Healthier Minds for a Healthier Nation

We are a strange nation. During work we dream about our leisure time, and during leisure time we are worried about the work to do.  In offices most of the people seem......

 to be lethargic with rude behavior with each other, and with their clients. Do you understand the reasons for this behaviour? The simplest one that comes to mind is that our nation has un-rested minds, full of ambiguities. No doubt, work and work should be our motto as a developing nation, but in order to perform our duties efficiently and honestly we need clear and healthy minds. 

There are many reasons for the lack of professionalism in us. Our common, and one of the biggest, misconception is that implementation of 6-day/week working schedule provides us with enough time to do our jobs. Most of the people are of the view that “O’ ours is a developing nation and we don’t need any vacations or holidays. We should keep on doing work all the time”. 

What have we achieved from this 6-day/week schedule in the last 63 years? We are still an under-developed nation, rather have moved backwards in many ways. Our global image is portrayed as a lazy, dishonest and corrupt nation. We don’t enjoy our holidays due to work to do, and not able to do work due to restlessness. The people working in offices may realize the real scenario. With 6-day/week working schedule we only have one holiday that is used for doing everything i.e. performing households, meeting friends and family, going out for recreation, taking rest at home etc. So what a person can do in one day? Look for households, or take rest, or meet a friend, or go out for an outing? So after the weekend we end up as a more tired person with un-rested mind, with many obligations left that would be reminded by the family members throughout the week. 

At the other end, under 5-day/week schedule one has enough time to take rest on Saturday, and a full-day for households, meeting friends and family, going out etc on Sunday, or vice versa. So, a person with this schedule has fresh and rested mind throughout a week. There are many more benefits of 5-day schedule as by-product. If we calculate working hours per week, we don’t find much difference between the two schedules due to half-day on Friday. On the other hand there is huge saving of power and energy, and less consumption of patrol, electricity, gas and other overhead expenditures. 

People in favour of 6-day/week schedule give reasoning that the employees go home early on Fridays and come late on Mondays in 5-day/week schedule. Ground reality is opposite of this. It is rather 6-day schedule where employees always plan to skip early on Fridays, mainly due to the reasons mentioned earlier. On contrary, the employees have more time for rest and recreational activities in 2-days off schedule, and they work more diligently with fresh minds. 

It is also argued that many employees have evening jobs those are affected due to long hours in a 5-day schedule. This truly is unprofessional thinking. The employees having evening jobs hardly perform their duties with attention in the morning. 

No doubt, there are a few sectors where 5-day schedule may not be feasible at the moment e.g., health, mainly due to scarcity of workers in such fields, although people may work in shifts. Similarly, people may want to open private businesses six days a week, which may be left at their discretion. 5-day/week schedule is beneficial for offices of public dealing so that the employees perform their duties with ease and contentment. It is also highly advantageous for educational and research institutions where excessive brain storming is demanded so that the individuals have “time to think”, as innovations only come to prepared minds; and we really need such endeavours to become a technologically advanced country.

Due to the reasons mentioned above, not only the developed countries but also the rapidly developing ones as well, have adopted 5-day/week working schedule. Most of the countries join their within week holiday with the weekend so that people may get relaxed when they come at their job. Similarly, the whole west goes on at least two week vacations at Christmas, in contrary we hardly give two to three holidays at our religious festivals. It is a misconception that they are on this schedule after achieving their targets, rather the story is otherwise. They have reached to this level after taking some important decisions including this schedule of work. 

Most of the people working in offices in general, and the ones who perform their duties with honesty in particular, are in favour of 5-days/week working schedule. Then who is against this decision? Unfortunately most of the decision makers such as beaurocrates, top level administration, many politicians etc. are strong supporters of 6-day schedule. What may be the reasons? They enjoy more perks in 6 day/week working schedule i.e. free drivers, cars for them and their families, patrol, subordinates etc. Their bills and households are taken care of by their obedient servants. They are spending their lives free of such worries as faced by a common man. On 5-day schedule they are deprived off from all such perks and authority at least for one full day. Most of such individuals are of the view that what to do with even for a singly holiday? And keep on having propaganda that we are a developing nation and do not afford holidays, as they themselves don’t need holidays; rather they are spending everyday like a holiday. There is another group of people which is in favour of 6 days/week schedule; those who don’t want to do work. They do gossips and enjoy refreshments in offices, and run their homes or second jobs even before the office time is over. Such people cannot afford to stay in office till 4:00 p.m., and demand for 6-day working schedule.

In brief, if we want to become a healthy and hardworking nation we should continue with 5-days/week working schedule that is being implemented in most countries of the world. It seems a small thing, but has deep and long lasting impact on developing a strong nation. Only healthier mind can serve a country with full intellect and devotion.

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