Overwork or workaholism is considered one of the most dangerous diseases of our time. It is an insidious disease in which a person is unaware of its invasion of his system — slowly creeping up like a plague that destroys his mental and physical abilities. In its earlier stages the symptoms of this disease are not visible to the eye. A person may be going about his business as normal without noticing the weight of work slowly increasing until it becomes overpowering. It is then that a person may feel some tiredness and exhaustion, which results in his being unable to rest properly. However, this work-linked exhaustion — contrary to what many believe — will not disappear with a simple weekend excursion or rest.
As for the constant exhaustion that some may complain of, this happens when men’s responsibilities become greater than they can bear. Such a state of continuous exhaustion is not easily overcome; a person must look into changing his way of life and try seriously to lower his workload and to increase the time he spends in rest, relaxation and recreation.
Among the symptoms that may appear in the latter stages of this insidious disease are feelings of tiredness, headaches, stomach upsets, a rise in blood pressure and increasingly strained nerves; these are the things that happen to a car when it is low on fuel and has not been maintained. A person suffering from overwork in reality suffers from low fuel and lack of maintenance and it is that fuel and that maintenance that are the necessary rest and distance from strained nerves. In a person, these are not as easily obtained as they would be for a car which receives regular maintenance.
Because the symptoms of this problem are felt first by the body then the brain, most people ignore the symptoms that leaves them unable to do their work. The symptoms lead not only to increasingly strained nerves which eventually result in depression but also to a loss of self-confidence.
One psychologist says that the problem of workaholism is treatable — the solution is for people to do their work with intelligence and not strict seriousness; to choose to start with work that can be achieved quickly and easily and always to keep a light spirit and to undertake hard work with a smile — a sense of humor and a joyful spirit are the strongest weapons against depression.
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A local official once used the words “a flock of crows cawing while the music of the municipality plays” to describe journalists and writers who criticized the performance of his department. I think this was the first time ever that such a bizarre description had been used by a government official. The official who used them was Jeddah Mayor Abdullah Al-Muallami. The mayor is known for allowing the city to sink in its own waste and for giving permission for public parks and gardens to be demolished in order to make room for private houses.
It is no wonder then if the mayor chooses to attack the press and labels writers as crows but this kind of response will not stop journalists from doing the job they are supposed to do: Exposing wrongdoings and publishing facts. Journalists have a duty to their readers and cannot simply disregard it no matter how loud the cawing might be.
The newspapers have written about the tragedy of Jeddah and the appalling conditions the city found itself in when the municipality failed to remove the garbage that polluted the streets for several weeks. If all the newspapers were wrong and only the mayor was right, then they should all close down and send their staff home. Journalists should look for work elsewhere — perhaps with the municipality where everything is fine.
In an exchange of messages between the mayor and his predecessor, Muhammad Al-Farsi, published in a local paper, the former mayor commended the work of the incumbent who replied by saying they were working with a spirit of teamwork. What team is he talking about? A football team? I am sure many of those who work for the municipality are not happy with what is happening in the city’s governing body, especially turning public parks into private property. What counts in the end is for the facts to be made public, for those who do good to be rewarded and those who do not to be punished.
