide you with the motivation you need to keep steering towards your goals. From that point on, you don't feel like sharing your joys and successes and eventually the friendship wears off.

I guess that is just normal in life. Good friends come and go. After all, you need to have perfect understanding and friendship with just one person in this world.

That elusive one.

If we're lucky, all of us will find that one, get married and have hundreds and thousands of (hypothetical) kids.

Of course, most of us are jinxed.