Lahore. Chill
out Mum. Relax - take it easy - I am not with a French hooker. I have heeded
your advice to steer clear of all loose and conniving women and I am mostly a
good son.
Well sometimes
I am.
I have just
returned from a lightning trip to Pakistan - to the city of Lahore. The trip
was work related and it was my first time.
I was a
Pakistan virgin.
I had to dash
over to Lahore because a recent earthquake broke one of our buildings – just a
little bit.
I went over to
get it fixed.
Pakistan is
very much like India - where I spend a lot of time - but of course it is - it
was once a single country.
Why
prostitutes are often referred to as hookers is an interesting story. There is
a popular belief that the term is related to - and named after - the American
Major General Joseph Hooker - who served in the Union army during the Civil War.
Legend has it that the good General's soldiers were not very well behaved and
they enjoyed mingling with prostitutes. Apparently legions of such women
followed the troops around and General Hooker allowed them to ply their trade.
Some say Hooker
actively encouraged such interactions and transactions to provide a form of
relaxation and respite for his soldiers from their daily routine of slaughtering
and being slaughtered.
This is not
the origin of the term though. It was nearly two decades before the Civil War
and the term ‘hooker’ was recorded in illustrations in a New York magazine in
the middle of the nineteenth century where loose women 'hooked' their horny
male victims into paying for ‘favours’.
There you go.
The word
‘whore’ is an old one – as is the profession. It is often described as the
world’s oldest profession actually – although I am not sure if that is
accurate. There is a very Old English word ‘hore’ that means prostitute or
harlot that was supposedly derived from the Germanic word ‘khoran’ which
translates to ‘one who desires’. There are a few Scandinavian terms as well
which are similar. In Old Norse the word ‘hora’ was used to describe an
adulteress - as was the Swedish word ‘hore’.
It is quite
interesting that there are so many different words for this profession and I
think that the word prostitute is probably the kindest descriptor. The word ‘prostitute’
comes from the Latin term ‘prostitutus’ - which loosely translates to ‘lust for
hire’.
I like that.
I personally
have no problem with the general concept of people willingly selling their
bodies. I would not get very much for mine. Sex as a commodity is fine in my
book and far worse things are bought and sold.
Pakistan and
India were once a single country and it was the British who split it in 1947.
They did this on religious grounds in the British Parliament in something that was
called the India Independence Act. Pakistan came into being on the 14th
August 1947 and India happened the next day.
So Pakistan is
one day older.
The name
‘Pakistan’ means ‘Land of the Pure’ in the Urdu – or Persian language and ‘India’
is a derivation of the Urdu word “Indus’ – which means ‘Land of the Hindu’.
Wars are
fought, countries split and mayhem reigns on the basis of religious arguments.
Millions of lives have been lost in battles of belief and faith and worship.
I wonder what
the respective deities of these religions think about all this killing and
blowing up in their names?
I don’t think
that they would like it.
My faith is
not in an unseen deity. It is a hope for goodness and niceness and honesty and
decency. My Mum taught me this – and my Dad too.
Anyway
the Hindus and Muslims of what was the main continent of India mostly hated
each other, so the British decided to split the India colony into India - which was predominantly Hindu - and Pakistan - which was predominantly Muslim. Both
religions hated the British.
There
was a lot of violence in the split and this animosity and hatred remains to
this day – particularly on the border of the two countries.
There
is much shooting and blowing up of each other.
Two
very big blokes picked me up from the Lahore airport. Both were immaculately
dressed in dark suits and white shirts and they were armed with very big guns. Their
names were Aahil and Rehan. I was whisked into a car that had blacked out
windows and I was told that it had armoured plating. It felt very dangerous and
exciting.
I
loved it.
As
we were driving from the airport to my little-bit-broken office I asked Aahil
and Rehan if their names had an English translation and they told me that they
did. Aahil told me that his name could be translated to ‘Prince’ and Rehan to
‘King’.
I
had a royal escort.
They
asked me if my name had a meaning and I told them it did. I told them that the
origin of the name Peter is biblical and it meant ‘rock’. I acknowledged that
it was nowhere near as impressive as their names and they said nothing in reply.
I
think that their silence on the matter was pure politeness.
When
I asked Aahil and Rehan if I was really in any danger in Lahore they said that
there was some potential for kidnapping as some Muslim extremists might think
that I was an American and could hold me for ransom. They told me that there
have been kidnappings and beheadings in Pakistan before. When I informed Aahil
and Rehan that I was a pacifist quasi Buddhist Australian they said it didn’t
matter. They said that the Muslim extremists would not know that and could grab
me anyhow.
I
asked Aahil and Rehan if I could have a gun while I was in Lahore to protect
myself and they said that it was not possible. I told them I had some
experience in shooting guns and blowing things up and they were still not
deterred. I have had some experience – well once actually. When I was in
Cambodia I shot and blew up some coconuts and jungle with an AK47, a rocket
launcher and then a small tank. I told Aahil and Rehan that I was offered the
opportunity to blow up a cow but I declined and they did not seem very
impressed. I have written about this experience before in an article I titled
‘Hamburger’ and it was my first and only moment of weapons handling.
I
was previously an armament virgin.
It
was such a quick visit to Lahore that I did not get to see much of the city
although I had quick peaks at the ancient walled town and I did a drive-by of
some really beautiful mosques.
I
am very much looking forward to going back and spending some more time in
Lahore and Pakistan. The Pakistani people I met with were very friendly and
nice and they were extremely accommodating.
None
of them were hookers Mum - and I did not hire any lust while I was there.
Don’t
worry on that front.
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