As a part of the nations youth, I feel the need to point out the failures of our civil society. We blame our leaders for this weak democracy and its institutions yet fail to appreciate our own lack of contribution towards this sad state of affairs. We as a nation have always waited for a miracle or a brilliant individual to rally us, be it Sir Syed Ahmed Khan or Muhammad Ali Jinnah. What we do not realize is that by carrying on with this tradition of inactivity , we ourselves are becoming the biggest obstacle in the way of that miracle. I have come across hundreds of educated and learned people who are capable of writing books on the problems facing the country. Yet, they are so mired in sloth that they cannot afford the pain of even raising their voice in public, let alone doing us the favour of lifting a pen. We are all very aware of the reasons our country is failing yet we choose the easy way out of migrating abroad to some other prosperous country and reap the benefits of another nations struggle to create a better society there. I think the circumstances for progression of the civil society could not have been more favorable than they are now. I say that having witnessed firsthand the power of people in the lawyers movement. Yet we have chosen to rest on the laurels of a select few and kept the tradition of blaming others for our misfortune. I cannot recall one gathering, be it an Eid, a reunion or a simple tea party, where the countrys politics were not under discussion. The constituents of these discussions, all distinguished members of their respective fields, coalesced like gossiping housewives but not a single one among them ever raised a voice for civil liberties on any public forum. Their protests are limited to the drawing room discussions only. These are the type of people who would choose not to vote in the elections rather than question the actions and the manifestos of the political parties participating in one. A dead society does not benefit the country; rather it has the adverse effect of allowing the leaders a free pass to do whatever they please. -MOHAMMAD ZOHAIB AKMAL, Islamabad, October 10.