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“The mutual and universal dependence of individuals who remain indifferent to one and another constitutes the social network that binds them together,” said Karl Marx to stress the importance of social interaction.
People cannot live by themselves; they have to move in a society that shapes their personality, behaviour and even character. An individual’s innate capabilities and potentials remain dormant in isolation.
As civilisation marches on, the concept of interdependence will deepen. Yet, there are people who take man as simply a biological creature. For them, solitude is the best ‘companion’ and society is the worst ‘exploiter’. Oscar Wilde had this temperate view on the subject: “I suppose society is wonderfully delightful. To be in it is merely a bore. But to be out of it is simply a tragedy.” Hence society, if at all an evil, is an “unavoidable evil”.
Is it important for men to have social lives? Does it help them being a good father and a doting husband? How does it improve them? Mian Zahid Hussain is an industrialist and President, Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectual Forum. Alluding to an old adage “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy”, he observes that one should have a social life to get rid of the day long business hustle. He believes that he can better play the role of a family man but argues that the demands of performance on the job result in a negative attitude and some avenue of release becomes imperative.
Professor Haroon Rashid, an educationist and President, Pakistan American Culture Centre (PACC), Karachi, maintains that social life makes a successful man. Any venue which aims at promoting social activities en-masse should, therefore, be hailed.
In his social life, man undergoes a number of bitter-sweet experiences which groom him to become a good father and a caring husband. Social life hones a man’s professional skills and thus leaves a salutary impact on his work.
Noor-ul-Huda Shah, an agriculturalist by profession and President, Rotary Club, Gambot refers to the Rotary slogan, “Service with a Smile” and affirms, “Social activities of the fellow Rotarians the world over are devoted to the community’s well-being.
They are only next to worshiping God.” As regards one’s role in his family, he advocates for allocation of time for indoor and outdoor engagements. He believes that since social life is instrumental in elevating one’s image, it helped one a lot in improving work performance.
Dr Jawed Arshad, an orthopedic surgeon, thinks social life is an essential respite for a professional. According to him, with strict discipline and effective time-management, social life helps men being good fathers and husbands.
A Sattar Azad is the editor of an aviation and tourism magazine. He meets a number of personalities from various walks of life in regard to his work. For him, therefore, social life is a euphemism for commercial life. Being sociable inculcates good manners in men which, in turn, polishes and grooms them. To him, social life is a means of getting first hand news, interesting stories and even ads for his magazine which all culminate into better performance.
By and large, women too have similar views. Professor Dure Shahwar Quadri, wife of an electrical engineer, regards social life a must for both men and women, even if it is through electronic means like e-mail, SMS and telephone. According to her, people must strike a balance between their social and domestic lives.
Wife of an advocate, Roomana Rumi is a noted poet. She believes that social life is more important for men than women. “This is an era of public relations. Men are supposed to reach out to as many people as they can for it is the only way they can professionally survive,” she opines. But they should act on the doctrine of moderation giving a modicum of time to their family members also. “Work and social contacts are concomitant; one complements the other.”
A solitary dissenting voice comes from Khalida Faizi whose husband runs an advertising company. “No,” she sounded firm. “Both, our religion and culture treat family as the centre of social life.”
Faizi, who has a master’s in Home Economics, is not a working woman. However, she refuses to be dubbed as a housewife. “Women who remain engrossed in managing their houses from dawn to dusk cannot be treated as idle members of society,” she asserts, continuing, “Men should strengthen family ties,” She disagrees with the idea that social life improves men’s professional life. “Activities undertaken to flee from the stark realities of life are nothing but self-delusional,” she reasons.
In the words of Aristotle, “Man is, by nature, a social animal.” Now even four-footed animals need a social life of sorts. A lady in London informs her friend, “I am taking Fido to the dog show next month.”
“Do you think he will win some prize?” the friend asked.
“No,” she responded, “but he’ll meet some nice dogs.”
