Life is uncertain. The future never truly arrives, and the past can never be recovered. Sometimes I feel stuck — walking, working out, thinking about everything I’ve lost. I wonder how much of my life I’ve spent in compromise. There were moments when I couldn’t do anything, and moments when I had to make my parents happy.
What I gained or lost can’t be changed now. The Stoics say: focus only on what you can control. Direct your energy toward what can still be changed.
Ancient wisdom teaches the same — stay in the present moment. Live it fully. Learn, grow, and improve from where you stand. The true Sufis call this “Sahib-e-Haal” — the master of the present moment.
So what should I do? Be aware. Stay grounded in the now. Like a hunter fully alert — either he hunts, or becomes the hunted.
The past is just memory, the future an illusion. The best thing is to believe that the world is full of possibilities. If something bad can happen, why can’t something good?
So I choose to hope for the best — and focus only on now
Two young monks arrived at a Buddhist monastery. Both wanted to learn martial arts and study the deeper truths of Buddhism.
One was cheerful and full of energy. The other was quiet, burdened, and often sad.
The Master observed them for a while. Then he said, “You,” pointing to the cheerful one, “will join the martial arts training.” “And you,” turning to the sad one, “will clean the monastery each day. When your task is complete, you may begin your training.”
The sad monk was surprised. He had hoped to practice martial arts right away. But the Master’s word was final. So he bowed and accepted his duty.
Every morning, he swept the courtyard, cleared away dry leaves, and dusted every corner. Yet, by the next morning, the courtyard was covered again — leaves fallen, dust blown by the wind.
After a month of this, he went to the Master and said, “Master, no matter how much I clean, by morning the dust returns. I feel the same about my mind. Thoughts of regret, betrayal, and worry come back again and again. I try to forget, but they return.”
The Master smiled. “That is the lesson,” he said. “The courtyard gathers dust every day, and you clean it again. The mind does the same — it gathers thoughts, emotions, and pain. You cannot stop the dust from coming, but you can keep cleaning. That is the practice.”
The monk bowed deeply. He finally understood.
From that day, he continued his cleaning with peace in his heart. Weeks later, the Master told him, “Now you are ready for martial arts training — for you have learned the first lesson: to clean the mind.”
Sitting at the edge of life, I see more challenges now than I did a few years ago. I’ve realized that we all carry problems—an uncertain future, financial struggles, unfulfilled relationships. Yet despite it all, we must keep moving forward.
The biggest mistake I made was focusing more on my problems than on my blessings. But now I understand: we need to speak more about what we have, rather than what we lack.
The rule is simple—life grows in the direction of our focus.
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Feeling Lost in the Age of AI? Here’s What I’m Learning.
I’ll be honest — I feel lost too. It seems like AI is coming to eat our jobs, and the future feels uncertain.
But here’s a thought that hit me hard: “The way out of uncertainty isn’t certainty — it’s clarity.”
We often seek guarantees, but life doesn’t offer them. And that’s the beauty of it — uncertainty keeps us evolving.
So what’s the solution? Clarity and preparation. Clarity about what we want to do next. Preparation to adapt and learn new skills.
Generative AI feels like a threat right now — and yes, it’s changing everything fast. But that’s also an opportunity.
Think about it: Over the past 25 years, software development has gone through massive growth. In Pakistan, we saw significant recognition in tech around 1999 and again in 2020. Now, we’re entering the next wave — and this time, AI is at the center.
Generative AI and Agentic AI are changing the game. So what should we do?
We need clarity.
Understand what work truly matters to you.
Learn what tools can amplify your skills.
Master those tools.
And most importantly — don’t be afraid to start over.
It’s time to get out of the rut and gear up.
Let’s stop fearing the change and start riding the wave.
I often shop from online retail stores and usually pay using my credit card—so payment is made in advance. But last week, something unusual and frustrating happened.
I ordered an acrobatic stepper, planning to start a new workout routine as soon as it arrived. Unfortunately, the delivery got delayed. When I contacted customer support, they blamed the delay on heavy rains. I waited patiently, but when the package finally arrived, it was shocking—it was empty. Inside the box were just broken bricks.
The delivery box had a contact number. I messaged the seller directly and also through the platform’s chat system. The seller replied, claiming it was a mistake and that they had accidentally sent the wrong package. He said, “Keep it—we’re sorting it out and will send the correct item in a few days.”
But this was his personal commitment—outside the online platform. That’s when my trust started to fade.
Now I was stuck in a dilemma: Should I wait for the replacement, or should I raise a complaint through the official website?
I thought about it logically:
The order was already late.
If the seller had no stock, why didn’t he cancel the order or inform me officially?
The platform allows order modifications and communication—why didn’t the seller use them?
Most importantly, if he couldn’t fulfill a commitment on the platform, how could I trust his personal promise?
This had never happened to me before.
What surprised me even more was that the seller began requesting I remove my negative review. It felt ironic—he had no problem sending an empty box, but now he was worried about his public reputation?
Why do people have such double standards? When they cheat, it’s “cleverness.” But when someone speaks up, it’s considered “bad behavior.”
Still, I posted an honest review: “I received an empty package with bricks.”
Shortly after, I received a call from the seller, pressuring me again to delete my review. Meanwhile, I had already filed a return request through the platform and sent the package back. I’m now waiting for a refund.
This incident shook my trust in online shopping. I started asking myself:
Should I continue trusting online retailers?
Should I switch to “Cash on Delivery” instead of paying in advance?
Should sellers like this be given a second chance—risking that they might cheat others too?
Was leaving an honest review the right thing to do—or was I being too harsh?
In the end, this was the first time something like this happened to me. I’ve decided to give the online platform one more chance—especially since the refund process is underway.
But the seller? No, I don’t trust him. It felt like he was stalling until the return window expired, so I’d lose my right to complain. If I hadn’t acted quickly, even the platform might have doubted me.
Some people say writing a negative review is “aggressive.” But is it? I didn’t exaggerate or lie. I simply shared the truth.
