A Spiteful, Spitting Nation

If you want to live in Pakistan then you better accustom yourself with jeggings and avoid dresses that drape because it’s such a tormenting effort to walk on the streets or pavements here. You have to carefully administer each and every road while you look for places where you can step, all this while trying to master the art of walking on the toes as those clean spots are almost microscopic.

Spitting! It’s such a dynamic trend which not only helps our people clean their throats but also gives us such ravishing and artistic floors; full of abstract effects with shades of white and red. I wonder why nowhere else in the world people feel this urge… this reflex action to treat the surroundings as their own personal canvas. Is our anatomy somewhat different from theirs? Or is it just a bad habit which needs to be paid attention to?

Some say that a man is not socially acceptable if he does not spit. I wonder how social acceptance fell in such a low criterion that people forgot strength of character and started focusing on spitting as a means to be socially accepted. Maybe our people have become so frustrated that they have decided to litter and spit on the streets to show their anger and frustration for the everyday hassles. Males in particular are seen spitting everywhere regardless of their social standing. I recently saw a well-educated middle-aged man who disturbed the traffic by stopping his car on a very busy road. There he was, opening his car door and spitting on the road which clearly seemed a matter of such grave urgency to him that the inconvenience of the dozen or so people behind him was acceptable.

Public places aside, even tourist attractions aren’t spared. In northern areas of Pakistan, placid and picturesque natural areas are no longer suitable for visiting.

Nowhere but in Pakistan had I found spits on the roads. Why can’t we put an end to it? It’s not only disgusting but also unhealthy. It is possible to transmit tuberculosis, influenza and the common cold through these spits. Small children can come in contact with these diseases due to their inquisitive nature of touching curious and new things.

When this same nation goes to foreign lands, they remember to behave. Then why can’t they keep their own country clean? These streets belong to us; those naturally blessed areas of north are ours. If we can keep our houses clean and remember not to spit in our cars then why can’t we show the same sense of ownership for our country?

Why has it become a socially acceptable practice to spit? This land of pure based on Islamic ideology needs to realize that the same religion states cleanliness to be half of our faith. If we can’t keep our country clean, then how can we progress as a nation?