Faisalabad, Pakistan Bomb Blast – When You Are Meant To Be Alive
A car bomb exploded at a gas station in my city Faisalabad, located in eastern Pakistan, this morning around 10:15 am, Tuesday March 8, 2011, killing at least 26 people and wounding more than 100.
I was supposed to be there at about the same time, to meet a friend of mine who works in a government building just next to the blast site.
Why did I not go there and instead chose to sleep a little more, missing my appointment with my friend?
Why all those people who have died, and are dying in the hospitals or under the rubble of the demolished buildings, as minutes turn into hours, were meant to be there?
Why they said farewell to life, without saying farewell to their families, whom they left this morning to go on with their “normal” lives?
That is the mystery of life! I was meant to be alive and they were not. Who decides THAT?
My younger brother came running down to my room and woke me up with this sad news. I immediately switched on the TV and watched the shocking drama unfold on a second by second basis.
Burned limbs scattered around, torn clothes lying on the roadside, people with bloody clothes running around, police and rescue officials trying to do whatever they can to save whomever they can, the debris of demolished buildings with people trapped inside them—utter horror filled the screen!
And then the thought—that I could have been there and someone else may have been watching me lying there on the roadside—dead—on his TV screen.
Today’s news will be forgotten tomorrow. I will forget it too, just like you will, and move on with my life. Only the families whose loved ones have passed away will remember this day.
But there is a message that I will not forget and you shouldn’t too. And that is—that as long as you are meant to be alive, live with all your heart. Live with all the love in your heart for your loved ones, for you may never get a chance to say goodbyes, when it is your time to leave.
And if you are reading this, it means that you are meant to be alive and still there is a chance for you to do all the things you haven’t done till now, thinking that you will do them tomorrow. Go, do them today, for tomorrow may never arrive for you.
SHARING IS CARING
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Thanks for choosing to turn this experience into a powerful reminder to enjoy life to the fullest.
I am so glad you were “lazy” this morning. How many times do we berate ourselves for not doing something we think we’re supposed to do? Maybe we need to be right where we are, doing what we’re doing, even if it’s missing an appointment with a friend. We don’t always have such a clear validation as you did this morning.
I hope your friend is okay and my heart goes out to all those who were hurt or lost their lives. That you continue to stay positive in the face of such mindless violence is a testimony to the greatness of your heart Abubakar. Thank you for all that you are and all that you do.
Thank you dear Linda for all your kind words, wishes and care. Yes, I am fine and so is my friend. My heart goes out to all who lost their lives or are wounded.
Life has a way of teaching us things in amazing weird ways indeed.
Abubakar, I am so glad you were lazy this morning too! Glad you’re OK and get such a positive message out of this and have shared it. I’ve had a couple of close calls too–though nothing like this–and all I could do was think the same thing: why? And it could be over any time.
Sending lots of love out to you and your friends and family and everyone else affected by all this trouble and violence.
Yah well “laziness” can be blessing indeed. I am just unable to to understand how such things help us move forward and learn more about life. Thank you for your kind words and support.
Abubhai – I’m glad you were not in time! The message you’ve shared through this experience is something we’ve got to keep reminding ourselves about. Thank you for sharing. I wish our nations peace within, with each other and with the world.
Dear Corinne,
yes indeed like you said, “I wish our nations peace within, with each other and with the world.”
I really hope for the same too my dear. Thank you.
Dear Abubakar,
Thank God for this miracle! It’s almost as if you got a second life. And, glad you didn’t waste time to recognize this boon and turn it around into a meaningful reflection to share with others. You have many more lives to touch, dear. The journey ahead will be all the more purposeful for you from now on.
I can’t forget the quote that I read only today morning –
“”Whatever you want to do, do it. There are only so many tomorrows”
So true. And, almost scary. But, this only makes us realize – how precious life is. How can we even begin to let days and months and years slip by without doing what we were meant to do….
I can’t help but feel sad for the ones who are affected. I can only pray for their families…The pain they are going through is unthinkable…
Take Care…
Dearest Rashmie,
Yes indeed it was a miracle and just like getting a second life. I just came back from visiting the blast site and you can’t believe what I saw. I can’t even explain it in words—the devastation and lack of respect for human lives, that surrounded me.
But whenever I feel like this I always tell myself that for every act of evil and injustice in the world there are a million acts of kindness too, or we wouldn’t be here right now.
Abubakar,
Yes life is certainly a mystery. What a great thing you did by sleeping in. I’d be sad if I knew you’d never be here to share your wisdom again.
When I was 13 years old several siblings and I went to my sister Jan’s house to swim in the river she lived on. My older sister Rose brought her boyfriend, an only child. Larry ended up drowning that day. I’m certain his parents felt cheated. I was one of 10 children. My mom went home with all of her children. Louise went home without her only one.
Ah dear Tess,
What a heart-wrenching story and what lesson about life and how fragile it is. It never fails to amaze me how the life works and how less we know about it and think that we know all about it.
I’m glad too that you were meant to be here to share this with us.
Abubakar, Your insights are blessing – and you share this blessing not only in this post, but in all your words.
” as long as you are meant to be alive, live with all your heart. Live with all the love in your heart for your loved ones, for you may never get a chance to say goodbyes, when it is your time to leave.”
I am sorry you had to experience this. I am sorry more than 100 were wounded and more than 26 were killed. We never may know why some are “meant to live” and others aren’t, but we can strive to live in gratitude and peace within ourselves, even when there doesn’t seem to be peace outside ourselves in our cities & countries.
I am glad you were not at that gas station this morning.
Thank you for sharing an intense reminder to live fully, with purpose and with all your heart.
Dearest Aileen,
Thank you for your kind words and care my friend. Yah let’s send lots of healing wishes to those who really need them, wherever they might be.
Dear Abubakar,
It’s obvious your work here on this planet is not done. You have so many gifts to share with the world. This was just God’s way of reminding you.
My heart goes out to the families of the wounded and those that have passed.
Death is not something that scares me at all. I look at it as a sort of graduation but it is certainly very painful for the loved ones left behind.
I believe in the power of prayer and will pray for all the families affected by this tragedy.
Meenu
I am not scared of death and think of it in similar terms. It’s just the way things happen in our lives that amazes me. Thank you Meenu for all your good wishes and support.
Abubakar, so glad you are safe. Yes, live life today. Your message is heard and felt deeply.
Thank you dear Katie for your kind wishes.
I am so sorry to hear about the tragedy in Faisalabad, but so happy to know that you are well. Why such horrors happen to one person while another is spared, we’ll never know. It is something I’ve thought about many times, yet I’m sure I won’t have the answer. All I can do is what you’ve suggested, live each day fully as if it may be my last.
Thank you dear Nea for your concern and sharing your thoughts. The “Whys” are weird. We hardly get to peel off the surface.
That is insane news, Abubakar!
I’m glad to know that you didn’t get to meet your friend.
Whenever I read such news, or about the revolutions, crackdowns and crackheads (yes, I’m talking about Qaddafi) in the Arab World, I feel like curling up in a dark corner wondering why the world is so messed up. I even have a designated “Dark Corner” under my desk for such emotional emergencies.
But your attitude towards such tragedies is remarkable.
Thank you for the dose of inspiration!
We all have those dark corners, if not under our desks then in our minds. They have their place, of course. But the point is to use them as we use restrooms. Use them and get out and come back to life.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts Haider.
HI AB! Oh God..Shukar that you are safe.
But you are right…as long as there is LIFE we are meant to LIVE it fully. Cherishing every moment…cause who knows..the mystery might unfold anytime.
Thank you fro writing about this.
Somehow the theme all over the blog o sphere this week seems how tragedy can be seen in a more positive light. I wrote about it too…
Lots of love,
Z~
Thank you so much Zeenat for your concern, my friend. Yah it’s kind of weird how one tragedy after another is just falling upon us nowadays. But lets LIVE!
Shocking! I am glad you are safe. At the same time, with all the natural disasters happening in New Zealand and Japan recently, I wonder why people continue to murder each other. Why don’t they understand that life is indeed a gift and we should be very thankful for that. Nature can be very cruel, let human beings not try to copy that.
Dear Emiel,
Thanks a lot my friend for your concern. I wonder about exactly the same things too and probably, starting from ourselves, we all need to spread the message of tolerance, respect and love even more and more and more.
Hi Abubakar,
Your story is touching to me and I will say a prayer for the families of the victims. It is so true that we never know when our last day on earth will be. We must keep our hearts open to ourselves and others.