Thoughts at Thirty

After yet another long break, the podcast is back with an actual life update and lessons learnt from moving across the world, twice. 

After a horrific and brutal murder that was too close to home in Islamabad - I reflect on society and our collective apathy and how not calling out certain behaviors might make us complicit in violence against women. 

#JusticeForNoor

This episode is dedicated to and is in honor of my dear friend Ali Faateh who sadly passed away a couple days before this is being posted. Ali was a matriot, writer and environmentalist. He was a polite, warm and kind soul that treated everyone with respect and love. Gone too soon, Ali. You will always live in our hearts.

<3

After a long delay, welcome to season 2!

In this episode I share a story of someone who handled a difficult time during the pandemic really well and reflect on finding hope and optimism during unprecedented times. 

In this episode I discuss my thoughts on gender equality and typical cultural masculinity with my friend Bushra. We also talk about feminism, the expectations from men - and what we can all do on a personal level to try and have a more fair world.

In this episode I talk about my thoughts on sadness. Do we need sadness? Is it important to feel it to be truly happy? Heavy Spoilers if you haven't seen "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" because I quote the movie a lot in the episode as I felt the themes of the film really tie in well and explore the same ideas as I wanted to present.

Quotes used in the episode:

"Blessed are the forgetful: for they get the better even of their blunders."
- Friedrich Nietzsche

“How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd?”
- Alexander Pope (From Eloisa to Abelard)

In this episode I recall meeting a shopkeeper who had achieved incredible things through sheer hard work and determination. I interviewed him for an article I wrote in 2014 and as a bonus learned a lot valuable lessons about things like hard work, revenge, belief, perseverance and kindness. All important things to remember as one grows older.

Express Tribune Article: https://tribune.com.pk/article/23119/khan-paan-and-pakistan

In this episode I enter extremely private territory and share the story of a very special person I met in my teens. Some friendships change you forever. This one not only made me value friendship, but time as well.

What is Privilege and how did I understand it? When did I first feel it? How do I feel about it at Thirty? In this episode I talk about my perception of unearned societal advantages based on race and biological sex - and if being part of a group that benefits means you have a responsibility to those who do not benefit.

Turning 30 definitely made me think about settling down, marrying and having kids for the first time. In this episode I talk about my personal fears about having children, where they stem from and the mistakes that I have seen other parents make through knowing their children.