And he remembers his very own origins

This blog post is a tad bit late, as I have been slightly busy these days with a continuous and tedious routine.





Last Thursday (Thursday October 7th 2010) [for future reference] was the day that I became a Canadian.
Last Thursday, that was the day that I held up my hand to be bond in a way more than one to a new country through nothing but words.
Last Thursday was when I took the citizenship oath, and sang Oh Canada for the first time as a Canadian.

I am now proud to be Canadian, I am lucky to have been born into a family capable of bringing me to the land of opportunities as it once was. To me, a growing teenager in the midst of his teenage angst, Canada really seems like the perfect place for me to be. It's a place where I am accepted, where no real racism is dominant and a place where I can easily secure a foothold for my future.

Canada is, for now at least where I feel I belong. But How did I get here?

I was born at ~4:45AM on Thursday, 24th January of 1994. The same day on which Caligula was assassinated by his guards back in 41 BC. A birthday that I share with Mr. John Myung from Dream Theater.

I was born in just an ordinary hospital on the skirts of Lahore, Pakistan, my native country.

As a youngster, I had an unimaginable amount of patriotism for my country. I had immense pride in being a Pakistani. To me, it was the greatest. Every thing Pakistani was the way to go. I loved the Cricket team, I loved the food (still do), I loved the National Anthem, the flag, the military, the Himalayan mountain range, the people, every single aspect of the country was something I adored. I refused to ever believe that my beloved country could commit any thing evil or be considered evil in any way.
Was I blinded by patriotism? Yes. But was I happy? Definitely.

I have always been a proud Pakistani, until recently. Recently I have begun to see the corrupt government, the infrastructure failures, deathly poverty and worst, the failures of our Cricket team! :( I can honestly say, that just a few months ago I was embarrassed to an extent to be Pakistani. I felt like my country had created a bad name for it self, and that some how I was partially responsible too.

But there are certain aspects of life that are un negotiable, as Bruce Dickinson put it. One of these, is your origin

One must never forget where he or she comes from, his true origins. This accounts for everything in life, I will never forget my origins of guitar playing that date back to simply watching one video of Randy Rhoads playing and being inspired. So too, will I never forget the real origins of my birth, of my existence.

I have re developed the pride I once had in Pakistan. I can appreciate all the good things, and I can appreciate the many ways in which to improve the country. I will always cheer for the Pakistani cricket team. Why?

Because my friends, I am still a Pakistani. There are certain bonds that fate will put on you the moment you are born, bonds that you have no power to change, bonds such as your nationality, your parents, siblings, your very genetic material, appearance and the such. This is one of them, I will always be a Pakistani.

Yet I have now become a Canadian. I am also a Canadian and there is no other way to put it. I am Canadian, that is from Pakistan. And I am proud of it.

The whole point of this post my friends, is to explain the importance of your origins.
Any thing you do in life, remember why you do it, what caused you to do and revisit often, it will often help you see how far you have come and the such.

Other than that, never be embarrassed by your nationality or any thing. Do not try to hide away behind another culture, rather embrace your own, believe in it for your culture is your origin. Times, place and people will change, but what was never will and so, remember that every thing that happened in the past has brought you to what you are right now. Every small aspect of your life has created the whole. The small things that change our life, never forget those. Never forget what they do for you. Never forget how every thing started, never ever forget your origins.