Love can make the world seem beautiful. When we fall in love, ordinary things begin to feel special. A familiar street looks different. A simple conversation becomes a treasured memory. For a while, one person appears to occupy the centre of our universe.
But what happens when we look beyond that person and see the suffering around us?
Faiz Ahmad Faiz raises this uncomfortable question in his celebrated poem Mujh Se Pehli Si Mohabbat Mere Mehboob Na Maang.
He writes:
Aur bhi dukh hain zamane mein mohabbat ke siwa
Rahaten aur bhi hain wasl ki rahat ke siwa.
In simple words, there are sorrows in this world beyond the pain of love, and there are other forms of comfort besides being united with someone we love.
It is a remarkable thought because Faiz does not dismiss romance. He questions whether personal love can remain our only concern when so many people are suffering.
The question feels especially relevant today.
We live in a society of sharp contrasts. Expensive weddings take place not far from families struggling to afford daily meals. Luxury homes rise beside crowded settlements. Some children have access to the finest education, while others must work to support their families.
None of this means people should stop celebrating love or enjoying their lives. Happiness is not a crime simply because suffering exists elsewhere.
But should personal happiness make us blind to the pain of others?
Faiz asks us to consider a larger meaning of love. Perhaps caring deeply about one person should make us more sensitive to the lives of others, not less.
There is another important thought here. We often speak of love as a private emotion. Yet love can also be seen in the work of a teacher helping a struggling child, a doctor treating someone who cannot pay, or an ordinary person standing beside someone facing injustice.
These acts may not inspire romantic songs, but they are expressions of care.
Of course, no individual can solve every problem in society. Nor should anyone be made to feel guilty for enjoying personal happiness.
But we can choose not to look away.
Faiz’s poem reminds us that life becomes richer when our concern extends beyond the small circle of people closest to us.
Perhaps love reaches its fullest meaning when it teaches us to care about people who can offer us nothing in return.
