28/05/2026
The "Foolish" People of Uzbekistan 🇺🇿❤️
When I first moved here, a brother from a neighboring village back home contacted me after a few months. We introduced ourselves, and he was genuinely happy to know that someone from his own region was working here. Although he works in another country, his wife is from Uzbekistan, so they own a house here and often come to spend their vacations.
During our conversation, I casually mentioned, "The people here are wonderful."
To this, he replied with a single sentence:
"The people here are fools."
That one sentence got stuck in my mind for the last six months. I could neither forget it nor digest it. But today, an incident happened that finally gave me the perfect opportunity to lighten this emotional burden. *(Please note, this is not a criticism of that brother; we just look at the world through different lenses, and I want to share my perspective).*
This morning, as usual, I took a bus near my house to go to school. Midway through the journey, the bus broke down. The driver informed everyone about the malfunction and asked us to step down and wait for another bus. As soon as the passengers got off, they started doing something incredibly "foolish."
It was a large metro-style bus with about 30 to 35 passengers. Without being asked, and without the driver demanding a single penny, every single person lined up to pay their fare before leaving - even those who had just boarded a stop ago!
Coming from Pakistan, I was astonished by this "foolishness." If they had been a bit "clever," they could have easily saved their 70 rupees.
Speaking of public transport, another "foolish" habit is commonly seen here. Buses have limited seating, so many people travel while standing. Whenever an elderly person (man or woman) steps onto the bus, a seat is vacated for them even before they fully walk through the door. This isn’t just for the elderly; if I board the bus, a youngster younger than me will stand up, insist that I take their seat, and travel standing up themselves. As a Pakistani, a thought crosses my mind:
- I paid the exact same fare as them, so why do they do this "foolishness"?*
Look at the height of their "foolishness" - whether you are at a railway station or a busy market, if you have heavy luggage and need to go elsewhere or do more shopping, you don't need to look for a shopkeeper to guard it. You can just leave your bags on the side of the street, finish your work, and return even four hours later. Your luggage will not have moved an inch!
"Clever" and "smart" people are those who steal and make things disappear. These "foolish" people don't even realize how much they could profit if they just took that luggage and sold it or used it for themselves.
I was walking back from the market with my son when a woman started staring at him strangely. I was a bit surprised but kept walking without looking back. A few minutes later, when I had walked a little further, that same "foolish" woman came running after us. She handed me a brand-new pair of socks and said, "The baby will catch a cold, please make him wear these."
That "foolish" woman could have just told me verbally or gestured to me. What was the need to go to a nearby shop, spend her own money, and buy them?
You will rarely see such "fools" who truly do not care what you wear, how you look, or where you are going. These people never nose into your personal life, nor do they judge you by your appearance. They have no issues with you being religious, nor do they look at your faith with suspicion. They are delightfully "foolish" - always greeting you with a warm smile and treating total strangers with immense respect.
Today, after six long months, I have finally found the answer to that sentence deep within my heart.
These people are not fools; they are simply still human.
They haven't yet learned to view kindness as weakness, respect as a loss, or honesty as an opportunity to exploit. These are the kind of people living among whom forces you to reconsider your society, your mindset, and ultimately, yourself.
If this is what "foolishness" means, then I pray to God that such foolishness becomes common in every city, every village, and every human heart across the world. 🌍✨