Serious Damage Parents Cause..

To raise your child on a land that will never be their home is CRUELTY. Two types of people are cruel – self-centered humans and idiots.

I read somewhere words of the greatest superstar of the whole subcontinent, Amitabh Bachchan ( why do I quote him? Because he is a wise man. I would say as wise as Gandhi!).. he said : “I am grateful to my father for raising me in my own country”. Yes, his father was a wise man. In times of poverty, hardships and pain – he chose to stay on his own land rather than run away to fake comfort in another land. Had he done that, his son would not be what he is today.

What about all those Pakistanis and Indians that came here in the 60’s. To a desert. A dry , empty land with people they could not understand. Had they come on short trips, it would be fine. But, they chose to raise whole families here. Knowing that their children would be deprived of very basic rights of existence. Knowing that their sons will be lost when they realize that the land they live on is not home and the land they come from is a mystery to them. Knowing that it would be impossible for them to adjust to a way of life their parents left before their birth. Knowing all this, these parents stayed in the Middle East. Not acquiring citizenships, not returning home until FORCED by the system. Returning without achievement or recognition.

But they lived their youth. They grew up in their own lands. Married at the right time and basically had a ball all their lives. Totally overlooking the future of their children. Not having enough wisdom to see how lost these kids will be.  For some STUPID reason, they thought that if you have a degree , you would live happy anywhere. They were conditioned to SERVE someone. We are not. We are conditioned to CREATE and MAKE our own life. We do not care about serving a dumb multi-national firm that is screwing nations for money.

Yes, my generation is a lost generation. We do not know where we belong. Where is home and where we are heading. We live in uncertainty thanks to our wise parents.

I remember that we used to go swimming everyday at some National Sports Center from our school every week. We loved it. Suddenly one day, we were told we cannot go there because that place is ONLY for Saudis now. I was 15 and going in a bus to meet a friend of mine. The police stopped the bus to check IDs. I did not have mine. So , I was taken off the bus and held until my father came there with my passport.  Would I want this for my son? No. I would crack the head of the man who holds my son for no reason at 15. 15 is underage , and that STUPID officer should have known this.

I have spent 18 years away from my mother. It is ONLY because my parents chose to raise us in KSA. After high school, I did apply for college here. One reply : Only for Saudis or for expatriates with the reference of the King. In search of life and making a business I could own, I could not be with my parents. Had we never come here, I would have never left home.. just like those families that stayed in Pakistan and built their lives.

We need to put a stop to this NOW.

A friend of mine recently made a wise decision. He decided to send his family back to Pakistan and let his kids attend school there. Good or bad, it is their country and NOW is the time to get used to it. I wish my father did that when I was ten. Nothing can be better than growing up in your homeland. You see more, you know more and you experience more. More than all of this, you feel more at peace and stable. Stability. Something an expatriate here can NEVER promise his family.

Years pass and we grow. The older we get , the harder it is to adjust to change. And the cycle repeats itself. A cycle started by a generation that could not see beyond themselves. A generation whose achievements are reflected by the condition our countries are in. A generation that chose to build countries that threw them out in a minute!

Saudi Arabia will NEVER make us citizens. If, after 40 years in a country, the Citizenship system will count points in making me a citizen, I will throw that form in the garbage. It is INHUMANE and ridiculous.

Our parents FORCED us to Mature early by keeping us here. Our parents destroyed many innocent ideas and thoughts we had by subjecting us to a system that did not WANT us. Our parents put us in a position we can now never get out of. No matter what they say or do, lost time can never come back….

To all expatriates : Do not raise your children here. They will hate you for it. Do not live in a fool’s paradise. Be realistic and wise, raise them in their country.  Your child may be another Amitabh Bachchan or maybe even better. Do not restrict him to this land that will treat him like dirt and just want money from him.