Questionnaire: To Measure the Satisfaction Level of Early Retired People (Golden Handshake)

We are the students of institute of management sciences (IMS), BZU Multan.

We are conducting a research to measure the satisfaction level of people from banking industry in Multan who have taken golden handshake. Your co-operation is highly appreciated.

 

Bank Name (Branch address who offered you golden handshake):

Name (optional)                                                 Gender: (Male/Female)

Job Title:                                                          Age (35-45) (46-55) (56-60) (60 onwards)

 

 

1. Type of Golden Handshake:

• Forced
• Voluntarily

 

Strongly agreed means that I am strongly agreed with this statement

Agreed means I am agreed with this statement

Neutral means I can’t decide whether I am satisfied or not satisfied with this statement

Disagreed means that I am very disagreed with this statement

Strongly Disagreed means that I am strongly disagreed with this statement

 

1. Reason for early retirement

		Strongly Agree	Agree	Neutral	Disagree	Strongly Disagree
A)	The Golden Handshake package was attractive
B)	You had other plans
C)	It was the only option you had
D)	Poor health

 

1. What is the duration of the last job you held? (5-10 yrs) (10-15 yrs) (15-20 yrs) (20 yrs onward)
2. Financial Condition

		Strongly Agree	Agree	Neutral	Disagree	Strongly Disagree
A	My spouse is employed so I am not overburdened financially
B	I own my residence
C	I was able to manage the money I received properly  to support my expenses
D	My children are employed so I am not overburdened financially

 

1. How did you use the money you received from the golden handshake?

 

		Strongly Agree	Agree	Neutral	Disagree	Strongly Disagree
A)	Started a personal business
B)	Invested in a savings account
C)	Invested in stocks or bonds
D)	Spent it for personal or family use

6.

Question	Strongly Agree	Agree	Neutral	Disagree	Strongly Disagree
The amount of money offered in Golden Handshake was adequate
I am able to maintain my life style, as it was before retirement
Bank was fair in nominating me for Golden Handshake
My current earning is sufficient to meet my expenses
Golden Handshake is a threat to job security
I am happy with the Bank policy of Golden Handshake
I recommend other employees to go for Golden Handshake as well
I am ready to join the bank again (Even if I have to return the money I received; suppose you have that much amount of money with you)
I have received the full amount which Golden Hand shake promised me
Overall Golden Handshake policy was biased and there was favoritism
The purpose of Golden Handshake was to lay off employees only
I regret my decision of going for Golden Handshake
Golden Handshake is an opportunity to leave job & join some other organization with better work satisfaction.

 

This was how I felt about my previous job (From where you retired early)

 

Very satisfied means that I am very satisfied with this aspect of my job

Satisfied means I am satisfied with this aspect of my job

Neutral means I can’t decide whether I am satisfied or not satisfied with this aspect of my job

Dissatisfied means that I am very dissatisfied with this aspect of my job

Very Dissatisfied means that I am very dissatisfied with this aspect of my job

7.

	Very Satisfied	Satisfied	Neutral	Dissatisfied	Very Dissatisfied
The way company policies are put into practice.
How my pay compares with that of other workers
The praise I get for doing a good job.
My chances for advancement were fairly good
The personal relationship with my boss and his/her employees
The way the bank treats its employees
The way my co-workers are easy to make friends with
My pay and amount of work I do
The recognition I get from the work I do
The way employees are informed about company’s policies
The way my job provides for a secure future
I was not happy with my job therefore I applied for Golden Hand Shake

 

 

Thank you for completing this questionnaire.

Water and energy crisis in Pakistan

 

“No matter how advanced our economy might be, no matter how sophisticated our equipment becomes, for the foreseeable future we will still depend on fossil fuels and water.” (George W. Bush.)

The water and energy crisis is any great shortfall in the supply of water and energy resources. Energy crisis is usually referred to the shortage of oil and additionally to electricity or other natural resources. Water and energy crisis in Pakistan is so deep-rooted that it has become an enigma for the policy makers. We, as a nation, fail to read the writing on the wall. Water and energy crisis in Pakistan is so complicated that one needs to discuss both issues independently.

Water and life are directly related to each other. Constant and abundant water supply is a guarantee for the economic development of the country. Pakistan has total 210 million acre feet (MAF) but it is an unfortunate on our part that we could utilize only 12.5% of it. Resultantly, at present we are facing with a shortage of 40 MAF of water. According to World Bank report Pakistan is fast moving from being a “Water stress country to water scarce country”.

The factors responsible for water crisis in Pakistan are unbalanced demand and supply equation, non-construction of water reservoirs at suitable places, seepage of water due to non-cemented canals and due to the political instability. According to World Bank water in Pakistan in 106MAF whereas requirement is 117MAF but much of this water is wasted due to above mentioned factors so it results in water crisis.

On the other hand energy is considered to be life line of any economy and most vital instrument socio-economic development of country. Pakistan’s energy infrastructure is not very well developed, rather it is considered to be underdeveloped and poorly managed. Currently the country is facing severe energy crisis.

Country is having a spot of energy crisis much because of political instability. Despite of strong economic growth and rising energy demands during past decade, no serious efforts have been made to install new capacity of generation. As a result electric break down has become a routine matter. Recent calculations says that “Pakistan needs 15,000 to 20,000 MW electricity per day, however, producing 11,500 MW per day”.

Shortage of water for domestic, industrial and above all for the agricultural use is directly affecting the already sliding economy of Pakistan. On the other hand shortage of energy is badly hampering the economic growth of the country. Though the problem is difficult to deal yet developing consensus on the construction of different feasible water reservoirs, much of the water can be saved. For power sector we need to explore alternative energy resources, especially indigenous one. Government need to deal water and energy crisis on war footing.

Help us to harness the wind, the water the sun;

And all the ready and renewable sources of power.

Teach us to conserve, preserve and use wisely;

The blessed treasures of our wealth-stored Earth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MISUSE OF NATURAL RESOURCES, A CAUSE OF ENERGY CRISIS

Natural resources occur naturally within environments that exist relatively undisturbed by mankind, in a natural form. Pakistan is rich in natural resources. Natural Resources are very important for the development and prosperity of a country. The important thing is to utilize them for the welfare of the human beings and development of the country economically because the progress of a country totally depends upon the utilization of the available resources. Land, natural gas reserves, petroleum, coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone etc are relatively abundant natural resources found  in Pakistan.

Theodore Roosevelt said, “The nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased, and not impaired, in value”

Unfortunately, in Pakistan natural resources are squandered by government, industries and people without considering the devastating effects of it on our economy. Misuse of natural resources refers to excessive use, destructive use or achieving imbalance between resources either individually or in combination. Natural resources may be misused due to Commercial interests like trading in products out of natural resources, Ignorance on necessity to preserve natural resources, deliberate negligence on destruction of natural resource, extreme population pressure, self interest of human beings over the interest to retain natural resources, International trade and commitments, Misuse of legislation, Loop holes of provisions of law, Increased industrial requirement, Improvement of standard of living etc. Alan M. Eddison quoted beautifully, “Modern technology, owes ecology, an apology.”

As we enter the 21st century the average human’s life is dictated by the production and quantity of energy. This energy is produced in many different forms, from fossil fuel to hydro and solar power. Though this production of energy has sufficed up till now, a realization has occurred that the depletion of our current resources is imminent. The world is marching towards an “ecological credit crunch” far worse than the current financial crisis because humans are over-using the natural resources of the planet, an international study warns today. The Living Planet report calculates that humans are using 30% more resources than the Earth can replenish each year, which is leading to deforestation, degraded soils, polluted air and water, and dramatic declines in numbers of fish and other species. Havelock Ellis in his book, The Dance of Life said that, “The sun, the moon and the stars would have disappeared long ago… had they happened to be within the reach of predatory human hands.”

The problem is also getting worse as populations and consumption keep growing faster than technology finds new ways of expanding what can be produced from the natural world. This had led the report to predict that by 2030, if nothing changes, mankind would need two planets to sustain its lifestyle. The planet is facing a serious electric energy crisis, owing to an escalating desire of electric energy becoming greater than its supply. Some uninformed people assume that the electrical energy crisis is an illusion. They fail to conceive the whole picture. There have been 3 chief energy crises until now – the 1973 oil crisis, the 1979 energy crisis, and the 1990 oil-price hike, aside from a couple of regional crises.

Mike Bowlin, chairman and CEO of ARCO, said in his speech in Houston;

We’ve embarked on the beginning of the last days of the age of oil. Embrace the future and recognize the growing demand for a wide range of fuels or ignore reality and slowly—but surely—be left behind.

Minor incremental changes will not fix the energy crisis. This requires huge changes like, global political cooperation, unlimited access to funding and resources, universal expertise on amazing alternative energy technologies and total cooperation of big business in resource conservation. This must be done in order to descend the legacy of healthy earth to our future generations.

 

 

LIFE WITHOUT ELECTRICITY

“Imagination has brought mankind through the dark ages to its present state of civilization. Imagination led Columbus to discover America. Imagination led Franklin to discover electricity.” (L. Frank Baum)

Imagine life without electricity, not just a brief power outage. We all know how inconvenient life becomes when our electricity is out for only a few hours. How hard it is to remember for that short period of time that the light switch will not produce instant light, the hair dryer will not immediately blow dry our hair, or that we can’t even run water into our homes. Our homes and lives have become so dependent on electricity it is really hard to imagine everything that would change without it.

Life without electricity is inconceivable in the present decade of 21st century. Machines drive the ways of our daily life. Machines from a handy gadget to a massive appliance need electricity. Electricity fuels all sorts of gadgets and gizmos directly or indirectly to ensure their proper functioning. Life comes to a standstill without electricity in cities and towns. In cities modern household gadgets like washing machine, refrigerator, home theater system, kitchen appliances like oven, hand blender, drinking water purifier run on electricity. Official gadgets like computers, printers, scanners, internet devices and mobile phones etc are integral part of our lifestyle. If the electricity supply is cut off for even few hours, communication will be badly disrupted slowing down the pace of life. Evidently life depends on electricity as we depend on gadgets, and gadgets depend on electricity for functioning. To be succinct, life with no electricity is a nightmare.

Lifestyles changed dramatically with the invention of electricity. In the past, locations were chosen for homes because of accessibility to water, preferably a big spring. Homes were built lower in valleys instead of hilltops also because of heating and cooling.  Spring located close to one’s home was just about one of the biggest luxuries in those days.  Drawing water from the well by hand to water a herd of cattle and horses did not seem an impossible task. George Leslie Gobel an American actor hilariously quoted, “If it weren’t for electricity we’d all be watching television by candlelight.”

Can we really imagine doing laundry without electricity? Carrying water from the spring, or drawing enough water from the hand-dug water well could prove to quite a day’s chore. Remember, there were no air conditioners or fans to create the perfect breeze on a hot summer day. I wonder what our ancestors did for entertainment. There were no movie theaters, televisions, CD players, or computers. Perhaps, a visit to neighbors serves as a source of entertainment. In fact, neighbors were one of the main sources of news and weather. I’m sure trying to imagine life without electricity is as difficult for us as would have been for our great-great grandparents to imagine life with electricity.

Theodore H. White an American political journalist and historian said “With electricity we were wired into a new world, for electricity brought the radio, a “crystal set” and with enough ingenuity, one could tickle the crystal with a cat’s whisker and pick up anything.”

Throughout the world electricity is the most widely used and desirable form of energy.  It is a basic requirement for economic development and for an adequate standard of living. At the residential level, it keeps our water heaters, air conditioners, and other household appliances running. On the larger scale, it powers the vast infrastructure of computers that keep track of everything from bank deposits to medical records. Our entire government and financial system depends on computers. Pakistan has been facing an unprecedented energy crisis since the last few years. This break down has paralyzed the economy of Pakistan in such a short time, so the permanent life without electricity is beyond our imagination.

A Canadian educator and philosopher said, “The difference between Dark Age and Modern-Nano age can be described by just a single word: electricity”

 

 

Knowledge Is Not Gained From Books but In Experience

Knowledge is defined as the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association.

We gain our knowledge about our lives and the world around us from two sources: from books and experience. These two sources are both important; however, most of our knowledge is based on our participation in real world situations. We all know that ‘’knowledge is power’’, therefore we rush towards the supplements we are recommended; books. We indulge in books to explore the mysteries around us, to educate ourselves about the world we live in, to amuse us, to accompany us and as source of reliving the firsthand experiences of those who lived before us. 

Books are the source of wide variety of information and knowledge. Reading books allow us to contemplate better on the different aspects of our lives. Good books tell us about the mistakes, failures and experiences of other people. Great books tell us what to take from all these stories and make our world a better place to live in.  

Books are actually compliments of knowledge. The readers take books as the only source of knowledge, disregarding practical and applied education. Students cram books, keeping in mind that only reading them will help pave their way to success, but what really counts is experience.

An old proverb, “experience is the best teacher” reminds us that through experience a person learns the appropriate measures necessary for the achievement of knowledge. Books only give us directions, actual learning is incomplete without experience. Without experiencing a thing one is never able to learn in the real sense. It is exactly like reading about a breath taking scene and actually seeing it. It’s the actual experience that will take your breath away and that is what you will remember for the rest of your life and not the mere words describing it.  

Albert Einstein said “Learning is experience. Everything else is just information.” An experiment is the most important step in any scientific process, gaining scientific knowledge being a purely scientific process.  Not all knowledge from books is credible. We can’t reject the fact that not everything that is learned is contained in books.

Rita Mae Brown said ‘’Good judgment comes from experience, and often experience comes from bad judgment’’. So unless you go out there and actually implement your learning in the real world, you will never find the true use of it even if it means taking some blows, making bad judgment calls and regretting your decisions because in the end it will all be worth it. 

There is an old Chinese saying ‘’Practice is the only criterion of inspecting the truth.’’  Experience, is better at building good judgment, and for mastering practical skills. Pretty much anything that requires knowledge to be deeply internalized has to be learned through experience. You can’t learn typing by reading about how to type. You can improve your chess game by studying books, but the only way to become a grandmaster is to play a lot more games, preferably while you are relatively young (this will work for pretty much anyone, though. Grandmasters aren’t smarter than regular people; they’ve just played more chess).

My thoughts are strictly not aimed at negating the importance of the books and the learning they impart. In my opinion, books alone can never help you achieve everything you ever wanted. The world out there only lets those people survive who can make the right decision at the right time, people who know when to go in all guns blazing and when to back off peacefully. And that only comes from experience. So my advice to you: make as many mistakes as you can, experience as many things as you can while you have the time and courage because in the end we don’t regret the things we did but we regret the things we missed out on.   

 

JUDICIARY IS AN IMPORTANT PILLAR OF GOVERNMENT

The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes. The Founding Fathers, the framers of the Constitution, wanted to form a government that did not allow one person to have too much authority or control. With this in mind the framers wrote the Constitution to provide for a separation of powers, or three separate branches of government. Each has its own responsibilities and at the same time they work together to make the country run smoothly and to assure that the rights of citizens are not ignored or disallowed. The three branches of Government are the legislative, executive, and judicial. So the fact that judiciary is very important pillar of government cannot be denied.

Andrew Jackson, seventh President of the United States said, “All the rights secured to the citizens under the Constitution are worth nothing, and a mere bubble, except guaranteed to them by an independent and virtuous Judiciary.”

Supreme Court of Pakistan, Federal Shariah Court of Pakistan ,High Courts of Pakistan, District Courts of Pakistan, Judicial Magistrate Courts, Executive Magistrate Courts and Courts of Civil Judge constitutes the judicial system in Pakistan. In Pakistan, after the lawyers’ movement and the restoration of present judiciary, the judiciary has gained an important role in the affairs of state. The judiciary has gradually alienated itself from the affairs of the executive. Judges case and Al-jihad Trust Case are the remarkable examples of this fact. Addressing judicial officers of all districts and special courts of Karachi at the Sindh High Court premises, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said, “judiciary is the most important pillar of the country, In the last one year, the judges of the Sindh High Court and district judiciary have taken responsibility to discharge their duty to the best of their ability.”

Independent and professional judges are the foundation of a fair, impartial, and constitutionally guaranteed system of courts of law. Charles Evans once said, “We are under a Constitution, but the Constitution is what the judges say it is, and the judiciary is the safeguard of our property and our liberty and our property under the Constitution.” In democracies, the protective constitutional structure and prestige of the judicial branch of government guarantees independence from political pressure. The power of judges to review public laws and declare them in violation of the nation’s constitution serves as a fundamental check on potential government abuse of power – even if the government is elected by a popular majority.

Islamic Law, through the sacred texts and through its basic principles, prohibits the governing officials from interfering with or influencing the decisions of the court in any way.  There are numerous verses in the Quran that command justice

“…And if you judge (O Muhammad), judge between them with justice.  Verily, God loves those who act justly.” (Quran 5:42)

In the past, the political leaders of the Muslim state understood that justice – by which the heavens and the Earth are kept right – is the basis for governing in Islam.

Amr b. al-As said: “There is no political leadership without men.  There are no men available without wealth.  There can be no wealth without a prosperous civilization.  Civilization cannot prosper without justice.” The Rightly Guided Caliphs and the leaders of the Islamic state worked hard to bestow every possible dignity and honor on the judiciary and strove to protect it from all outside interference. They, themselves, adhered to the decisions of the judiciary, respected them, and carried them out.

I would like to end my writing with the famous quotes which represents the fair paradigm of Judiciary as an important pillar of government. Lard Bryce writes, “There is no better test of the excellence of a Government than the efficiency of a judicial system; far nothing mare clearly touches the welfare and security of the average citizen than the feeling that he can rely on the certain and prompt administration of justice. Furthermore George Washington said: “Administration of justice is the firmest pillar of government. Law exists to bind together the community; it is sovereign and cannot be violated with impunity.”

 

 

 

 

Hunger in third world

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.”

Hunger is normally defined as rumbling in ones stomach. But in real terms, hunger is a condition resulting from chronic under-consumption of food or nutritious food products. It may be precipitated by, an inability to obtain sufficient quantities of food to eat or a failure to consume adequate quantities of nutritious food products.

A famous Greek philosopher Aristophanes said ‘’ Hunger knows no friend but its feeder’’. Hunger has plagued humanity from the time of the early caveman in search of food, to the present, where children die of malnutrition in Third World nations. At present, more than 820 million people in the world suffer from hunger; and 790 million of them live in the Third World. In the Asian, African and Latin American countries, well over 500 million people are living in what the World Bank has called “absolute poverty”. Every 3.6 seconds someone dies of hunger. The World Health Organization estimates that one-third of the world is well-fed, one-third is under-fed one-third is starving. Since i have written this at least 200 people have died of starvation. Over 4 million will die this year.

The right time to eat is: for a rich man when he is hungry, for a poor man when he has something to eat. About a sixth of the world’s people are hungry today. Third world countries that have a great percentage of the population starving do not have the resources to obtain or grow food. Starvation occurs due to diversion of land use to non-productive use, Increasing emphasis on export-oriented agriculture, inefficient agricultural practices, war, famine, drought, over-fishing, poor crop yield and food wastage.

‘’An empty belly hears nobody’’. If only hunger can be controlled, about half of the crimes in the world can be eradicated. As said by Pearl Bailey ‘’Hungry people cannot be good at learning or producing anything, except perhaps violence‘’. Hunger and food insecurity are linked to serious health, psychosocial, and academic problems for children that can, individually or interactively, impede normal growth and development.

Hunger is not a problem because the world food production is not enough to feed all of the people in the world; it is a problem because the food is not distributed equally among all of the countries and people in the world. If all the food in the world is divided equally among all the people in the world, each person would get three times the minimum amount needed to survive.

To put a lasting end to hunger requires more than donations of bags of grain and tins of milk. There must not only be plenty of food, but food produced in ways that are environmentally sustainable, and assistance in providing increased income for those who are poor. To end hunger in third world countries require not only a surplus of food, but also a widespread recognition of the human right to food, and effective mechanisms to prevent armed conflict. To reduce malnutrition to a minimum, the world must not only be more wealthy, but also more willing and able to provide food entitlements as needed to poor and vulnerable groups. It is so rightly said by Robert Alan ‘’Those who wish for a more peaceful, just and sustainable world are helping to make ending world hunger a major priority’’.

Dengue attacks Punjab, facts and fictions

 “An acute, infectious tropical disease caused by any of several viruses of the genus Flavivirus. It is transmitted by mosquitoes, and characterized by high fever, rash, headache, and severe muscle and joint pain.”

 

The origin of the word “dengue” is not clear, however, its first record is found in Chinese medical encyclopedia from Jin Dynasty which referred it to ”water poison” associated with flying insects. Dengue fever is also known as O’nyong-nyong fever or break-bone fever. Dengue is a virus based disease spread by the bite of the female mosquito “Aedes aegypti”, which is found in tropic and sub-tropic areas. The symptoms of dengue fever are quite prominent, it begins with sudden high fever of 103 to 105 degree Fahrenheit accompanied by red rashes all over the body, headache, fatigue, joint and muscle aches, nausea and vomiting. This fever results in decrease of platelets however, it is not fatal until it reaches final stages.

 

Dengue has prevailed over hundred countries including Sri lanka, India, Maldives, Pakistan and Bangladesh. However, It is increasingly becoming an epidemic sweeping through Pakistan. It has affected almost all the provinces but majority of the sufferers are from the province of Punjab or more precisely from the city Lahore. So far 8,044 cases of dengue have been reported in Punjab, out of which 7,576 cases have been reported in Lahore alone, 151 from the city Faisalabad, 40 from Islamabad and rest 277 cases were reported from other cities. This fatal disease has so far caused 271 casualties in Punjab out of which 251 deaths have occurred in Lahore. These figures are increasing day by day and so are the worries of people.

 

Owing to alarming increase of dengue virus cases being reported in all corners of the country, government authorities are scurrying to control the epidemic from spreading further. Control cells have been established in Punjab, while medicines and fumigation of international standards are being, reportedly, imported. This epidemic would have never been that much serious if only government had followed this angelic quote in this matter

“Prevention is better than cure“

But government wholly ignored it and this resulted in widespread of dengue fever.

 

The factors responsible for dissemination of this disease could have been easily controlled. The larvae of dengue mosquito begins to hatch in the month of April, but government started the spray of insecticide in the mid of August, which increasingly promoted the growth of dengue mosquito. Moreover, wrong estimation of rainfall in the province caused standing water to be a normal vision in the streets, which provided ideal conditions for dengue carrying mosquitoes to thrive, which explains the augmentation of this disease. Furthermore, vast corruption was found in the import of insecticides and pesticides and due to usage of low standard chemicals, the idea of elimination of dengue mosquito was not carried.

 

There is no specific treatment of dengue fever as no vaccine has yet been invented. Victims are simply guided to intake as much fluid as they can to prevent dehydration. Though this catastrophe in Pakistan is a result of mismanagement but still government is trying its best to cope with the problem. Medicines and platelets have been imported on large scale. Moreover government has introduced several ads on media to literate masses about this havoc. As this disease cannot be eliminated without the assistance of masses so we all have to play our own part to achieve the respective goal.

 

The only solution to this problem is awareness and literacy of people. Though literacy rate is very low but optimism is there. As said by Helen Keller,

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence”

 

 

 

Democracy vs. Dictatorship

 

John Emerich once said, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Dictatorship is based on this very principle. According to Emerich, great men are almost always bad men. This is true in many contexts because the absolute power that a dictator enjoys is bound to corrupt him sooner or later. The feeling of being all powerful and having people at your mercy is what eventually leads the dictators to play god. Democracy on the other hand might not be the solution to every problem but in my opinion a weak democracy is still better then a strong dictatorship. Democracy instils a sense of equality and collectivism and down the line that is the only thing that can transform a country from being just a collection of people to a nation.

Unfortunately Pakistan has not been very lucky in this matter. Throughout the 64 years of its existence, its history has been marred by dictatorships and constant derailing of the democracy. General Ayub khan believed that people of the subcontinent were, by temperament, not suited for democracy. General Zia-ul-Haq sought refuge in religion because he believed that the main reason for anarchy is Pakistan was that his predecessors had moved away from the religion. General Musharaf also thought himself as a messiah who could put an end to all the chaos in the country.

 Abraham Lincoln once said, “As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.”  Democracy is what gives the people the real power, the power to choose their leaders, the power to choose their destiny. Dictatorship takes that away.
However, it is imperative to understand that democracy is not simply a mode of election or governance. It is the utmost honesty with which the system is run ensuring that every aspect complies with the golden principles of democracy. It requires monitoring, accountability and an unbiased system of check and balance. It requires to be translated from paper into reality and to empower the citizens with true sense of ownership and responsibility. In order for people to be able to choose the one they think deserves to be chosen, they need to be educated and made to think outside the age-old boundaries of thinking. They must have developed enough political acumen and adequate unbiased approach to elect someone democratically.  And that itself is an enormous challenge, especially in third world countries.
Despite the short comings that may arise while running a democratic system, it is still far better than any exemplary dictatorship because the beauty of democracy lies in its true essence. Giving someone the right to choose who he wants to lead. This is the most basic of human right. Milton Eisenhower once said: “Disregard of human beings is the first qualification of a dictator” and that’s why even a sound dictatorship fails to win applause from its people because it robs them of their birth right and nobody would want to be wrapped up in chains even if they are gold ones.

 

CLEANLINESS IS NEXT TO GODLINESS

Being clean is a sign of spiritual purity or goodness as revealed in maxim, “cleanliness is next to godliness.” This phrase was first recorded in a sermon by John Wesley in 1778, but the idea is ancient, found in Babylonian and Hebrew religious tracts. This aphorism according to cultural dictionary invokes cleanliness as great virtue.

In Islam cleanliness is declared as half of faith. Cleanliness being part of Islamic civilization is greatly emphasized in both its physical and spiritual aspects. While people generally consider cleanliness a desirable attribute, Islam insists on it, making it an indispensible fundamental of the faith. A Muslim is required to be pure morally and spiritually as well as physically. Through the Qur’an and Sunnah Islam requires the sincere believer to sanitize and purify his entire way of life. In the Qur’an Allah commends those who are accustomed to cleanliness:

“Allah loves those who turn to Him constantly and He loves those who keep themselves pure and clean.” (2: 22)

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) advised the Muslims to appear neat and tidy in private and in public. Once when returning home from battle he advised his army:

“You are soon going to meet your brothers, so tidy your saddles and clothes. Be distinguished in the eyes of the people.” (Abu Dawud)

On another occasion he said:

“Don’t ever come with your hair and beard disheveled like a devil.” [Al-Tirmidhi]

Purity is a condition for the Prayer to be regarded valid, and the Prayer is an act of worship which a Muslim performs at least five times throughout his daily routine. It encourages that one cleanse and purify those places that may become a breeding ground for germs and filth.

Moreover God gives life and cleanliness saves life. Many who are filthy are more susceptible to infectious diseases. Cleanliness is both the abstract state of being clean and free from dirt, and the process of achieving and maintaining that state.  Cleanliness gives a cheerful mind and conduces to spirituality, as the Holy Writings clearly state. Although bodily cleanliness is a physical thing, it has a powerful influence on the life of the spirit. Abdu’ul-Baha said, “In every aspect of life, purity and holiness, cleanliness and refinement, exalt the human condition . . . Even in the physical realm, cleanliness will conduce to spirituality.”

Today science tries to answer the scientific aspect cleanliness related to faith. It’s not just about keeping away from germs and bacteria and tangible hygiene but the intangible effects of cleanliness on the human beings. People are unconsciously fairer and more generous when they are in clean-smelling environments, according to Brigham Young University professor. “Morality and cleanliness can go hand-in-hand,” said study team member Adam Galinsky of the Kellogg School of Management. Researchers have established links between cleanliness and its impact on the human behavior.

The English language is full of metaphors linking moral purity to both physical cleanliness and brightness. We speak of “clean consciences”, “pure thoughts” and “dirty thieves”. We’re suspicious of “shady behavior” and we use light and darkness to symbolize good and evil. But there is more to these metaphors than we might imagine. The mere scent of a clean-smelling room can take people down a virtuous road, compelling them to choose generosity over greed and charity over apathy. Meanwhile, the darkness of a dimmed room or a pair of sunglasses can compel people towards selfishness and cheating.

In short, Cleanliness keeps one’s mind clear and life organized. If one’s house is a total disaster, his/her thinking is going to feel similarly disorganized. There is a natural connection between the order of environment and the state of mind. A clean, well-organized environment will lift your spirits. I would like to end my essay with famous saying of George Bernard Shaw, “Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world.”