Ramadan is often a time when family and friends come together both to celebrate the Holy Month and to reinvigorate social ties that may have gotten weak over time. It is also seen as a time when people are supposed to tame their anger and attempt to be kind towards each other. While Ramadan can be quite stressful in this day and age when normal life doesn’t stop for the Holy Month, we feel that many people exploit that fact. They’d use them as a ridiculous excuse to be excessively obnoxious to their coworkers, family and friends. Here are the 7 most common excuses Egyptians use to be absolutely horrible during Ramadan.
“I haven’t had my morning coffee”
Okay. We understand. We really do. On most days, we are half-zombies until we have been sufficiently caffeinated, and the thought of forsaking that morning coffee for 30 consecutive mornings is absolutely daunting. However, this is no excuse to fly into a blind rage at work! In case you haven’t noticed, no one else has had their coffee either. You’d think one might find camaraderie in endurance rather than vent their frustration onto others.
“I can’t function without cigarettes”
Nicotine might be the most commonly missed drug of choice during Ramadan. Nicotine withdrawal can be quite ugly for smokers; headaches, sleeplessness and irritability. Being used to having a certain amount of nicotine in your system, and suddenly having none, can lead to heightened anxiety and frustration. Still, it’s not everyone else’s fault that you miss your nicotine stick. It might be a good idea to wean off smoking gradually in the weeks before Ramadan to make the transition into fasting easier. It’ll be beneficial for your health and the sanity of everyone around you.
“I’m feeling faint; I haven’t eaten all day!”
Hunger might be the most cited reason for exhaustion during Ramadan. Lack of access to food during the day is the main culprit behind low energy levels and reduced productivity. Yet, people who use this as an excuse to be lazy bums during Ramadan don’t realize that everyone else also hasn’t had anything to eat, and they’re still working as they normally would. One way one can avoid is to make sure you eat an adequate and energy-boosting Suhoor. There are certain foods that release energy throughout the day such as whole grains, fruits, nuts and dairy products.
“It’s way too hot today!”
Ramadan now coincides with the hottest weeks of summertime. Above-40-degree temperatures, paired with high percentages of insufferable humidity have the potential to throw off our entire day. Still, why let that get in the way, when it hasn’t gotten in anyone else’s? This is a variable that all fasters are subjected to on a daily basis, and many are isolated from the heat in air-conditioned offices, so the excuse may not be as valid as it seems.
“Traffic was terrible on the way here I almost broke my fast”
Egyptian traffic is insufferable as is, and it gets a lot worse in Ramadan, but that’s mostly due to people’s fault. Can we say people are cranky in Ramadan because of traffic, or traffic is bad in Ramadan because people are already cranky? Avoid the vicious circle by not letting traffic get to you.
“I haven’t had any proper sleep since Ramadan started”
Ramadan isn’t known for the most organized and healthy of sleep patterns. Suhoor, prayers and exhaustion each play a role in messing up one’s sleep regimen. That can be an excuse used by people to justify their obnoxiousness at work in Ramadan, but it’s not fair to everyone else who’s going through this and holding their own like adults. If you’re that affected by it, try to restructure you sleeping patterns. You might find yourself being more productive.
“I’ve got the worst fasting headache”
Headaches can be the absolute worst and Ramadan doesn’t help. Who hasn’t heard the occasional “I have a headache – buzz off now!” from a frustrated coworker? This is still no excuse to lash out or laze about in the workplace. Perhaps if you attempt to make changes to your eating and sleeping habits, the problem won’t get worse.
Fasting Ramadan is ultimately an act of exercising self-restraint and is a testament to one’s endurance powers, but in most cases, it is also a choice one takes upon themselves according to their understanding of their faith. It would be unfair to let something we chose to do willingly be an excuse to be lazy or obnoxious to others. So next time you want to use one of those excuses, think twice of it.