Sadia Hakim

Those who only like you when you are suffering often thrive on pity, codependency, or a subtle sense of superiority. Your struggles make them feel needed, important, or safe from comparison. As soon as you begin to heal, grow, or succeed, their support evaporates because your progress no longer serves their needs. The truth is people resent you for the courage they lack. They envy you for the education they didn't get. They hate you for doing what they couldn't do.

And those who only enjoy your company when you are thriving are fair-weather companions and opportunists. They are drawn to your success, personality, and momentum. They want to bask in your glow, ride your coattails, and feed off your "positive" energy. They want to share in the rewards, but the second things get difficult or you hit a rough patch, they disappear because they do not want to carry any weight. It suddenly becomes all about protecting their peace by limiting you. The truth is they were never invested in you, only in what you could provide.

Walking away from both is an act of wisdom and self-respect. It creates space for the rare people who value you as a whole person with all the ugliness and the beauty of being a human, not as a source of validation, comfort, status, or advantage. These are the people who celebrate your victories without envy and stand beside you through hardship without judgment because they understand what it means to be a human in this disgustingly ugly, people-y world.

Learning to recognize the difference takes discernment. Having the courage to walk away takes strength. I hope your mind becomes strong enough to study patterns and I pray your heart becomes human enough to let some people go.

Except for the carpeted road (a typical Pakistani thing), this is where I spent the first few years of my life... I mean, a place just like this. That is why I am such a nature lover. Imagine a stream of fresh water flowing on both sides of the road. Imagine sitting on the cemented edge of that stream under the trees, splashing water and eating mangoes or Indian berries (of course, the stolen ones! 🤣). Imagine the calm, cool breeze. My grandma used to make us leave by telling us stories about tigers and lions (which was a lie that we actually believed as kids) 🫢🤣, but I have seen some other animals. A lot of them.

I do not know what happened by the time I went back as a teenager. Trees were cut down. There were no animal voices. Some animals were killed, and some died. I do not know all the details, but now it is a barren land because the older generation decided to fuel their homes by cutting down the trees, and no one stopped them. Now, I can hardly see a single tree.

I have always wanted to fund a project like this to bring back that nostalgia for generations to come but then I look at people and our economy and the job market. And I just want to leave this planet.