“In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can.” – Nikos Kazantzakis

I stand with #MeToo

Social media has been abuzz with several women opening up to their harassers in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein controversy. The scandal was exposed after a famous American publication published an article against Weinstein, a rather influential film producer, who for decades had been harassing several actresses in Hollywood as well as those coming from other industries to make a career in one of the most coveted film industries of the world. The article outraged feminists and human rights activists around the globe, as well as sparked a debate on the subject of harassment in the entertainment industries everywhere. The hashtag #MeToo started trending on social media websites after an American actress tweeted the hashtag for everyone to share their horrifying experiences of being harassed and abused by those in power. I have been disheartened to see the number of women using the hashtag to share their stories of being the victims, which shows how our society needs to correct itself before everyone suffers the consequences of a few people’s wrongdoings.

Muzna Khan,
Lahore

Karachiites need to be disciplined

Karachi is a crazy big city, with everyone rushing through their lives and day to day businesses. As a citizen of the city of lights, I feel really disappointed whenever I notice this one important element in the city’s nature – in discipline. Karachiiites seem to lose discipline in their lives and it looks as if everything around them is disorganised. The craziest part of the day is when one is stuck in traffic, and the unruly way people overtake one another just to move a few inches closure is the most annoying and exhausting experience. People cannot wait for the traffic signal to turn green and rush way before it’s time to reach their destination, all while putting their own and other people’s lives in danger. This needs to be taken care of by the traffic department of the city, which of course, is only possible when laws are implemented properly.

I request all Pakistanis to consider bringing more discipline into their lives. I would request both, Sindh’s provincial administration and the city’s local government to kindly look into this matter and come up with a possible solution.

Huma Junaid,
Karachi

Depression among teenagers

I have recently come across people who have complained of suffering from depression while only in their teens. It is, unfortunately, a sad reality wherein a large number of teenagers are suffering from depression. No one can tell what the real causes could be, as not everyone chooses to receive therapy. However, one huge factor that might have played an important role in the expansion of the mental illness could be excessive use of social media. The apparently perfect lives of friends and family members put immense pressure on the fragile minds of teenagers, who go through feelings of inferiority complex that later amounts to mental issues as serious as depression. Many teenagers have been reported to exhibit suicidal feelings, which they go through due to various factors like lack of affection by family members, lack of friends and difficulty to pursue education, goals and ambitions in their life. It is high time we talk about things that matter the most to our younger generation and come up with ways to tackle them.

Rashid Ahmed,
Islamabad

Smog in Lahore

Even before the start of November, the people of Lahore were experiencing smog in the city. This happens every year and no one knows what can be done to get rid of the smog except sit at home and avoid stepping outside, unnecessarily. However, that is certainly not the solution to this extremely important problem. It is all related to climate change and the amount of smog in Lahore’s atmosphere keeps increasing every year, which is an alarming situation. Thick black clouds take over the city, a huge cause of it is the trans-boundary smoke entering the city from India, which happens on a yearly basis due to burning of stubble and firecrackers following their religious festival of Diwali. Therefore, it is not just the efforts of Punjab government or the federal government; in fact, efforts need to be made by India also to keep their as well as our country clean and safe to breathe in and join hands to counter the negative impact of climate change.

Jamil Hameed,
Lahore