What are we worth?

Six of the 152 passengers on the ill-fated Air Blue Flight 202 were my friends. People I had sat, laughed and fought with. Now they were gone.

Faryal Najeeb July 29, 2010


I knew six of the 152 passengers and crew on the ill-fated Air Blue Flight 202 personally. They were friends – not very close – but friends nonetheless. Two more among the passengers I didn’t know in person, but knew about.

The initial news had shocked me to the core. Until then, I wasn’t aware my friends were on board and I watched the national tragedy like the rest of Pakistan on television.

The messages of the deaths started to pour in late afternoon, when the news spread from family to relatives and then friends. Four of the crew members were my best friend’s colleagues who I had occasionally met with her, while the newly-wed couple turned out to be none other than a good friend from years ago who had married on July 23.

These were people I had sat with, laughed with, teased and fought with. I couldn’t stop myself from going on Facebook and reading their last messages over and over again. I couldn’t stop myself from thinking of all those times when I might have gossiped about them behind their backs, for the sake of gossip.

I regret all my vices, and I miss them as they were a part of my own soul.

Relationships, in today’s world, have zeroed down to text messages, and even then, most of them forwards. We spend our lives studying, working, making money. And in the end, all of us have to return to the ground, leaving behind all that we accumulated in the race that we called our 'personal lives’.

Maybe I’m depressed so I am being philosophical. Maybe I am just plain right. Where are we heading? Has anyone ever wondered that? Food for thought.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 29th, 2010.

WRITTEN BY:
Faryal Najeeb A sub-editor on the business pages of The Express Tribune. She has a passion for commerce journalism.
The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.

COMMENTS (5)

Faiq N | 13 years ago | Reply Well said Khurram.
Khurram Zahid | 13 years ago | Reply Why everybody is talking about the people died in Margalla incident. Why everybody is upset on the sudden death of the people in a plane crash. Why everybody is writing about the ill-fated plane and its passenger. Just think, 106 people died in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to flood, nobody responds. Many people have died in target killing in Karachi, nobody responds. Many people die in drone attacks, nobody responds... Hadn't these people have life, we don't even bother to feel sad about these unfortunate people. They do have families and children. Why we are only worried about people who had luxury to fly with airlines, why we are not worried about lives of poor people ... Where are we heading? Has anyone ever wondered that? Think....
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