I Confess. Not.

A take on DMC Confessions
By Butool Hisam (D'17)

I have posted about the confessions page quite a number of times, so much so that I doubt people would need to read my name and breathe that ‘not again’ sigh when they see it. Or they might do just the latter. 

This post is not about giving the admin a good old bashing, it is about analyzing what the Confessions page is a reflection off.

As a second year, I have been a witness (though thankfully, from a distance) of the dirty politics people tend to play. I am sure that for a lot of people, this year must have been very trying in terms of which CG they would join, whether others in their group would accept them or not etc. These are issues that I can and am writing about pretty casually but by the end of the day, they can be someone’s nightmare. As if we, as medical students, need any more of them.

Most of the time, if not always, such squabbles ranging from downright petty to serious, stem from one thing; backbiting. And before anyone feels like I am pointing a finger at them, here is my ‘confession’ (only I am not doing this anonymously): If backbiting be a kingdom, I would be its damn Queen!

I backbite all the time; of our teacher’s accents, the miserable timetables, the admin people who make me run around for signing one simple form and what not.

But here is the thing; this is not something I am proud of. If I am admitting that what I do is wrong (and it is), it is because I resolve and hope to stop.

I have, however, tried to steer clear of backbiting about my fellow-students. Like most of you, I participated in the nerve-wrecking rat race we all have to go through to get into medical school. And as happy as I was to finally get in, I was thankful simply to be there.

I don’t know what battles others fought to get in. I don’t know what you go through every day. I don’t know you. And in a class of about 350 people and a college of over thousand students, I may never get to know you well enough.

So why should I judge you for aspects others might perceive as odd? The haircut, the choice of friends, the accent etc?

I do get the need to confess, sometimes. I realize we all need an outlet. But I am also acutely aware that there is a fine line between having fun and hurting someone. Most of the ‘confessions’, however, are just plain rude and hurtful. You think someone did something wrong? Please have the decency and courage to tell them on their face. Moreover, if we have something negative to say about others, the fact that we don’t have the guts to say it on their faces, says a lot about us, not them. Funnily enough, such confessors manage to insult themselves quite finely in the process of dissing someone else. They can read about their ‘achievements’ more here: http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/18824/things-have-gone-too-far-on-facebook-confession-pages/.

Look at where we are. We study in the heart of Pakistan’s ‘most dangerous city’. We have to spend hours in a hospital where humanity appears to be wailing in misery. Where little kids run about barefoot near wards reeking of sweat. Where people come from afar just to get free treatment even if it means having to sleep on the floor near the corridors. If this is not enough to humble us to be more considerate human being, then perhaps nothing will!

Ultimately, I really cannot say much to the admin. But a lot can be said about the people who have liked the page and are posting such confessions. You are the ones promoting it, not them. If you could take a stand and simply stop confessing such absurdities that only harm others in the long run, you could put an end to this platform giving voice to a bunch of cowards hiding behind a computer screen.

You can follow Butool on www.labyrinthine916.blogspot.com/