Reasons Why Indonesia Was Branded as Laziest Walker
Stanford University’s research alarms how Indonesian people were lazy to walk on an average basis. There were reasons why Indonesia earns it and why it should be homework for the government and companies.
Walking is one of the best signs of health matters, and the more you walk, the more health you can maintain. However, it brings us to a costly price when we develop digital technology and allows us to do remote work.
According to Stanford University, Indonesia was branded as the country’s laziest walker in the world, with 3,513 steps a day on average. It’s a part of the research and always an object of debate. When it comes to research, some people would say yes, while some people deny it.
Japan, by nature, was one of the most active countries. Despite the presence of digital technology, they choose not to indulge themselves in such technology. Once you’re comfortable with such technology, you’ll find it difficult to leave your comfort zone.
In Indonesia, the existence of online stores such as Tokopedia, Bukalapak, Shopee, and the Ride-hailing fleets of GOJEK and Grab secretly brew a virus to the people of Indonesia, the virus of a comfort zone. Furthermore, because of COVID-19 and Remote Work opportunities, there were more issues when it came to health.
Here are the problems why Indonesia was branded as the laziest walker in the country.
Pedestrians’ authority to use pedestrian is barely any
Indonesia’s pedestrian authority is barely any. Every empty pedestrian walk, motorcycles often take it as a new path to cross, as long as they can arrive at the destination faster. The pedestrian has to make way for Motorcycles that come through the pedestrian walk. Some paths were closed off by merchants who set up stalls on the side of pedestrians.
Furthermore, the pedestrian facility is at a bare minimum, as some of the main or crowded roads may not have pedestrian roads, further increasing the chance of being killed by run-over due to the lack of pedestrian area. Some pedestrian areas may also be used as parking spots for cars and motorcycles in busy areas.
Indonesian people prefer motorcycles to go anywhere rather than walk, even though it’s a close distance. Some Indonesian people say that walking is not comfortable, practically due to a lack of infrastructure that complements it, a law that provides assurance and protection for pedestrians, and a lack of discipline from vehicle drivers. Some say it’s true, while some do not. But the experience would always tell the tale.
Indulging in online shopping
Ever since online shopping existed, pedestrian walkers have had major changes. You don’t need to go out to buy something you need. Just simply buy it online, and have the delivery truck deliver it to your front door. It decreases the desire of people to go out walking, as everything can be done online, well, mostly.
You can laze around in the house while waiting for the delivery to arrive. You only go out when you want to go to a restaurant, meet your friends somewhere, or maybe be bored staying in the house all week.
Daily life through indulging in online shopping becomes dangerous for your health since we need to prevent obesity on a larger scale. When everything can get through online, you become comfortable with it, but it is also costly since health is your main concern.
The Blissful of Remote Work
For this era, I could say that we may notice that most companies hugely welcome remote work. However, behind it, it leaves a series of problems.
The Remote Work policy is bliss for Remote Workers, but for health, it’s a huge problem. How would they provide or protect the employees when it comes to health? The combination of Remote Work, Online Shopping, and lack of protection for pedestrians completes the Red Flag of health. While you can work from anywhere, most Remote Workers may want to spend their time at home.
It may make sense for those with family since you have to take care of your children or parents while working. But for those who are single, it does problematic. Some jobs such as Accountant, Artists, and those who mandate them to be on the desk, working on an assignment at all times, also face the same issue.
Not to mention that we lack physical fitness, as we must always keep moving our bodies. Taking into account as well some of the employees may not have gymnastics equipment in their house. At least, a simple stretching every day would do, as long as your body stays fit by doing light exercises with whatever you have every single day. It’s just that we lack the motivation to do so.
The homework is not for just the government but also the companies. All of us must find a way to keep our bodies active through physical activity.
