Have you ever seen someone from a distance and instantly decided that you don’t like them? Perhaps they spoke with an accent or wore a certain type of clothes, but how did you make up your mind before even getting to know them? That instant assumption is based on your fear — not of that person, but the story that your mind tells you about them.

Humans most often fear what they do not know. Be it ideas, ideologies or people of those ideologies, acceptance of the unknown becomes difficult when fear becomes the guide. When we are completely unaware of something or someone, our mind starts to fill in that void of not knowing by using its own imagination.

Eventually, if our mind paints a horrible picture, we begin fearing who is not the person himself, but our perception of him.

This imagination can be fuelled by many things, including prevailing stereotypes and even misinterpretations of things that the other person has said or done. Just like the time when you probably thought that the new kid in your class was going to be rude or boring, but they turned out to be a whole different person once you got to know them.

You might have noticed that, just like in your class where some students look more alike than others, or speak a different language at home, Pakistan is also a heterogeneous mix of religions and ethnicities. Balochis, Pakhtoons, Sindhis, Punjabis, Gilgitis, Kashmiris and many more, along with Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and others, together make the vibrant colours of Pakistan’s rainbow.

To elaborate my point, sadly, you might have also heard that some parents don’t like for their children to sit together in class with someone who belongs to a different race, religion or even sect, than them. This is bitter when said out loud, but unfortunately true. How often do we forget that the flag we mount on our rooftops has a visible and symbolic white portion in it? Even if we belong to the green portion, we don’t realise that there can be a thousand shades of green and even if some shades naturally resemble blue more than green, they still fall under the greater umbrella of green.

You must have come across this famous quotation of Quaid-i-Azam, “You may belong to any religion, caste or creed, that has nothing to do with the business of the state,” but now, let’s live it.

December 25th reminds us of this message even more clearly, as it is not only Quaid-i-Azam’s birthday but also Christmas, a day of joy and peace for our Christian brothers and sisters.

This month, take the time to learn about someone different from you in some way. Share lunch with a fellow Pakistani from a different background, find similarities and celebrate the differences. Make a greeting card for someone else’s festival or simply include them in a game, because believe me, they feel happy the same way you do.

And yes, you can be the one to start. All you need is a little acceptance and love, because love overpowers all kinds of fear. After all, these differences are meant to create diversity, not distance.

Published in Dawn, Young World, December 27th, 2025