پاکستان

The Forest of Pakistan

By Waseem A Khan

In the depths of the islands, was one forest. Wild. Open. With every species inhabiting it. Living as one. Never in harmony. All of them corrupt. They feed off each other’s meat and blood. One opportunity and they have it all. One chance and they lose it all. Only to one another. Several decades passed and the forest never changed its wrongful ways.

On its way to the soaring skies, a wise young eagle stopped on the foot of the forest for a small rest. In its sight was a wolf and a small rabbit. With the rabbit was its days earning, quickly taken by the powerful wolf, jumping over the rabbit as it was left helpless. Going ahead, the rabbit didn’t change the forests ways and instead took in the possessions of a small turtle and went about its way. The eagle was intrigued and spent several more days in the forest to observe its nature. He was shocked to see the normalcy in the corruption of the forest. Their never ending unlawful and unfaithful ways. On top of that, all of the blood endearing animals being against one another. Always divided by species.

Going from tree to tree, the eagle made it a regular to talk to the animals, starting from the smallest ones. The beetles, scorpions, turtles, rabbits, pandas, goats and the sheep.

He taught them freedom. Rights. Wrongs. He taught them voice. Moreover, he gave them a voice. Told them what they deserve, told them of the lawful ways and how it brings in oneness.

From far off, all the predators watched. They watched and watched the eagle teach his ways around the forest. From nest to nest. From hole to hole. From tree to tree and from mind to mind. The preys became one. Harmonious. Their ideologies became one as they understood each other more. Burning the hearts of the predators, they slowly came together. Talking. Gossiping about the eagle and how his ways were changing the forest, making it more lawful. Their ways were coming to an end, gradually.

Naturally, they didn’t like that. So they devised plans to erase the eagle and his ways from the forest that once used to benefit them.

The bears climbed the trees to scratch him out from tree branches and he’d fly away. The wolves tried to create spider webs in his wings’ way and he’d take a different route that day. The lions would try and sneak up from behind to eat him and the mice would distract them. The way God, our Khuda’a, would intend.

They didn’t stop at nothing, under a false belief of weakening him together. So alas, they built a cage and placed it above his way. The lions roared and the hyenas laughed as the eagle was captured under their power. They were ecstatic. They celebrated together as one and began their terror around the forest once again.

Every day, one of the predators would come to the cage to mock him. To weaken his heart. However, their hearts still carrying a great fear of the imprisoned animal.

First came the hyenas, who laughed.

Then came the wolves, who howled.

The bears came and growled.

Then the lions came and roared at the eagle that echoed between each tree.

The snakes came and hissed around his cage.

The crocodiles left their waters to grunt at the wise eagle.

And everytime they walked away, all carried the same things behind their backs.

Arrogance.

And sticks and stones.

The eagle carried faith. Hope. Righteousness. Inside of him, was every bit of confidence that the predators lacked in themselves and one another.

Waiting, patiently, for not only the eagles’ downfall but also one another. Waiting to overthrow one another. Waiting to go back to their old ways. To the ways of being against each other. To the ways of feeding off of each other’s blood.

The predators were oblivious of the rapidly transforming changes occurring in the forest, even though they thought they had defeated the eagle and their own internal problems. In the midst of their celebration, a new generation of wise eagles appeared, bringing knowledge, liberation, and valuable transformation to every part of the forest. These newly discovered signs of hope and unity found homes in the trees and nests of the forest, serving as a reminder of the strength of righteousness in the face of difficulty.

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