“Never write about a place until you're away from it, because that gives you perspective,” advised Ernest Hemingway. I think the same can be said about writing on a community. Five years ago, I made the transition from the life of an expatriate in the Middle East to the life of a “Lahori” in my native Pakistan. Now that I reflect on my worldview, I see pre-Pakistan and post-Pakistan influences, clearly attributed to interactions with my community.

My pre-Pakistan worldview was heavily influenced by friends, teachers, and neighbours from diverse backgrounds while living in what my parents liked to call a “bubble.” The value of time and importance of punctuality is something I picked from my British school teachers, along with an emphasis on saying “please” and “thank you.” I developed curiosity and appreciation of other people’s traditions when I looked at my Japanese and Lebanese friends’ lunchboxes. I think my love of traveling is also driven by these encounters, along with a willingness to accept people with different backgrounds.

The cosmopolitan composition of my community underwent a striking change when I moved from the Middle East to Pakistan. My interactions were no longer limited to people of a similar socio-economic background living within a housing compound. As I met people from my ancestral village near Lahore, I developed greater empathy for the hardships encountered by families trying to lift themselves out of poverty. The feeling of warmth and friendliness that seemed to spring out of small talk with people I didn’t know well encouraged me to be less shy. I also came to appreciate the value of spending time with cousins and grandparents in close-knit family setups. The new community dynamics altered my perspective on priorities in terms of social engagements, which were focused solely on friends in the Middle East.

Within two years of moving to Pakistan, I also noticed some negative changes in my perspective, which I believe is due to the outlook of my community. Pessimism, criticism, and blaming the government for almost every issue are common practices in Pakistani society. Political commentary is discouraged in the Middle East and, as far as I can recall, most foreigners practiced rugged individualism due to their inability to influence government policy. In contrast, complaining about the government is second nature for most Pakistanis, and I too have managed to acquire this negative habit.

It is intriguing to see how perspectives are shaped by our communities, often at a subconscious level. In my case, it was only after moving from the Middle East and being immersed in a different community in Pakistan that I was able to observe the powerful impact community has on shaping my traits and viewpoints. I expect my perspectives will continue to evolve as I transition to adult life. In the meantime, I look forward to traveling, meeting people, and venturing out of my comfort zone to accumulate experiences that will widen my perspectives and nurture a well-rounded worldview.