Doing the Right Thing

Yesterday I saw my neighbor busy with supervision of cementing the front yard of his house. He had directed the laborers to create a a gentle slope using cement. Now, the cement slope exceeds the boundary of the plot and very clearly violates the parameters of the main road.

This makes me think about "doing the right thing." In this country, creating problems for others has become a fashion now. In PK, I see people parking on footpaths which creates hurdles for the pedestrians. Moreover, motorbikes use footpaths for shortcuts and their own convenience. If you want to risk your life, just try using a zebra crossing (pedestrian crossing). Any type of car or bike would not make an effort to stop for the pedestrian to pass. In fact, the person driving would resort to honking. Nowadays in ICT, driving on the wrong side of the road is another issue which has increased the risks of accidents.

In PK, a trend of fancy number plates was on the rise when I was studying in high school. Back then, I saw plates put on cars, with 'Barrister', 'Lawyer' and 'Press' inscribed on them. Later, after passing my undergraduate studies I met a person in Lahore named S. Other than the original number plate, S used a specially designed plate which had 'Attorney at Law' printed on it. These days in ICT, I see people using stickers on the top left side of the windscreens of their cars. These stickers have logos of law enforcement agencies including police and the military.

While growing up, although not common, but I did see teenagers kicking volleyball, playing football with basketball, playing cricket in a football ground and playing football in a hockey ground. I also saw people cleaning their front yard and putting the garbage in front of other people's house. I often think, when would people stop doing these foolish acts?