I think that Malaysia is on the leading edge in the evolution of human society, and I'll tell you why. It's because of all the holidays you have here.

Allow me to elaborate. I believe a very strong case can be made that the development of humans as a species is directly related to the increase in leisure time through the years. Look at all the monuments of the ancients, the Pyramids, Macchu Picchu, the Komtar; even with the help of space aliens these megaliths would all require some serious overtime to complete.

People until very recently had to work all the time. What kind of life is that? Well, as Thomas Hobbes tells us in Leviathan, "nasty, brutish, and short." It's not for me, that's for sure. Finally I have found some kindred spirits here.

Sometime during the last millennium I was teaching Civics, Free Enterprise, and World Geography in a public high school in Shreveport, Louisiana. I joined the union, because I believe in that sort of thing, and quickly found a cause that was and still is near and dear to my heart: the four-day work week.

Part of my plan was instead of working the standard 40-hour week consisting of five 8-hour days, we shift to four days at 10-hours, reorienting the week with no forfeiture of productive time. Since we were all working 12-14 hours a day anyway, I figured no one would possibly object. But, like many geniuses and visionaries throughout history, I was ignored, scorned, and made the object of ridicule (well, maybe it wasn't that bad).

My current sojourn to Sarawak has enabled me to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city, the rat race, and the dog-eat-dog world of climbing the ladder. I've had a chance to think while composing a symphony in three movements for my newly-invented beer can gamelan. And this is what I've come up with regarding the whole holiday issue.

Malaysia is definitely a trail-blazer, but more can be done. We should all take a lesson from the National Library and the Tun Razak wing of the Sarawak Museum, which seems to be on perpetual holiday. With a little creativity and a bit of cooperation, I think we can get there.

I know what you're thinking. "Keith, if we take any more time off, we'll never be able to make the Wawasan thing happen by 2020." Or, "Keith, it's a competitive world, and if we don't keep pushing ourselves, we're certain to fall behind." Well, I for one think it's time for a reordering of priorities. Besides, everyone knows that's all Umno propaganda, anyway. Let me describe an example from Kuching, where I've been based for the past couple of weeks.

Mohammad the satay seller

In the Kuching market, there is a vendor that sells satay. His satay is apparently famous and it goes quick. I've had it a couple of times, and it is delicious, like a roasted meat soiree in the mouth. Anyway, sometimes it's hard to get ahold of a few sticks of the renowned satay, because the vendor, Mohammad, runs out pretty quickly. After he runs out he packs up his car and heads home, leaving his stall vacant. This usually takes but a couple of hours.

Now I'm no satay expert, but I can't imagine that the preparation of satay is too particularly difficult; maybe it takes two hours to prepare all the sticks Mohammad sells. Let's add another hour for the commute, giving Mohammad a workday of about five hours. I asked Mohammad why he doesn't make more satay, which would surely sell, thereby making more money.

"Because I have all I need," he replied. But when Mohammad packs up his shop at the end of the day, people still want to eat satay. They find it elsewhere; there's no general satay shortage in Kuching.

Well, how about that. Mohammad the satay man has all he needs, and a five-hour workday to boot. Is it just me, or is there something very attractive, and, I might add, noble, in Mohammad's decision to adopt a bit of entrepreneurial moderation?

Here's another related illustration from a paper published in 1983 in the journal Environmental Conservation by Jeffrey McNeely and Kenton Miller. This passage is describing how protected areas can serve as a refuge for traditional modes of life, specifically those of indigenous peoples who choose to maintain traditional patterns of living:

It is apparent that some people have already learned how to live in balance with their available resources. Sadly, these people are now considered 'primitive', even though their technology has sustained their society for hundreds of generations in a quite satisfying way. Few would suggest that such people should be kept in a 'backward' state if they desire to become part of modern 'television society', but it is important to document the traditional wisdom of these people before it is lost.

Furthermore, if such 'traditional' people desire to maintain their way of life - and many of them actually enjoy a life where 20 hours of work a week produces enough of life's necessities to allow plenty of free time to play with their children, flirt with their mates, practice religious beliefs daily, and tell stories around the fire - then protected areas can provide a means by which they can do so ... in such cases, joint management arrangements should be made between protected-area authorities and societies which have traditionally-managed resources.

I'm not in anyway advocating a return to the trees, the jungle, or Walden Pond. I think there is something to be said for the lifestyle depicted above, though. And it's been a bit difficult for me to come to these conclusions, as I was reared to work hard and long.

World's hardest working people

Furthermore, in my home country, the United States, it seems like the work ethic has actually intensified over my lifetime. Americans, if you don't know, are possibly the hardest working people on the planet. Please understand that I'm not trying to be jingoistic, nationalistic, or chauvinistic, because I don't think this is necessarily a good thing. It's just a simple fact.

Before I moved to Malaysia I was working in Washington, DC, which is the pole for political and international activity in the United States. In DC people work crazy hours, and spend crazier hours in their cars. Doctors and lawyers are the worst, but the work-harder mindset seems to affect most people in professional occupations; one frequently hears heroic stories of sleep-deprivation to meet a deadline, complete rounds, or put the finishing touches on a proposal. It's what you have to do to "get ahead".

New York City, Los Angeles and the other metropolises are the same way, but for different industries. The symbols of being ahead are usually materialistic, a more expensive car, a bigger house, designer clothes. As countless other lazyboneses in the past have pointed out, this type of success is but an illusion, but people are socialised into believing that more plastic and metal means more status.

This quest for productivity affects every aspect of life, and thanks to globalisation has become a big consideration in international trade and economics, where it touches everyone around the world. Multinational corporations make decisions based on productivity and locate distribution points, call centres, and manufacturing plants in locales calculated to have the greatest potential to increase profits. For developing countries it is a selling point to have a "productive workforce."

There must be a better way, and I think the path forward lies in working shorter hours. I know I'm going to get some argument on this point, but it seems to me that the neoclassical economic thinking that underlies much of decision making in the world today is obsolete, because all the musing of Adam Smith, David Ricardo, and their ilk assumed closed systems, which is not the way the world works.

Those guys were all thinking about Europe, mercantilism, and zero-sum economics. We are in need of a new economics that takes into consideration huge increases in productivity and an endless surplus in labour. From a global perspective, there just aren't enough jobs for everyone, especially if some folks are working 16 hour days.

No need for Mercedes!

I'm talking about a revolution, nay, the next stage in human evolution: the four-hour workday. That's right. And here in Malaysia, you're almost there. You see, the way I figure it, if we all cut our work hours in half, there would be an immediate demand for labour. Everybody would have a job, a source of pride and income.

I can hear the naysayers already humming in my head: "But Keith, ever since we dropped the 80 million Malaysians by 2050 plan, there's no way we can fill all those vacancies." Relax, I've thought of everything. Here's the Indonesians come in. I've heard whisperings that this country is having some minor problems with migrant workers. What no one seems to understand is that it's not a problem, it's a blessing. Put them to work. For four hours a day.

Speaking as someone who has learned the value of taking it easy and not knocking himself out for "The Man", I can assure you that your quality of life will increase, and your creative energy will skyrocket, enabling you to throw yourself headfirst into any project you see fit. You'll have time to spend with your family, to enjoy nature, and for personal development.

You don't need a Mercedes, and your decision not to buy one will enable all those poor devils slaving away on the line in Germany to work shorter hours, too. I think we'd see a decline in violence, hatred, and a concomitant decrease in other barometers indicating the sickness level of society. Less stress, less road rage, fewer nervous breakdowns.

If anyone wants to talk about this, call me at the office. I'm in from 8am to noon.

KEITH BETTINGER is a Fulbright Scholar living in Malaysia. Always up for an adventure, Keith can be contacted at kisu1492@hotmail.com.