I saved a life today!

I saved a life today – and I am sure so did you! In fact each of us probably saves several lives every day! How, you might ask?

If you drive on the streets  of Karachi, you will be no stranger to the fact that as you are driving quietly and sedately on an open road, a child (or an adult) suddenly jumps in front of your car without any warning. This happens to me several times a day as I drive through the city. My reflexes have to be excellent so that I don’t run over one of these daring (or should I say foolishly unaware and unconcerned) people. Should I, God Forbid, fail to slam my foot on the brake in the nick of time, I would surely be accused of being an elite car owner with little compassion for the poor citizen who walks the street. So every day I stay alert as I drive on the roads of the city fully aware that I might need to suddenly stop to “save the life” of someone who has decided to  step in front of my car on the freeway or jumped out suddenly from within one of the bushes or trees on one of the major roads.

As if this responsibility were not enough to keep ones nerves on edge, there is yet another danger that lurks – and that, my friends, is our friendly neighbourhood motorcyclist or rickshaw driver. The motorcyclist whizzes in from the right or the left or from a narrow lane that is perpendicular to the main road you may be driving on and then continues to drive like a daredevil in front of buses, cars, trucks or containers seemingly daring one of them to knock him down. Sometimes, these bikes have 4 passengers in addition to the person who is the driver; many of them have not even bothered to don their helmets so saving their lives is your responsibility.

There are some daring individuals whose behaviour is even more extreme. These are chaps who decide to attempt driving their bikes lying down or standing on the seat or at time positioning the bike vertically pointing toward the sky. It is difficult to fathom why they do this. Perhaps the adrenaline rush gives them the high they are looking for. The question is it is worth risking your life and the lives of other over some silly stunt. I don’t think it is but then what do I know?

All i wanted to say way that I saved another life today. Did you?