Rest easy

» Why we shouldn’t be ashamed for getting more than enough sleep

Elliot Chan
} Opinions Editor
— ie. S opinions@theotherpress.ca

W: all know the importance
of sleep. The benefits

are countless, yet still we often
place shame upon ourselves for
getting enough or more than
enough sleep. We should feel
blessed and prosperous for
having an ample amount of rest
each and every day. No person
should feel ashamed for having
too much, just like how nobody
should feel ashamed for having
wealth.

Now, as you can tell, I
enjoy sleeping. I don’t believe
there is anything better than a
good night’s rest. I even dare to
say that we are born to sleep,
although it is challenging for
some. I’m proud of my ability to
sleep easily, because I know of
those who are insomniacs. But
just because I sleep well, many
chalk it up to me being lazy.
Although I can be lazy often, I
believe sleep has been the secret
sauce to my survival as a well-
adapted human being.

All my life I have lived by
the philosophy that no matter

  

: what I have to do tomorrow

: morning, such as an exam, long
: drive, or championship game,

: Pll perform best after a good

: sleep. A UCLA research study

: showed that staying up all

: night and cramming is a waste
: of time and energy compared

: to habitual studying. While

: you may trick yourself into

: believing otherwise, staying

: up all night reading textbooks
: is undoubtedly detrimental.

: Sacrificing sleep means you

: aren't letting your body and

: mind rest and heal. This can

: cause illnesses, forgetfulness,

: depression, and many, many

: more not-so-surprising effects.
: There is no pride in staying

: up all night, just like there

: shouldn't be pride for drinking
: recklessly or driving quickly.

On weekends, some people

: like to go on long road trips or

: whatever. Me, | prefer to sleep

> in, and if I can’t do that, I'd

: like to take a nap. This is often
: frowned upon, because we

: live in a seize-the-day society.

: Any moment not spent being

: productive is wasted time, time
: that you’ll never get back. That,

: to me, is bullshit, and such an

: awful way of living. The thing

: about resting is that, when I am
: awake, | am twice as effective

: as I would be if I were burning

: oil all day, into midnight and

: beyond.

The ability to get sleep and

: sleep well should be admired

: and cherished. Many of us are

: so stressed all the time with

: commitments and deadlines,

: and the first thing we chop from
: our schedule is sleep. If you want
: to go out after work, you'll have

: to lose some sleep. If you want to
: finish your project, have a drink

: with friends, and beat the next

: level in your video game, you'll

: have to sacrifice some sleep. But

: what’s the point of all of that if

: you feel shitty all the time?

One of the seven deadly sins

: is sloth, the crime of indolence,

: apathy, and refusal to work.

: Somehow we’ve paired it up with
: the idea of having ample rest, as
: if rest itself is a sin. It’s not. It’s

: aright. It doesn’t matter if you

: are a single mother of three or a
: medical student who also works
: part time, you can sleep. You

: should.

 

Photo via Thinkstock

 

Concerning the hyab

» Is the religious headwear oppression or expression?

Aleeze Asif
Contrioutor

he hijab seems to have

become a symbol of
oppression worldwide. What is
it about a scarf over the head
that is seemingly oppressive
compared to a scarf around the
neck? The vast majority of the
people that oppose the hijab
seem to do so because of what
they think it represents. So what
exactly does it represent?

Islam dictates that all
women must wear the hijab
as a representation of their
modesty and an expression
of their religious identity
(Quran 24:31). With that said,
one must keep in mind that
symbolic representation is fluid
depending on the constantly
evolving social and cultural
circumstances, as well as the
frame of mind of an individual.

It is an unfortunate reality
that many Muslim women
around the world are pressured
into covering their heads by
their families, cultural norms, or
even the law. Modesty should be
a choice, not another obligation
put upon women because of
their sex. A large portion of
Muslim women, however, wear
the hijab by choice. From an

: individualistic perspective, the
: reason why is quite simple: the

: hijab represents whatever the

: Hijabi wants it to represent.

: Many women wear it purely for
: the sake of religious obligation.
: Others say it incites confidence,
: and empowers them. Think

: about it: in a society where

: almost every conceivable media
: outlet is guilty of objectifying

: women at some point in time,

: who’s to say the hijab isn’t an act
: of rebellion?

However, things aren’t

: as black and white when we

: analyze this religious practice

: from a broader sociological

: perspective. Islamic scripture

: and Hadith make it abundantly
: clear that the hijab is absolutely
: compulsory. The dictionary

: definition of discrimination is

: “different rules and standards

: for a sect of people established
: purely because of the way they
: are born.” Gender-specific

: decorums are the reason why

: women might be the only group
: in the “other” category who

: aren't a minority. It wouldn't

: be inaccurate to argue that the
: hijab is guilty of promoting

: the further social segregation

: of genders by creating double

: standards and solidifying

: archaic gender norms. A

: woman should never have to do
: anything just because she is a
> woman.

Many countries are seeking

: to have the hijab banned.

: France is seeking to ban the

: headscarf in public places,

: having already banned any

: garment that covers a person’s
: face, such as the niqab. Most

: Islamic scholars would testify

: to the fact that the niqab is not
: compulsory. Prime Minister

: Stephen Harper recently tried

: to ban the nigab, specifically at
: citizenship ceremonies, stating
: that it is “offensive” and it’s

: “not how we do things here.”

: There are legitimate arguments
: to restricting the niqab, as

: both Muslim and non-Muslim
: fanatics of either gender can

: use religious freedom as an

: excuse to hide their identities.

: However, it is profusely clear

: that that is not what Harper

: is concerned about. The fine

: line between expression and

: oppression is choice. Banning

: the niqab or hijab, however, is

: in itself'a blatant violation of

: women’s freedom of expression
: anda person’s freedom of

: religion. How is telling women
: what they can’t wear any better
: than telling them what they can
: wear?

The hijab might have
: its problems in the grand
: scheme of things, but reducing
: all Muslim women to a
: stereotype is tremendously
: counterproductive. There is
: a place for the hijab in the

 

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: modern society that is pro-

: choice when it comes to matters
: of an individual’s religious

: freedom. What a woman wears
: does not define her. It doesn’t

: even begin to scratch the

: surface,