By Sohail Ahmad Loun
The greatness of the first step towards any destination cannot be denied. The first step towards the goal is to have innumerable emotions,feelings, and passions. “So, the first step helps to reduce the fatigue that may come with the difficult distance of traveling.” It is indisputable that the first step in achieving any great goal must be taken. It often involves facing many hardships,sufferings, and difficulties and seeing courage, bravery, leadership ability,sincerity, and good intentions; God Almighty gives such blessings and strength to take the first step the moment it is seen. An army of rebels is formed behind him, and he becomes the natural leader of the nation and makes a new history by fighting for their rights and freedom.After which, the oppressor’s name is left as a lesson, but the mark is erased.
Today,the so-called human rights activists, if you look at their history, start to feel ashamed of being human. Its not too old. After working hard all day, Rosa Parks clutched one of her handbag firmly to her chest and, realizing the warmth, was rushing toward the bus stop. After waiting 10 minutes, she finally stopped at the bus stop and got on. There were plenty of empty seats. She sat down by the window. At that time, lifting a black person from his seat so that a white person could sit there was legal in the United States. US law strictly
forbade black people from sitting if they were white. This law applied to every black person, whether old, child, sick or vulnerable! If a black-aged man or woman were found sitting in front of a young white man, the elders would be heavily fined. It was not limited to buses, but there were signs on the doors of hotels and restaurants that cats, dogs, and blacks could not enter. This racist attitude kept Rosa Parks depressed. She always wondered how long this inferior, inhuman, and discriminatory treatment of us black people would continue. How long will black people be held in the queues at the end? But white animals also had better treatment and rights. She was overwhelmed by the thought that the bus seats were slowly filling up. The young man boarded a white bus from the next stop and stood by the parks, watching. He was waiting for Rosa Parks to vacate his seat, but Parks decided to change history that day and did not leave the seat at the white man’s request. The feeling of humiliation was evident on the white man’s face. As soon as they saw it, the passenger’s attitude on the bus became aggressive, and it was their turn to gossip. Everyone was asking Rosa Parks to vacate the seat, but Rosa stuck to her position adamantly. Even the bus driver could not keep quiet about the black woman’s audacity to break the law and insult a white man and took the bus to the police station to warn a black woman to raise her head in front of a white man. Parks was arrested at the police station and fined 15 dollars as found guilty. This punishment can become an example and a lesson for other black people, and no black person will dare to insult a white person in the future.
But this bold “first step” by Rosa Parks sparked a firestorm on American soil,after which the fire of rights demands engulfed the entire United States. All black people became united in their treatment of Rosa Parks, which took the form of a movement in which all black people would boycott all means of transportation until the US government allowed them to do so. Not all human rights are equal to whites. This historic boycott lasted 381 days until finally, the “White House” inhabitants prostrated before the black struggle. Of course, Mr Obama, the former President, sitting in the White House, must have saluted the greatness of this brave woman in his heart, who paved his way to the White House. Otherwise, he would have been traveling in a bus today, and the whites would have looked at him with contempt. The black occupant of the white house has always expressed his gratitude for this inspiring black woman.
Rosa Parks was born on February 4, 1913; this African black woman made her name in history and passed away on October 24, 2005, with her actual creator. Thousands of mourners, including heads of state, attended the memorial/funeral ceremony. The American flag was hoisted on the day, and her last rites were performed with full national honours.
For Rosa Parks, more than all these awards, honours, and medals, it was the “first step” she took against oppression, followed by the slogan we often hear today: Take a step … We are behind you! Together, she appeared in an extreme form, and as she watched, the number of people walking step by step increased, and eventually, her “first step” became a part of history. It is worth noting that while living in the United States, they raised their heads in the face of oppression, and the time came when black people, enslaved, wrote their destiny. We live in an independent Country, but ordinary citizens in Pakistan are treated very severely and yearn for their essential human rights all their lives. Are free citizens of an independent state, so why are we discriminated against similarly?
Until the country’s class system is eradicated, the United States, Britain,France, and Germany are very developed. How will India, Bangladesh, andother developing countries behave well when their ruling class is not sincere with Pakistan? Every Pakistani leader uses his party’s flag more than the Pakistani flag and hangs pictures of these corrupt leaders in parties, offices, and meetings more than the founder of Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam. I don’t know what they want to prove.
The only way out of this predicament seems to be to take the bold first step,like Rosa Parks, and stand up against this inhumane discrimination that transcends all prejudices and thinks only of becoming a Pakistani. Whoever takes the first step for Pakistan, the nation will be with him. The nation is waiting for a revolution but does not dare to take a step towards a revolution.
Someone must also take the first step to stop the uncivilized behaviour and atrocities of people in Palestine, Kashmir, and other countries.