Let us analyze the subject of
‘hard work’ elsewhere in other continents.
Many immigrants from all walks of
life continue to reach newer destinations across the globe specially to the
Western world, viz. USA, Canada, Brazil, Europe, UK or farther Far Eastern
destinations like Japan, New Zealand and Australia.
The situation and level of hard
work that one needs to endure in all sphere of workforce is no different
either. The destinations listed above
invariably offer an equal opportunity for the expat community to migrate
permanently in the host country of their choice, with all the routine legal and
statutory stipulations so the price they pay to continue their fortunes is
somewhat different than their counterparts in the Gulf Region.
Because, the Gulf expats knew for
sure they need to return to their native land, come what may, at the end of
their retirement and/or chosen ‘calling-it-a-day’ symptom enforces their
discontinuance to be an expat any more.
On the other hand, the expats in
rest of the world, have an equal opportunity to migrate and settle at the host
country; it’s only their discretion to take a call end of the day, which their
Gulf brethren is not blessed with. Certain expats from specific
countries (say Sri Lanka for instance), they are not in a position to think of
returning to their native land, however emotionally they are attached to, due
to prevalent social or ethnic vulnerable and insecure standard of living. So it
makes all the more unthinkable for such community to unsettle in their host
country, so they are forced to take and face the critical life style, at times,
at an expensive cost of living.
For the South Asian expat
community living in Far East, certain host countries offer enormous
opportunities and greener postures with a price tag attached to it. While such
expats can think of permanently settle in the host country, the latter
invariably put forth certain conditions that they former need to forego their
properties and belongings back home in their respective home country, implying
the moment these expats decide to settle down and take the permanent residency
or citizenship as the case may be, they must be prepared to delink their native
country’s legal framework, however they may be attached to it emotionally;
after all, it becomes a tough call for such expats to decide and conclude
whether or not to accept the host country’s offer to become permanent resident
or citizen, with no clue of the real outcome in store for them, far into the future.
1)
Arts and Literature, Education, Research and
Development
If you analyze and try to define
hard work ‘how it works’ or ‘does not work’ in this faculty, it is even more
significant and you reach new proportions to think of and you would be in a
dilemma to conclude what is right or wrong.
There is never a perfect ‘right’
or ‘wrong’ scenario here. What one thinks is right as per his perceptions and
ideas or ideals, it’s equally wrong to the other’s perception and ideals.
If you take education, Arts and
Literature as a faculty and analyze to start with, one tends not to ignore the
level of hard work that one puts forth in achieving his chosen objectives and
goals in life. Everyone is entitled to
his opinion, ambition or objective to become ‘X’ ‘Y’ or ‘Z’ in their respective
faculty, in the process, they exert every meaningful effort and time with a
view to succeed end of the day, with no real assurance whether they would
succeed or not. Each individual
explores every opportunity and leaves no stone unturned to achieve their career
or professional objectives.
In the process, they are forced
to face ample competition, sustained hard work and at times the routine
exploitation is never ruled out here too by the so-called ‘smart’ or ‘shrewd’
workforce. Someone somewhere works hard
and comes out with an output; a totally different someone elsewhere in other
part of the world truly exploits the proprietary hard work by simply ‘copy and
paste’ and claim the very real hard work by other party as if he himself is
entitled to the copyrights and royalties whatsoever. This way, the new wave
technological advancement and discoveries of google, youtube etc. becomes all
the more vulnerable source for these ‘smart workers’ thus making the sheer and
real hard work truly exerted by their original thoughts and creative work gets
exploited invariably. Here the sad part in the whole scenario is the true hard
working individual loses to the smart worker without even realizing that he is
at a loss.
There are certain creative
thinkers and achievers who work day in and day out to come with a truly
marvelous or excellent output by burning their mid-night oil at times; at times
their fellow countrymen – the so-called smart folks - do exploit and compete and
make it all the more difficult and meaningless for the original creative
workforce thus ridiculing their true nature of hard work.
If you look at historically, especially
in the arts faculty, there have been innumerous quantum of true performers who
have contributed to the arts and literary world by way of their original
creative work. In later centuries, we observe the original becomes meaningless
with the continued exploitation and reenactment by later generation of ‘smart
workforce’ who claim to be creative, but if you look at the reality, they only
do a ‘cut and paste’ work by simply rechristening the original work as if it is
their own ‘creative’ work; they only emulate the forefathers in their
performing arts and creativity, but the former gets all the more credits and
royalties that the current market offers while the native original creative
thinker or their next of kith and kin are deprived of the royalty or benefits
which they are otherwise entitled to.
So, one is forced to think what ‘hard
work’ is or ‘smart work’ literally means, and, how hard work really matters in present
way of life in 20th or 21st century? With more and more innovations and
discoveries coming up, we never know how far this sort of exploitation would
lead to exponential proportions.
2)
Politics, Media and Communication
Let’s analyze how it works in the
Political, media and communication faculty.
It’s needless to indicate the
level of exploitation of the present generation of political pundits and
players across the country and continents.
By their sheer action of totally
unethical proportion and means of corruption, non-governance, lack of responsibility and accountability in every walk of life in political dharma –
be it private or public governance – one fails to understand if anyone truly
acknowledges the fact that these so-called present generation of political
players do ridicule the very patriotic and original hard work exerted by our
political forefathers who have given their best to sacrifices and sufferings in
being politically imprisoned during their time fighting the then colonial rulers
in pursuit of their political fight to obtain independence.
We have known hundreds of freedom
fighters who followed Mahatma Gandhi in their fight against colonial rulers and
gave in their entire wealth in the process before we actually thought we
achieved political freedom to govern ourselves.
Alas, our predecessor politicians for over 65 years post-independence
have only proven worthless in their capability to give us a legitimate
democratic governing system that really works for the people, by the people and
through the people. What we currently
have a pseudo-democracy; popular governments come and go but the truly
hardworking common man is deprived of his one day meal or one day earning
mechanism and is shown a so-called virtually not-functioning meaningless
yojanas.
If you ask these politicians and
babus in the governing mechanism across the continent, they would claim they
are putting ample hard work purely to serve the people in the name of
democratically elected governments; decades after decades we have seen only
deteriorating economic condition in the country. Our neighbors are not happy or blessed with a
meaningful governing system either.
The so-called ‘smart’, ‘shrewd’
and self-styled chanakyas only ensure their own families are fed and protected
with an assured treasury for their next 4 generations to sit and eat forever,
at the cost of public exchequer. Our Corporate heavyweights in the Trade,
Commerce and Industry are no different either.
One fails to again understand
where is the hard work, what happens to the real hard work that every common
man puts forth in their pursuit to make a meaningful and sustained living for
him/her and the next generation of kith and kins.
Look at the zopatpattis,
kamathipuras or similar shanti towns where umpteen numbers of women - some in
their amateur teenage - some in their near-to-retirement adulthood, do
extremely suffer very hard to make a living by giving their biological flesh on
trade ONLY to die pseudo-virgin with all the resulting HIV-infected deceases
and related health hazards. They too
work hard to justify their living. One may blame their lack of proper education
for this social menace, but, we cannot rule out their sheer hard work, stress
and mental or psychological depression they go into in their daily life. Of
course, some smart among them do exploit their truly hard working colleagues
and fellow flesh traders. See, here too
the truly smart flourishes by and large.
Look at the agricultural sector
across the continent; Truly hard working agriculturist or farmer is not getting his true and entitled share of his crop or commodity that he produces. So-called middlemen do exploit their fortunes
in the name of ‘fair trade’ with all the legal mechanisms and legally provided
for commerce and trade route, nobody questions their means as to why the real
cost of produce is not shared with the farmer end of the day.
In the field of education, little
said is better. Government’s
responsibility is to give education either free or at a meaningfully fair price
that common man can afford to pay, cutting across various spectrum of
caste-based society; Government’s responsibility to curtail middlemen in
education, but alas, almost 90% of the education system has been privatized and
each Tom, Dick and Harry variety of politicians lure the system exploiting the
loopholes in the system.
On the contrary, supply of liquor
or alcoholic produce must have been with the private sector, but in the name of
ensuring illicit liquor and alcoholic produce, successive governments failed to
address the menace but chose to take up the manufacturing and selling mechanism
by retaining the trade and commerce of this segment to itself instead of
leaving it to the private players.
Look at the film fraternity. As of compiling this write up, this sector is
not even recognized and considered as an industry. However, lot of creative hard work in this
trade goes into luring the public’s money by exorbitant charges at the theater
while most successful or box-office hits are simple remade versions of
successful ventures in one or the other language productions. No truly
realistic home-production with original creative work we can see on display on
silver screens these days. Smart businessmen or middlemen do continue to
exploit the really creative hard work at throwaway prices and make hey while
Sun shines.
The list can go long and farther
to every spectrum of Trade, Commerce, Industry or any other form of meaningful
way of running an average public life. One fails to understand again and wonder
if truly hard work ever works these days.
I would honestly unfortunately conclude it hardly works, Amen!!
(to be continued)
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