Today we ask that you learn to be okay with states of rest and “non-productivity.”

In your culture, resting is deeply stigmatized.  The virtuous person is someone who is continually active, continually doing.  “Workaholism,” even though labeled in the language of an addictive disease (which it is), is considered admirable and virtuous.

This is a highly destructive belief system.

The human body requires rest.  All bodies require rest.  Animals sleep.  Even plants have sleep cycles, though you do not observe them.  Babies sleep.  Children sleep.

Yet human adults, somehow, are not really supposed to sleep.  It considered admirable for a person to function on little sleep — for it is a sign that he is accomplishing more with his life, getting more done.

We cannot overemphasize how destructive this belief is.

Adult humans require sleep, just as much as animals and children do.  It is nonsensical to expect adult humans to function well on minimal sleep.

During states of rest and sleep, the human body processes what it has taken in during the previous day, and it engages in repair and growth processes.

Basically, when you sleep, your body “cleans house.”

This is literally true.  During sleep, the body cleans itself of accumulated toxins, and debris.

Not sleeping is like not cleaning your house.

Mess, dirt, and germs build up.

Eventually this can lead to a systemic crash.  You get sick.  You may experience a health crisis.  You certainly will experience mental and physical instability.

Do you know what would make your society run much better?

If businesses instituted an official “nap time,” like young children have in preschool.

You would see productivity increase.  You would see much less interpersonal conflict and more harmony between people.  You would see major reductions in physical and mental illness.

This is absolutely true.

People need to rest and sleep.  Expecting people to function optimally on minimal sleep is ridiculous.  It is crazy, and destructive.