A nation of lazy bums

Why work hard when you can do nothing at all? Laziness is a national trademark.

It was not the first time. My housemaid's husband used to beat her every now and again. He did not want to do any work and whenever she asked him to, his response was to beat her. This attitude is harsh and condemnable.

He was fed by the hard work of this wife. So one day she decided to take a stand and stopped working. But in a month’s time, she had to return to work as it was very hard for her to make ends meet. He, however, still did not get a job.

There are many wives who are working while their husbands don’t. I say, hats off to the fairer sex for working hard. But the problem is that if people sit idle and want others to do their share of work then by no means can this country progress. The attitude towards hard work, if changed, will reward the nation. Manpower contributes significantly to the progress of a nation.

Take the example of China. How has it become one of largest producers (in terms of Gross Domestic Product) in the world?

This was only possible due to the effective utilisation of manpower. We are lucky as Allah has given us one of the most populous nations of the world. But it would indeed be unfortunate if we don’t make the most of this manpower.

In Pakistan, the scenario is not really commendable. Healthy people sit idle and serve as a burden to society. Just stop at any traffic signal and you will be harassed by unwanted beggars. Most of them are fit but ask for money and are really in no mood to do anything to earn money. Doing work is not only related to earning money though. The more people work, the less time it will take for the country to progress.

Human resource development is also an important related issue that has been neglected. Yes, educating more people is one solution but the more difficult question is how to change the psychology of these people. If someone doesn’t want to work, how can we make them want to work? Only by changing their perspective. Procrastination and laziness should be replaced with positivity.

When I worked with some Chinese colleagues on a project I noticed that their attitude towards work is very positive. They started work early in the morning and kept doing it till the end of the day. They have a 'get the job done' attitude instead of the 'prolong work as long as possible' attitude which is common aomng us. It is no wonder that China has made so much progress.

Let’s change our society. All we need is to begin. I will start by persuading the husband of my housemaid to work.