Chowrangi

I was just thinking of writing about smoking, and then I saw a post already here. So whats so bad about quitting smoking, other than the excessive cough and craving one gets over the period of two or so weeks that people decide to quit (before they start smoking again)?

A large population of our youth in the metropolitan cities such as Karachi and Lahore smoke, which is all well and good. They don’t try quitting: they accept the fact that they’re addicted. But what about those rebellious ones who claim “I can quit,” what do we do about them? Those bastards that give away their cigarettes, almost as if they gave death as a gift and the other accepts, resigning to the red cherry and nicotine - sealing the deal with a drag, or kash. Do you want people to be addicted? Infact, why do you not destroy your cigarettes and give them away? That’s a sign of weakness: a sign of sympathy and attachment towards the cancer stick, a term perhaps coined by the Aussies but largely catching on.

Here’s a tip: Next time you decide to quit, do something symbolic: throw them away, break them one by one, or keep them in your pocket and fight the urge to smoke it. Don’t give them away to others. It’s different in Pakistan, but in Canada, for example, a pack of cigarettes costs roughly $9. How many rupees is that? Roughly Rs. 500. It does get expensive there, and when you destroy these cigarettes, you symbolize an end of relationship.

And for you smokers out there, keep smoking! No sweat off our backs (as a figure of speech), infact, we enjoy watching you kill yourself. Living in a country where we’re so used to seeing dead bodies on the streets and the telly that sheer numbers don’t shock us anymore, as long as the victims aren’t our loved ones. Our loved ones: think about your family and friends who consider you a loved one. If not for yourself, for them. Hurt yourself all you want, but hurting others in the process is a sin.

Other posts by Tabish Bhimani

• Quick Tips For Your Exams - April 16th, 2008
• Going Green, Saving Energy, Saving Money - March 1st, 2008
• Benazir Bhutto - A Quick Look At International Reactions and Analysis of the Assassination - December 28th, 2007
• Bhutto Assassinated - The Aftermath, and Precautionary Measures - December 28th, 2007
• As The Fog Clears: January 21st, 2008 - Part 2 - November 25th, 2007
• As The Fog Clears: January 21, 2008 - Part 1 - November 25th, 2007
• Copyrights and Intellectual Property: A Case - November 24th, 2007