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EDITORIAL - Working Less Is a Matter of Life and Death

Search online “work too much” and you’ll get screenfuls of information about the harmful medical, mental and social consequences of spending too much time on the job, going all the way back to that old saw first recorded in the 17th century, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

It should be “makes Jack a dead boy,” says the latest contribution to the literature of overwork, this one from the World Health Organization and the International Labor Organization.

A new study by the two groups says that working 55 or more hours a week is a “serious health hazard.” It estimates that long working hours led to 745,000 deaths worldwide in 2016, a 29 percent increase over 2000. Men accounted for 72 percent of the fatalities; the worst concentrations were in the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia, and particularly among 60- to 79-year-olds who had worked long hours after the age of 45.

That might not be particularly relevant for dull old Jack, since in his time people who made it past childhood rarely lived beyond 60 anyway. But for today’s world, these figures render long working hours the biggest occupational health hazard of all. Risk of a stroke rises by 35 percent and of fatal heart disease by 17 percent for those who can’t or won’t pry their nose from the grindstone, compared with people who work 35 to 40 hours a week.

The pandemic, and especially remote work, has created new opportunities to work too hard. The W.H.O. director-general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, noted that teleworking has blurred the line between work and home and that people who have survived layoffs at struggling businesses have ended up working longer hours. One survey found an overwhelming majority of American employees have shortened, postponed or canceled vacations during the pandemic.

The red flags about overwork have been waving for years all around the world. Fatigue has been identified as a factor in industrial disasters like the BP oil refinery explosion in Texas City in 2005 and the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island. In Japan, long working hours are so common that “karoshi,” translated as “death by overwork,” is a legally recognized cause of death.

So, work less and live longer and better, right?

Once upon a time, that seemed inevitable. As prosperity increased and automation replaced human labor, people were expected to devote themselves to hobbies and family life. The British economist John Maynard Keynes was so certain industrialized countries were on a steady trajectory toward less work and longer vacations that he predicted people in the 21st century would work just three hours a day — 15 hours a week. “For the first time since his creation man will be faced with his real, his permanent problem,” he wrote in a 1930 essay, “how to occupy the leisure, which science and compound interest will have won for him, to live wisely and agreeably and well.”

Not in the United States, sir.

Americans on average labor for fewer hours than their grandparents, but they still work nearly 40 hours per week — and many take pride in working the longer hours the W.H.O. considers dangerous.

While Europe has imposed a measure of health-protecting leisure on its workers, with the European Union requiring at least 20 working days of vacation per year and many countries mandating a lot more (30 days for the French), the United States remains proudly alone as the “no-vacation nation.”

That’s what the Center for Economic and Policy Research called the United States in a 2019 study of 21 wealthy nations that found it was the only one without nationally mandated paid vacation or paid holidays. Only 16 states and the District of Columbia have legislated paid sick leave. Even Americans who do get paid vacation use it sparingly. One study found that more than half did not use all their time off. Americans, wrote Samuel Huntington in his book “Who Are We?: The Challenges to America’s National Identity,” “work longer hours, have shorter vacations, get less in unemployment, disability, and retirement benefits, and retire later, than people in comparably rich societies.”

Many Americans work long hours to make ends meet. Keynes anticipated the prosperity of modern society, but he assumed incorrectly that everyone would enjoy a sufficient share of that prosperity.

What’s even more striking, however, is that affluent Americans are not following the example of grandees of centuries past. Wealthy, college-educated people actually work far more than they did decades ago, and the richest 10 percent work the most. Rich people in earlier eras demonstrated affluence by ostentatiously not working. They wore white togas or fancy hats or clean gloves. During the last Gilded Age, the “leisure class” spent its days in Downton Abbey-like pursuits, puttering in the rose garden, chasing a fox or getting dressed for dinner.

Today, wealthy Americans show off by working all the time.

Why? One explanation is that people like working, at least in the kinds of jobs that wealthy Americans tend to do. Throughout human history, most people had to work, the work was grim, and they assumed no one would work more than necessary. Aristotle opined, “The reason we labor is to have leisure.” Affluent Americans seem to have decided leisure is best enjoyed in moderation.

Derek Thompson, a staff writer at The Atlantic, has described this workaholism as a new religion in which “the American conception of work has shifted from jobs to careers to callings — from necessity to status to meaning.” When Erin Griffith, a Times reporter, visited several We Work locations in New York, she found throw pillows imploring tenants to “Do what you love,” neon signs urging “Hustle harder” and murals that “spread the gospel” of #ThankGodIt’sMonday.

But affluent Americans also are motivated by the reality that the rewards for working hard are larger than ever — and in this sternly meritocratic society, so are the consequences of falling behind. People work long hours because so much is at stake: the ability to obtain health insurance, to buy a home, to send children to good schools.People in other wealthy countries aren’t just entitled to take more vacation. They are able to enjoy their leisure time because they have less to gain, or lose, by putting in a few hours on Saturdays or reading emails in bed.

Putting limits on work isn’t just a perk. It’s a matter of life and death. Less-affluent Americans need to be able to take time off. More-affluent Americans, who tend to focus on the benefits of hard work, should consider the costs, too.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/29/opinion/work-hours-us-health.html

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Why are Arabs so powerless? Unlike Israel, they never valued brain over brawn

PERVEZ HOODBHOY

Israel, with almost no natural resources and a population of nine million, is a Goliath of biblical proportions. And its secret strength is not its weaponry.

For a terrible 11 days in May, the world watched hellfire rain upon the world’s largest open-air prison camp, otherwise known as Gaza. The dazed, bleeding survivors crawling out of the rubble of collapsed buildings have experienced this before. Everyone knows this tragedy will repeat. In faraway Arab cities, as well as here in Pakistan, people glumly watched the unhindered, televised bombing by Israeli jets. But the most they could manage was a few toothless resolutions and a few impotent slogan-chanting demonstrations trampling the Israeli flag.

What makes Israel with nine million people — between one-half and one-third of Karachi’s population — a Goliath of biblical proportions? Equally, notwithstanding their fabulous oil wealth, why are 427m Arabs the pygmies of international politics? GCC Arabs can certainly control what happens in a few miskeen countries like Pakistan; their leaders can be summoned to Riyadh at a moment’s notice and sent back with sackfuls of rice as wages of obedience. But before Israel — which has almost zero natural resources — Arab kings and sheikhs must perforce bow their heads.

Blame the West if you want and, in particular, America. Indeed, from 2000-2019 armaments supplied to Israel by the Western powers (US, UK, France, Spain, Germany) are documented at a hefty $9.6 billion. But within that 20-year period the same document shows this amount is dwarfed by arms sold by the same suppliers to Saudi Arabia ($29.3bn), UAE ($20.1bn), Egypt ($17.5bn), Iraq ($9.1bn), and Qatar ($6bn). And yet these expensive weapons will provide little protection if Israel ever chooses to attack Arab lands again. While the nine-country Saudi-led coalition has created a humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen, it is failing dismally against the rag-tag Iran-supported Houthi forces.

Okay, so then let’s blame Palestine’s ill-fortune upon Arab disunity. There’s truth in this: Arabs are indeed bitterly divided. But when were they not? From about AD-634 to AD-750 is the only period in history when they stood together. Then, after Nasser won the Suez War against Britain, Arabs united again for a brief, euphoric moment. But this unity did nothing to avert their crushing defeat in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, that which forever changed borders. And while friends and activists for Palestine — including myself — would love to see Fatah and Hamas patch up their differences, doing so will not change things fundamentally.

The secret of Israel’s strength is not hidden in its weaponry. Instead this still-expanding and still-colonising apartheid settler state uses the same magic that enabled just a handful of 18th-century Englishmen to colonise the entire Indian subcontinent. Let’s recall that in ruling over 200m natives for 250 years, at no time did Britain have more than 50,000 white soldiers on Indian soil. Although better guns and cannons gave them an edge, in fact their real not-so-secret weapon was much bigger.

That weapon was a system of organised thought based upon a rational and secular approach to life, a modern system of justice, and a new set of social relations. This was sustained and enhanced by Enlightenment-era education that de-emphasised rote learning of the scriptures, was this-worldly and future-oriented, and which focused upon problem-solving skills using systematic, scientific thinking. Having invented modern means of communication such as railways and telegraph, a mere island in the North Sea could boast of an empire over which the sun never sets.

In a nutshell, imperialist conquests showed that brains would rule over brawn — a stark truth that got still starker with time. But where are brains produced? Obviously in the womb but it is in schools, colleges and universities where minds are shaped and sharpened. Hence, these days everyone and their uncle rush to one single conclusion: fix education and this will level the playing field, greatly diminishing or perhaps ending the inequalities of power.

Ah! That’s so much easier said than done. To have buildings and classrooms with teachers is one thing but to coax the potential out of a student is altogether different. With their vast wealth, Arab countries have built impressive university campuses with well-equipped laboratories and well-stocked libraries. They have even imported professors from America and Europe. Yet, the needle has barely flickered so far. That’s because attitudes towards learning take forever to change — and only if they are somehow forced to change.

Ditto for Pakistan which follows the Arab model as best as it can, together with abayas and jubbas. No university here has a bookshop, a centre for students that hums with open debate and discussion, or a theatre where classic movies are screened. Looking for a philosopher or a high-grade pure mathematician will be in vain. For 20 years, papers and PhDs have been churned out at a frantic rate. But I suspect that many of Pakistan’s decorated “distinguished national professors” with hundreds of research publications would be judged unfit to teach in a high-end Israeli high school for lack of scholarship.

The problem is not genetics — Arabs have a brilliant past and are probably just as smart as Ashkenazi Israelis. But the two groups have different attitudes towards success and different role models. The Ashkenazi child wants to be Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, John von Neumann, George Wald, Paul Samuelson, Gertrude Elion, Ralph Lauren, George Soros, or a thousand other such names that fill textbooks on physics, philosophy, technology, medicine, and business. Compare this with the Arab boy who wants to be Salahuddin Ayubi and the Pakistani lad who dreams of becoming Ertugrul Ghazi on horseback. He does not know about Abdus Salam, our discarded Nobelist.

We live in a cruel world which, of course, we must try our best to make less cruel and more humane. But making a socially just world requires much more than condemning the oppressors and crying with the oppressed. Instead, the weak must be made stronger. That strength does not derive from oil or nuclear bombs. Instead, it springs from the human brain, but only when that superb gift of nature is appropriately tutored and trained within a system of secular values that cherishes and rewards logical thinking, questioning and creativity.

#Pakistan - Jahangir Khan Tareen - Power politics

 Jahangir Khan Tareen, who faces corruption charges, has galvanised the support of 40 lawmakers

Throughout Pakistan’s political history, ‘forward blocs’ in the parliamentary parties have been used for various purposes.

Some of the blocs have succeeded in achieving their targets but others have failed, ending political careers of many a turncoat. The latest occurrence of a forward bloc has sown discord in Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) ranks and emboldened the opposition. The ruling party now faces undesirable grouping both in the National Assembly and the Punjab Provincial Assembly.

Despite Jahangir Khan Tareen’s claims to the contrary, the new groups are forward blocs according to every canon.

Another bloc, led by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz dissident Jalil Sharqpuri, has existed in the Punjab Assembly in the recent past. Its main objective was to prop up the PTI government at the expense of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). The group has outlived its utility and is now defunct.

Tareen, who has been barred from elected office and is facing corruption charges, has galvanised a group of nearly 40 MNAs and MPAs. Given their strength, these lawmakers cannot be taken lightly, especially in the Punjab where the PTI majority is particularly slim. The Tareen-led group poses a serious threat to the PTI in both assemblies. However, it seems that the PTI forward bloc is in no mood yet to topple the prime minister or the Punjab chief minister. Statements by some members of the bloc indicate that some of their targets have already been achieved and that they are satisfied with the progress.

Dr Mehdi Hasan, the political analyst, says: “It appears that Tareen and his group got some guarantees and assurances from Prime Minister Khan. Tareen will try to maintain his strength to keep his political relevance alive, but not go against the government for now.”

The forward bloc emerged after Tareen was accused of masterminding the sugar crisis. He and some members of his family were also accused of misusing public funds for personal businesses. Tareen and his son, Ali, have appeared before courts and shown a resolve to face the cases filed against them. They say the cases are politically motivated.

By getting some 40 parliamentarians to publicly endorse his stance and pledge support, Tareen has surprised not only the PTI but also other political parties and the media. He initially claimed that his supporters had decided to form a separate group in the Punjab Assembly to raise their demands. Later, he tried to say that the perception about there being a forward bloc was incorrect. “We were, we are and we will remain a part of the PTI,” he said.

Saeed Akbar Khan Niwani, a veteran legislator in the Punjab Assembly, has been assigned the role of the group’s chief negotiator. Some politicians in other parties, notably Rana Sanaullah of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, have also raised their voices in his favour. This, seemed to have further unnerved the PTI leadership.

Prime Minister Imran Khan then assigned Barrister Ali Zafar to investigate the charges against Tareen. Zafar has now submitted his report to the prime minister. According to party sources, he has stated in the report that the charges levelled against Tareen and his family are not made out by the available evidence.

After the submission of the report, statements issued by the Tareen group have become more conciliatory.

Talking to The News on Sunday, Niwani said, “We met Prime Minister Khan, Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar and several senior leaders of the PTI. The Prime Minister clearly told us that he would not let anyone victimise anybody in his name. He also said would not allow any group to blackmail him. The PM sounded positive. We trust him.”

“It appears as if Tareen and his group got some guarantees and assurances from Prime Minister Khan. Tareen will try to maintain his strength to keep his political relevance alive, but will not go against the government for now,” says Dr Mehdi Hasan

“How can someone like Tareen, who pays the highest amount of taxes annually and holds a clean business record, be accused of corruption? We trust the PM’s assurance that nobody will be victimised.” He said that his group had several grievances but the matters were internal to the party.

To a question about the group’s strategy in case of a no confidence motion being brought in the National Assembly or the Punjab Assembly, he said: “A no-confidence move against the PTI is out of the question. We will oppose such a motion and will stand with our leaders. We believe that Chief Minister Buzdar will remain in office as long as he enjoys the party’s support. He will quit voluntarily the moment the party tells him to quit.”

Requesting anonymity, another stalwart of the Tareen group said, “Not all dissidents support Tareen. Some are trying to settle their own scores. Everybody in the Tareen group has grievances against the top leaders. They were not being heard for quite some time. They had remained silent earlier because they were on a weak footing. When Tareen raised his voice, they found support. This really worked as everybody started giving them importance.”

Apparently, issues between the PTI’s top-guns and the dissidents have been settled However, our political history shows that the politics of forward blocs is a tricky business.

For Tareen, this is not the first time he has organised such a group. He had formed his first forward bloc in Pakistan Muslim League-Functional. He had won a National Assembly seat on a PML-F ticket in 2008 and later formed a forward bloc. In 2011, he resigned from the National Assembly, announcing that he would form a party of ‘clean’ politicians. Later, he joined the PTI along with several comrades.

In 2009, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid suffered a huge setback in the Punjab Assembly where it had had more than 80 seats after more than half of its legislators, led by Najaf Abbas Sial, formed a forward bloc in support of the PML-N. The PML-N, which had 178 members in Punjab Assembly, was already ruling the Punjab with the support of the PPP. The PML-N leaders feared that they might be in trouble if the PML-Q joined hands with the PPP. The fears led to the creation of the forward bloc in the PML-Q. The PPP tried to topple the Punjab government by imposing the governor’s rule but the attempt was foiled by the Lahore High Court. Many of the PML-Q forward bloc later leaders joined either the PML-N or the PTI. During these manoeuvres, fears of the PML-N leaders were substantiated when the PML-Q joined hands with the PPP in the National Assembly and replaced the PML-N in the ruling coalition at the Centre.

Another forward bloc had appeared in the PPP after the 2002 election when the PML-Q, the Farooq Leghari-led National Alliance, the PPP-Sherpao, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and others were unable to put together the numbers needed to elect Mir Zafarullah Jamali as prime minister. The PML-Q had 78 seats in the National Assembly, the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal 45 and the PML-N 15. Before the prime minister’s election, it appeared that the PML-Q needed more votes. The PPP and the PML-N appeared more willing to join hands with the MMA led by Maulana Fazlur Rehman. However, no agreement was reached.

To overcome the vote deficiency, a forward bloc, comprising 18 National Assembly members, was created in the PPP. Rao Sikandar Iqbal (a classmate of Musharraf), Makhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat, Chaudhry Noraiz Shakoor and Sardar Khalid Khan Lund led the group. During the division of the house for the election of the prime minister, the 18 PPP MNAs voted for Jamali instead of their very own leader, Makhdoom Amin Fahim. Later, the forward bloc was registered as the PPP-Patriots. The Patriots achieved their mission but most of them lost in the next elections.

In 1989, the purpose of Operation Midnight Jackal was to create a forward bloc in the PPP to oust Benazir Bhutto, then prime minister. Two PPP MNAs, Arif Awan and Rasheed Bhatti were recruited for this purpose. However, the plan failed.

https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/841248-power-politics

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#Pakistan - PDM parties seem to be confused, says Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari

 

• Bilawal says PDM parties seem to be confused, adding that he does not wish any Opposition party to be confused in the parliament at least.
• Says there did not seem to be a clear-cut strategy in the PDM's meeting yesterday.
• Says political parties which are clear about their stance are in a better position to give tough time to govt.
• PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday said that the parties of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) seem to be in a state of confusion.

He said that the idea of forming the PDM was put forward by the PPP, however, neither the PPP nor the ANP attended the meeting of the PDM a day ago.

Bilawal was speaking to the media after visiting Wali Bagh in Charsadda along with Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to offer condolences over the death of Begum Naseem Wali Khan.

"It seemed like the parties of the PDM are confused," said Bilawal. "Opposition parties should at least not get confused in the parliament."

He added that all those political parties which are clear about their political stance are in a better position to give a tough time to the PTI-led government.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/352628-pdm-parties-seem-to-be-confused-says-bilawal-bhutto

Video Party: Chairman PPP addressing a press conference in Charsadda along with the ANP leadership