By Robin Sam
MY friends who continue in mainstream journalism often complain about how little time they have for their families after work hours. I know a few of them who reach home only for a quick nap, a shower and a change of clothes before they rush out to their next assignment. It is not as if life has suddenly become hectic. It’s always been like that. During my time as a media person, I remember there were days when I used to work like that. You practically lived between deadlines. Although one enjoyed the highs of journalism, on most days the lows of the trade crushed your spirit. It was not anything like I had imagined as a dreamy eyed youth. Journalism was tough and its demands on one’s time were quite high. Chasing stories both the mundane and the exclusive can take a toll on your health if you are not up to it. The biggest hazard of a newsman is not his health, however. It’s the short shelf life of the stories he breaks. You are only as good as your last byline. So, every day you go out and work in those unsociable hours trying to prove your worth to your bureau chief or your editor.
‘If you want to work from 9 to 5, you should have been an accountant,’ your boss would tell you if you complained about how your last weekly off was three months ago. I have worked with over a dozen bosses until I quit corporate job in 2008 to become a full time missions worker, and I am happy to announce not one was enthused about granting leave to their subordinates.
This was before the advent of 24/7 news channels and the explosion of call centres in India. These two trades practically changed the landscape of jobs in the country, I would say. Now, I find everyone – from the one chopping vegetables at a restaurant to the one working on Python in an artificial intelligence labs – working practically without any rest. Whether you are a Commerce graduate or an engineering whiz, jobs are available only in call centres and night shift seems to be the only shift available there. You are fortunate if you hold a job under the present ruling dispensation. You are doubly fortunate if it’s a 9 to 5 job and you get your pay credited into your account month on month.
Why am I saying all this? To drive home two important points. One, things are going to get worse. Now, this is not a prophecy for the New Year. Jobs are being downsized around the world. So if you have a job, hold on to it. But also remember most bosses have a Pharaoh-like mindset in not giving you straw but still expecting you to complete your daily work (Exodus 5:4-16). There’s a reason why they do it: So, you will not worship the Lord, your God. Make sure ‘the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things’ enter in and choke the world making it unfruitful (Mark 4:19).
Resolve today to soak up in the Word of God, walk with God like Enoch and earnestly await the coming of the Lord. Let that be your No.1 Resolution for 2020!
Robin Sam is a preacher, Bible teacher and missions worker. He works in Messenger Missions, a Gospel proclaiming ministry and edits The Christian Messenger magazines in English and Tamil.
