کچھ عشق کیا، کچھ کام کیا

کچھ عرصہ پہلے ہارورڈ کے صدر لیری سمرز نے خواتین کی پروفیسروں میں کمی پر اپنے خیالات کا اظہار کیا۔ ان کی باتوں پر بہت لوگوں نے اعتراض کیا کیونکہ لیری کے خیال میں خواتین کے خلاف سلوک ان کی کم تعداد کی وجہ نہیں ہے۔ جو وجوہات لیری نے بیان کیں ان میں سے ایک ہی تھی کہ یونیورسٹیوں میں لوگوں کو ۸۰ یا زیادہ گھنٹے کام کرنا پڑتا ہے اور خواتین اس پر راضی نہیں ہوتیں۔

اس موضوع پر بریڈ ڈلونگ اور این ایپلبام کی تحریریں مجھے اچھی لگیں۔

میری سمجھ میں نہیں آتا کہ امریکہ جیسے ترقی یافتہ اور امیر ملک میں لوگ اتنے زیادہ گھنٹے کیوں کام کرتے ہیں۔ آخر زندگی میں روزی کمانے کے علاوہ اور بھی بہت اہم چیزیں ہیں۔ کروکڈ ٹمبر پر کمبرلی مارگن اس ہفتے کام اور فیملی کے مسائل پر لکھ رہی ہیں۔

جانے کیوں مجھے ان سوچوں سے فیض کی یہ نظم یاد آئی۔

وہ لوگ بہت خوش قسمت تھے
جو عشق کو کام سمجھتے تھے
یا کام سے عاشقی کرتے تھے
ہم جیتے جی مصروف رہے
کچھ عشق کیا، کچھ کام کیا
کام عشق کے آڑے آتا رہا
اور عشق سے کام الجھتا رہا
پھر آخر تنگ آ کر ہم نے
دونوں کو ادھورا چھوڑ دیا

By Zack

Dad, gadget guy, bookworm, political animal, global nomad, cyclist, hiker, tennis player, photographer

6 comments

  1. Faiz Ahmed Faiz was right about our people, “We neither complete our love affair nor work”. I wish that, at least, educated (or should I say literate) people of Pakistan realize that unless we complete a process that we start (may that be work or love) our nation will not come on to rails heading toward progress.

    Coming to the point of discussion, It has been so nicely worded by Brad Delong, “The process of climbing to the top of the professoriate is structured as a tournament, in which the big prizes go to those willing to work the hardest and the smartest from their mid-twenties to their late thirties.”

    May it be professoriate or any other field, the above rule applies firm. Let me first deal with the apparent situation.

    There has been lot of hue and cry of gender bias in our country (sponsored by the Western countries) little realizing that equality does not mean equivalence but reward corresponding to the effort. I quote examples from my experience.

    Admissions to medical colleges used to be strictly on merit. During 1970s female student agitated that seats for female students should be reserved based on population ratio. The demand was accepted. During 1980s, there being lesser employment opportunities for medical professionals, male high-merit students started joining engineering education. Then female students agitated for admissions to medical colleges on merit and got it. Thus, majority of medical students were female. Soon health facilities started suffering because over 80% of the female medical graduates did not join medical service because health service duties appeared harsh to the female doctors.

    During my service as general manager MIS (1985-1992), I had two female managers and around thirty female data entry operators. Whenever there was a problem with computer hardware or software, all male staff would stay till removal of the bug after which they also had to do essential data-entry because female staff considered it too harsh to stay a minute later than the normal closing time and they couldn’t be given off in the day shift for coming in the second shift because that would be taken even harsher.

  2. Dad: The question Brad poses though is whether it should happen that way.

    The examples you give could have lots of reasons. One could be that the Pakistani social setup does not allow women to work and/or spend the extra time at work when needed. May be the husbands, fathers or brothers of those female staff would have a fit if the female workers stayed late at work or worked in the 2nd shift instead of the morning one?

  3. To some extent yes, some families do not allow their girls / women to stay out late but it is not true generally speaking. Most of the women, who decline to be little late at work (closing time being 2:15 PM), go to see movies and return home as late as 10 PM which is considered quite late in Pakistan.

  4. It is important to note that, while men and women have equal rights, they have not been created as equal.

    Biologically, there is difference in form / shape of bones and muscles enabling women to execute certain activity that can not be performed by men and vice versa. Even during normal walk or race, movement of legs and forearms of men and women adopt different loci. Women have been made soft while men hard.

    Construction influences their working. Women need rest / pause after a shorter period of physical work than men. This aspect is generally covered in labour / factory laws. Women can absorb much more pain than men but for a shorter duration than men. Men generally do not tolerate repeated pain while women may endure repeated pain for years.

    Emotionally, women are embodiment of love and emotion while men are slaves of logic (exceptions aside). This makes a lot difference in their behaviour. If a women sees a child or woman or even a man weeping bitterly, her heart will go out for that child / woman / man while a man witnessing the same will take some time in thinking. Due to this inheritance, girls / women, generally, get deceived in their love affairs.

  5. Dad: I can’t say anything about those “movie-watching women.” The few times I have been to Pakistani cinemas, almost all the audience has been men.

    About differences between men and women, they do exist but they are usually blown out of all proportion by social conservatives, whether in the US or Pakistan.

  6. I am sure the only reason we police women like that is cause we’re scaired shitless that they will become our equals and in some cases would have to take orders from them. That kills us, men… Let me reiterate, all religion is mortals invention. We should stop taking it so literally. It’s nothing from Allah, Allah is our invention.

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