OF late, it has been observed that for most of us the day breaks at midday. There is a noticeable change in the sleeping pattern for majority of people. The lifestyle we were used to when we were young is quite different now. Could it be the generation gap? But why does it affect only this part of the world?

Throughout the civilised world, people still follow the dictum, ‘early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise’. Nature has attuned the body to rest at night, for it to repair itself, and recoup the energy for a fresh day.

In my young days, this idiom was most scrupulously adhered to. It was an unwritten convention. I remember our schools used to begin at 7am in summers and at 8am in winters, dinner would be served at around 8pm and we were in bed by 9pm. Maybe this was done out of respect to the elders, or maybe television had not invaded our homes, and both smartphones and social media were still several years away, and, so, had no major role in our upbringing.

Coming to the present time, everything has turned topsy-turvy. The day starts at midday and ends at least at midnight. During prime time, from 8pm to 9pm, the family is glued to TV, busy relishing the soap operas, depicting the female gender’s belittling and bashing.

Alternatively, the household members watch talk shows, where the participants try to outscore one another in discussions that have no substance or end. The dinner is usually taken out at some eatery, with the family returning late and then going to bed. The routine, among other things, is a cause of obesity in our youth.

I had the good fortune of spending my youth in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi, and I still recollect people of all ages taking an early morning walk towards Clifton beach right up to the famous Columbus Hotel (now Glass Tower) in Karachi, Lawrence Garden (Bagh-i-Jinnah) in Lahore, and Topi Rakh (Ayub National Park) in Rawalpindi. In the evening, boys were often found engaged in some sort of sports activity.

That could be one reason that sportsmen of that era proved their mettle internationally and brought laurels in different sports events. Their achievements in hockey, cricket, squash, tennis, athletics, swimming and snooker made the nation proud.

As a member of the generation born in the first decade of Pakistan’s inception, I just wonder why and where we went wrong. Have we failed to instill the same spirit and vigour in our second and third generations?

Muhammad K. Sufi
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2022