That most of mankind's worst nightmares come from defying the order of Nature isn't new. Bards and writers have commiserated not just the distance we create between ourselves and Nature but also what we do in the distance so created. The trees that are indiscriminately felled without replacement, the supporting plants that never get replanted, the natural flow of water that is diverted, the vileness of smoke pollution that we generate, the list is endless. Every creature and insect contributes to a mind boggling balance and evolution is the process of species extinction as Nature had to adjust to the abuse it suffered. When we contribute by taking more than what is sustainable, alarm bells of unnatural species extinction start ringing.
The white rhino is the latest species to become officially extinct and humans are responsible. The official list of existing species is close to 500,000 and the extinct list is growing. The ones that catch the eye usually have one or more activist groups trying to save them. The horrible human fixation with the ivory available in tusks of elephants is leading to the frightening prospect of pachyderm extinction. The United Kingdom has taken the lead in banning ivory sales unless they originate from decades ago.
The increasing scourge of ailments are almost exclusively identified as either hereditary or due to meddling with the natural order of physical movement, indulgence and wrong food habits. The word 'balance 'comes in again. And if any further elaboration of the adage 'early to bed, early to rise…' is required, a research by the University of Surrey and the University of Northern Chicago, published in Chronobiology International must provide the confirmation. According to The Guardian, the research tracked forty-three thousand persons over six and a half years. The findings are revealing.
Those who have made fun of an inherited British habit of a nap in the afternoon are left with egg on their face. We, who laughed at the easy chairs in small rooms adjacent to the office of senior government officers, must now eat humble pie. Because, the research in question has led some specialists to say that workplace lye-ins are a must, not an aberration. The claim is that this is particularly important for those who defy the natural clock and sleep late.
There are other demographic differences to be considered, but the study is taking personal responsibility and its consequences to a different plane. Psychologists now suggest that there is a utility for the famous Spanish, Italian and Spanish siesta. Europe's small towns usually are shut in the afternoon. And everyone in the Middle-east takes a long lunch break, unless it is Syria where the bomb-breaks are the only times one can relax.
Until now private businesses haven't commented. They usually don't. The march towards achieving certain basic rights, even redefining them has taken a new shape. But to think that workplaces have to adjust to personal timings of work, rest and sleep seems a bit far-fetched.