New year, same struggles. Let’s reflect and change what we can!

The Year Changes, But We Remain the Same?

By Faisal Ramzan Awan

Some mornings and evenings of January have already passed, and the new year of 2025 has begun. On January 1st, phone calls for New Year greetings kept coming for a long time. The word "Mubarak" is a word of good wishes, and since it’s associated with kindness, it doesn’t feel burdensome. It feels nice. But to keep reminding us of this senseless celebration throughout the day—fireworks in the city, and that shamelessness—we detest and despise it deeply. We cannot understand why people celebrate the new year in this meaningless manner. All we want to say is: May the new year bring blessings, prosperity, and safety into your life. We consider the new year to be significant only to that extent.

The way the new year is welcomed is unique, and we wonder which society we have become followers of. Fireworks, crackers, parties, and indulgence—these are not the things we are meant to do, so why should we? But, we are on the fast lanes of modern and rapid development, and here we are, struggling to remember how the past months and years passed. All of us have been victims of this torment. The political atmosphere—it’s not even something we can write about. And nowadays, with the heated political atmosphere, it fills our minds with smoke. In these circumstances, we can hardly write. The condition to write just doesn’t seem to form. How do we even write when the right to free speech has been completely taken away?

The society of our beloved homeland has become strange. You don't need to ask anyone when you walk through a crowd. Just look at their hopeless faces, and that's enough. A while ago, the deadly virus, Corona, devastated the world. Even the most economically strong nations were affected. Everyone bounced back, but sadly, the region where we live hasn't been able to recover. Like straws scattered everywhere, we’ve been left broken. In our land, the power struggles are played out in ways that the common man cannot even fathom. The helpless masses are tortured so much that life becomes unbearable. When it comes to exorbitant electricity bills, they’ve drained the life out of the common man. Such immense illegal wealth is being hoarded and distributed among the elite. This is the worst kind of looting, and only their pockets are getting filled. Because of this injustice, industries have shut down. Look at the economic statistics and it will open your eyes. In reality, we are completely under the grip of mafias, and the backing of these powerful mafias is being done skillfully. The rulers say inflation is decreasing, and our controlled media channels repeat this. But inflation has not decreased; it has only risen. Our people are enduring this torment. So how can we celebrate?

Such mindless celebrations of the new year are better left alone. Just let the years pass by. Leave the stories of the past and the future. Time is moving so fast now that it feels like we’re losing ourselves in its dust. What has passed is gone, and we don’t know how the future will unfold. Let’s just leave it, my friends; we don’t celebrate like this. With every passing year, our shoulders are getting heavier, our energies and strengths are slowly draining. Can we say that this way of celebrating the painful moments ahead is the right one? Absolutely not. Because if we stay alive, these sharp energies and strengths will leave us weak, dependent, and sick in the coming years. How painful that will be. These celebrations, these joys of the new year, will never suit us. Our prayer is that the new year becomes a source of happiness for the entire nation. May this garden bloom and may we all live in peace and security. May this country become a sanctuary of peace. May Allah, the Almighty, have mercy on this land and make life easier. Years always change, but why don’t our days? Now, leaders seem like robbers, and saviors turn into Pharaohs. O God, be merciful.

"May the season of flowers arrive in my sacred land,

A season where there is no fear of decay."

Thought-Provoking Perspective:

This piece is more than just a critique of societal practices; it’s a call for introspection. Faisal Ramzan Awan urges us to pause and reflect on the true essence of celebration. Is the mindless revelry of fireworks and extravagant parties the only way to mark a new beginning, or is it time to embrace a deeper, more meaningful change? As we reflect on the years gone by, we must ask ourselves whether we are truly progressing or merely going through the motions.

Engagement Call: What are your thoughts on how we, as a society, should welcome the new year? Is it time to leave behind old traditions of blind celebration and embrace a more thoughtful approach to progress? Share your perspectives below and let’s start a conversation that could spark real change in how we view our futures.