HOLIDAYS are a waste of time and money. And ironically, stressful.

A disclaimer (since most people don’t read articles through to the end, and make generalised, imaginative assumptions based on just the headline or first few sentences): I am not making an economic argument against the crippled tourism and hospitality industry, because I am in no way an expert on this sector, only a faceless consumer who makes it onto pie charts and graphs as “data” in presentations at corporate meetings.

I, too, am feeling the brunt of the Covid-19 crisis.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, I find it disheartening that in the conversations (and social media laments) of my fellow citizens and workers, phrases such as “I need a vacation” or “I can’t wait for the holidays” are peppered throughout. People are generally so hung up on the “idea” of holidays and vacations and what they should connote, when in reality, the sum of the parts makes a greater whole.

I can’t take holidays (not that my employers don’t allow it) in this manner, i.e. laying back in the sun, doing “nothing”, and the bane of our times, taking selfies and sharing them on social media to validate your vacation to the world (granted, some do take compelling photos, of which I am a fan).

We spend so much time scrolling in the luminescent light of our computers looking for deals, part with a lot of money, face the horrors of packing luggage, get into arguments and then make up (this applies to couples), cross state and international borders, go through the trouble of transit stops and commuting, and above all, risk exposing ourselves to diseases (from life-threatening to just annoying ones) in both familiar and foreign public spaces.

It’s also ironic that chances are, more peninsula Malaysians have travelled to exotic locales in Europe, the Americas and Africa than Sabah and Sarawak. Is the escapist desire to experience the “other” what drives us to go on holiday? I’ve even been told that some people take a vacation simply to enjoy the luxury of doing nothing; they just stay in their hotel room and sleep.

And since some of us are so obsessed with holding on to “our culture” (whatever that is) – the concept of “vacations” or “holidays” is not indigenous. Flip through Sejarah Melayu (The Malay Annals) or any tome, and I doubt you will find a line describing Hang Tuah or any “laksamana” in repose with a chilled glass of sirap limau, lazying the days away on his annual leave under a, well, coconut tree. The myth of the “lazy native” was also born out of colonial ignorance of traditional agrarian work culture in the tropics.

I’m not passing judgment on these methods of “zoning out”, but quite the contrary – I think it’s great that some people have the means to choose and empower themselves with idleness (a beautiful and glorious thing). I’m not here to tell others how to live their lives; I respect their choices and leave them alone (frankly, I’d like to get paid if I had to tell people how to live their lives).

What I’m seeing here is a system of busyness (doesn’t that sound like “business”?) that has seeped into not only our public, but also private, lives, notably because the same technologies that enable 24-hour convenience and communication also offer round-the-clock interruptions on demand.

In his 2004 manifesto How to Be Idle, The Idler magazine founder Tom Hodgkinson outlines the ways we can reclaim our freedom from an economic system that enslaves us. Ultimately, the power lies in our own hands (and minds). We need to celebrate laziness (which is the true spiritual pursuit of “holidays”) and stick it up work culture whenever the opportunity arises, even if it’s during work hours.

These little pockets of freedom are diminishing as we speak, and it’s your God-given right to reclaim them (I don’t buy into the now-omnipresent Protestant work ethic). We still need to earn a living, but we can leverage our freedoms and keep them sustainable if we can find “holidays” or “vacations” even in quiet domestic moments and spaces, like in the backyard or on the balcony at 3am (which can feel very alien if you try). All you need is some imagination and a set design.

Or, head off to a town an hour’s drive away that you’ve never been to – a silver lining for the guilt-ridden is that you are contributing to the local economy while staying frugal. Just don’t call it a “holiday” or “vacation”. But just do it.

Selamat Hari Raya & Berhati-hati Duduk Di Sofa! – May 22, 2020.

* Azmyl Yunor is a touring underground recording artiste, and an academic in media and cultural studies. He has published articles on pop culture, subcultures and Malaysian cultural politics. He adheres to the three-chords-and-the-truth school of songwriting, and Woody Guthrie’s maxim “All you can write is what you see”. He is @azmyl on Twitter.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.