About a year ago, I wrote in my previous blog about an idea I long had which I believe would solve many of Bahrain’s problems. I was very creative, very imaginative, but very serious. I looked into the increasing health issues we are facing in Bahrain, such as diabetes and obesity. I looked into the financial strains and energy problems. And finally, I looked into the lack of awareness each of us citizens have with regards to those problems.
My solution was to kill all those birds with one stone. I suggested that we dedicate large spaces in different parts of Bahrain and fill them with stationary cycles, treadmills, and other resistance sports machines. We then connect those machines to large batteries, where they would be charged when people are using those machines. The batteries in turn would provide electricity to nearby homes and/or facilities.
Here’s the thing, since there is free healthcare in Bahrain, we can make it mandatory for those seeking this free service to register certain amount of Watts per month on those machines. If they don’t reach the required number to charge that large battery, they would not be eligible for free healthcare, only a discount based on the output they produced.
Moreover, anyone interested in serving his society or doing charity work can jump on those machines, and perhaps gets a certificate. The rich can obviously provide for their healthcare so they wouldn’t necessarily need to register their hours, while the poor who cannot afford to pay for healthcare can entertain their bodies with a good level fitness while registering their hours and charging the ‘environmental friendly’ batteries.
Yes very creative and very imaginative, but hear this. I was invited few months ago to visit Guilford College in Greensboro, NC. While taking a tour, our guide was pointing to different buildings and the technology behind each of them that makes them extremely environmental friendly. When we entered the gym, I was surprised to find out how ‘imaginative’ and ‘creative’ they were. My idea was right there in front of me. The tour guide pointed to the stationary cycles and treadmills and mentioned that they were connected to batteries that provide electricity to the gym! Wow! I was so proud.
We all have great ideas like mine, but one main problem exists that makes them stop right there in our minds and never actually see light and reality. Why is that?
See the birds I was talking about above and the single stone to kill them all? When we reach the implementation phase, it requires coordination and collaboration by many government entities, which is something we seriously lack. What we do instead, is get very imaginative and creative in killing one bird with one stone, and there’s nothing so special in that. Each ministry finds solutions for its own issues which in turn is not the optimal thing for the collective government. At the end of the day, the solution is very costly, very inefficient, and very sad no matter how electronic it sounds. We, the people, end up having less and more costly services.
I have almost twenty different examples off the top of my head, but because they are directly related to my full-time job, it is ethically irresponsible to share it in public. However, what I can say for the love of my nation, is that we can easily look at successful manufacturers that use recycling materials as their raw material. We can see how they successfully were able to lower the cost of their products through this process, which in turn helps us the consumers able to afford buying them. Let’s see and learn how each of their departments operate in collaboration to become more environmental friendly, search for cheaper raw material, and become more competitive in the market.
Before finding solutions to our problems, we should first find ways for our government entities to work more coherently with each other, that should solve most, if not all our problems.
Dr. @saqeralkhalifa 
Using stationary machines to generate power is not a new idea. It’s existed in the university of Oregon for the past ten years.
But it’s great that you thought of it on your own!!
Thanks!
Improving Bahrain is such a broad subject!
I believe this cannot be contained only in health, finance and Energy. I think improvements should start by individuals level, which would then be reflected on the community as a whole.
My first concern is education and general knowledge. unfortunately, people consider education these days as something they should go through in order to get somewhere and this is how the current education system portraits it. In reality, for academic education really work, it has to be considered as a journey and a learning experience. as for knowledge, this point comes in pair with the previous one, that people lack the desire for acquiring any kind of knowledge due to not knowing what benefit they might get from this knowledge, and as a secondary cause for this, is the people’s lifestyle and what expectations are held by their communities. This has to be dealt with by changing the current education system way of thinking while focusing on its outcome rather than its content and awareness campaigns promoting acquiring any kind of knowledge.
My second concern would be duty professionalism levels and skills. I am afraid that most people in Bahrain lack the professionalism and commitment levels -especially in government sectors – compared to their peers worldwide. I know there are lots of point to talk about in this matter the most important ones are commitment to timings and employees doing the tasks/jobs they are supposed to do in a period of time. In order to solve this, you will need more strict rules on timing commitment and keeping an eye on how the efficiently the employees do their tasks.
I can keep going on but I will keep this as my last concern, which is people’s resources and their current lifestyle. I think this is a big issue that should be solved. I keep seeing people with limited resources want to live the life of a king or to have a privileged way of lifestyle. I am not saying aspiring to have a good way of life is a bad thing, but this is just out of the norm. They tend to buy anything new whenever they come .For example: owning 2 to 5 phones in one year, just because newer versions come out. owning a new “expensive” car every 3 to 5 years, just because the previous one got “old”. buying a car just because someone has a driving license other examples may be owning a place to live and traveling for various places (multiple times a year), which these needs are not necessary covered by their current income. These people tend to have a huge amount of dept which they can’t pay off. In the end, they might blame someone else for their mistakes (i.e. the government).
I am sorry I had such a long comment and I didn’t provide much solutions. However, I believe improvements/changes should come from within.
I love your comment, especially about the education outcome. Absolutely right.
Most of the people are scared about the electricity and water facture at the end of the month. This should never happen because if people are using the photo-voltaic energy (solar energy) , their bills will be reduced regardless that it is environmental friendly. This energy can be used for lighting, hot water, air-conditioner… this is also can reduce the power outage. The photo-voltaic energy can be used by manufactories, individuals and municipalities.
Such kind of idea can especially be used by rich people, the difference of their electricity bills can be invested for charity, to offer omras for poors, for mosques …
Poor can use the difference in his bill to pamper themselves with something else.
Why do not we use economic cars, bicycles to go to work ? why do not we use hybrid cars ?
In some countries, it is “forbidden” by tradition for woman to ride a bicycle or a motorbike, which is environmental friendly and also healthier.
Why do not we recycle plastic which is the most harmful material for the environment. We can replace plastic bags in all the supermarkets and all the hypermarket plastic bags by cardboard or canvas bags.
Why do not we keep greenery in each home ? I have never seen a family having some tomatoes in the garden or a fruit tree ? I think spending 10 min in the garden is better than spending it on the phone talking about our today’s meal.
I have seen people eating meat on daily basis, this is also is harmful to the health, everyone need to eat a lot of vegetables, which is considered by some others that it is only for poor people….
People are going to work to make their personal telephone calls, being kind to the manager to ask for a promotion and a salary increase at the end of the year, what if we are going to work to show our professionalism and make our constructive suggestions which is very good for the “employee”, the “employer” and also for the nation. And when they are in a coffee shop they will talk about their jobs…
At work let’s use e-mails instead off telephone calls which is cheaper for the employer and like this we can ask for a better increase of the salaries.
The first step to improve is to change our mentalities; we are using mobiles to communicate and not to show that we are having the recent mobile. We are using computers to learn, update ourselves and communicate and not to show that we are having the recent computer, the most knowing brand, cars are means of transportation and not a proof that we are wealthy. Rich people never show that they are. Let’s show that we are intellectual, open minded and we are a good element for our country. Travelling is for developing our knowledge and not only for shopping.
If we care about ourselves, we will care about our nation and if we want to make a country in a better world rank, we need to start by ourselves and we will feel really good.
I think and I hope that people are aware about this but we need to act and make the first move.
Thank you Rafia for your comment. It shows that you’re a thinker, a positive one. Keep it up. God bless you.
Thank you Saqer. Keep posting. Saud, I can’t agree more.