i consider and prefer myself to be a conservative. hardcore stickler for convention and tradition. as much as possible . not anti-leftist but a proud rightist… i THINK…if someone calls me conservative i take it as a compliment…i like being thought of as conservative rather than liberal…
my parents both belong to very traditional families and have strong moral values but are one of the few individuals in both their families with higher education…as individuals they are liberal minded, and do not stick to tradition that much in many cases. they even sent me at 16 to america, alone female and i dint have any relatives there which many people from our family considered outrageous. but thankfully to God i think i turned out normal [highly debatable] 
my siblings are not conservative as such but we always know our limits in everything. and my parents are extremely extremely understanding and accepting, they are there for us as pillars of support but give us our space in every thing. not once in my life i have left that they put undue restrictions on me. alhamdulillah.
myself tho i’ve always had a classic view of eastern culture. this happenned more after i left pakistan at a young age. i created an untouchable image of PAKISTANI CULTURE in my mind, and always tried, however much possible given my situation, to stick to those guidelines defined by that picture, even if sometimes practically they led me to loss. and they did many times. but i still have the satisfaction that atleast i stood ‘moral high ground’ and ‘retained my values’…? i became even more conservative after going to america than my friends in pakistan, right now i think i am even more conservative than them in many things. but i found a comfort in that as taking the conservative approach is always safer. maybe its for the weak hearted? i dont know :S
often the whole world, including all pakistanis, around me were involved in things and i was not because i said to myself, this is against our culture, even if it wasn’t against religion.
recently, as i’ve come back to pakistan and become part of real life and seen different kinds of people from different backgrounds, i’ve realised there is no cultural mould one needs to fit into. one should be brave enough to live life like they want to live it as long as those who care about them don’t have complaints, the most important characteristic a person should possess is faith in Allah and belief in oneself, ofcourse tempered with humility. the cultural image is perhaps an elusive ideal but realities are different… maybe one should just do what they think is RIGHT, islamically right and does not hurt anybody.
these days i was faced with a decision to break a cultural barrier and try to achieve something i really really wanted. i flirted with fire and went through phases whether to give in to what i wanted because islamically there was nothing wrong with it.
my decision making power really really sucks. in the end i decided to let go of what i could have had, and just stick to my high moral ground…it was the tougher route for me, perhaps that is why i chose it. some people told me its my stubbbornness and i like making my life difficult. i dont know.
a want is something worldly and giving up a want is after all just self denial. even if i suffer, i will suffer, i am prepared to suffer. i would rather suffer than degrade myself or compromise on morals. and afterall…you haven’t lost anything if you haven’t lost your dignity…thats what matters most…
hmmm…
i’m just curious to know what path you would choose in such situations and if you ever felt such dilemmas?
looking fwd to reading ur replies 
