Why are we so confused...

aren't we all? We are not clear about anything anymore or maybe never was, hey I'm not sure about this even!

Confusion reigns a heavy hand in our lives, it determines our thinking in all matters. We are confused about what kind of a nation we are? are we a secular country as envisaged by the father of the nation or are we an Islamic republic? and? is there even a concept of an Islamic republic in Islamic political philosophy? Are we enlightened elites, educated, moderate liberals or are we the soldiers of Islam? if we are modern then do we betray our religion in leaning towards the west's vision of life or is it more us when we burn American flags and effigies of American Presidents.

We are certainly perplexed on the status of women in society. Do we give women equal rights? what are equal rights for women? is it per definition given by the liberal western world or is it the controlled freedom (an oxymoron if ever there was one) envisaged in Islam? Should women be educated or does that make them less marketable in the marital bazaar? Are men looking for intelligent educated life-partner or basically deep down desiring a subservient woman who'd always be slightly stupid, so that she can keep admiring him! I've seen foreign qualified men who have had their share of women, look for the domestic type when settling for marriage! hello guys that's called double standards and is a result of confusion as to what do we actually want and aspire to be. We are a society of eve-teasers and people still condemning women on their dress. Rape and sexual harassment is invited by the slutty women either by their manner or their dress. We are so bloody confused whether to respect women or lust after them? are they mother/sister figures or some red light area entity that has only one purpose in life.

What about future of our country? we're running around like headless chickens trying to figure out whether we're 'declared' a failed state by some country or another or some think tank. I mean if they do so will that seal the deal? will we become a failed state and if they say we're not then we won't be? What is this utter nonsense, why do we need clearance and validation from others. Do we think we are a failed nation? do we have any internal parameters against which we can measure the success or failure of our state? NO, not at all we are waiting literally for the signal, like the two characters in Samuel Beckett's classic play "Waiting for Godot'.

Then, the mother of all confusions, our relationship with India and all things Indian. Are we enemies? then why the diplomatic aplomb and why the cultural exchange? We love Indian movies, Indian songs,Indian soaps, their matinee idols, their clothes jewellery and mithai, we hate their progress, we hate them winning a match of cricket, we hate their army, we hate them having an edge on us. We are friends on one level, and fighting a war in Kashmir with them on another? So wait, they are enemies but becoming our friends for the last 60 odd years or what?

And then there's this love/hate bond with America. We'd all love to see America slighted and insulted, but we also are dying for the blue passport. We hate America and its uppity stance but look at it as our savior! We curse the Americans and are gloating at caching them red-handed at what they do best- subversion, in the shae of Raymond Davis, but frankly don't have the balls to see the whole thing through and are keeping our fingers crossed they don't ditch us!