Independence Day is supposed to be about pride, colors, and celebrations. Unfortunately, this year it has arrived without the comfort of nostalgia. Rather, it comes after a recent conflict that claimed lives and resources, with floods and landslides still tearing through districts across the country, and with new ambitions that demand hard choices.

Pakistan’s 78th year as a free nation has brought about pain and massive losses, but at the same time, it provides a chance for us to grow stronger, an opportunity that must be seized. Also, the day implores us to introspect and ask ourselves whether, after just under eight decades, we as a nation can actually handle the responsibilities, challenges, and expectations that come with this age, without collapsing under them.

Pakistan is no stranger to struggles, but it stands today in a place it has not been before. The past eight months alone have thrown enough warning signs to fill decades, which makes this Independence Day more significant. This year, the nation celebrates not only its freedom but also the successful conclusion of military campaign Marka-i-Haq. At the same time, it reminds us of the brave soldiers and families who lost so much fighting terrorism in the northwest, as well as the ongoing floods and landslides destroying homes and laying waste to farmlands. Unfortunately, none of these threats has gone away, but for the first time in many years, there is a window to rebuild better.

Pakistan has repeatedly proved that it has what it takes to survive, but then again, survival alone is not the same as progress. When Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Iqbal dreamed of Pakistan, they passed on a simple set of guidelines, the foremost demanding Pakistanis to display “unity, faith, and discipline”. They believed in a Pakistan where people lived side by side in kindness and worked hard to make life better for everyone. This day demands us to hold on to the hope of the nation’s founders. After all, a country grows stronger only when its people learn from the past, and decide not to spend the next year fixing the mistakes of the last.

Independence sans discipline is just a myth waiting to be busted, and discipline today means working without waiting for miracles and protecting resources for the future generations. Going in the opposite direction would be a dangerous choice.

Independence means nothing if the only freedom we exercise is the freedom to repeat mistakes. Instead of just celebrating August 14 as an anniversary, it is high time we treated the date as an annual audit of whether the struggle that created this country is being honored. After all, independence sans discipline is just a myth waiting to be busted, and discipline today means working without waiting for miracles and protecting resources for the future generations. Going in the opposite direction would be a dangerous choice.

Independence is a test of whether the nation can act with discipline before the next crisis strikes. Simultaneously, it demands a pledge to heal the divides, right the wrongs, and build a home where economic worries fade, especially while we have the chance to do so. Of course, that would not make Pakistan future-proof instantly, but would take it a step closer. The country demands our best, and that should not be hard to give. Ignoring this call would keep the Pakistani nation on a treadmill, where all energies will be utilized rebuilding and then dismantling the country in a loop.