There was a chapter in my life when I wore the chalk-stained shoes of a teacher. And in that chapter, I stumbled upon a curious paradox: the teachers who invested the least in teaching, mentoring, and learning were often the loudest critics of students’ performance. Isn’t that a delicious irony? While some poured sweat and soul into shaping young minds, these diehard critics spent their hours chasing certificates, currying favour, or hustling side jobs. And somehow—like weeds in a neglected garden—they sprouted faster, flaunted more wealth, and strutted flamboyantly, reinforcing systems that rewarded their lousy shortcuts and hypocritical cynicism. Life, it seems, has a wicked sense of humour.
Some teachers were so lazy that, to cover their tracks, they set laughably easy exam questions—or worse, leaked them. But this isn’t just about teachers. It’s a mirror held up to many professions, and indeed, to our national life and societal endeavours.
Pause And Ponder
When you don’t build, destruction comes cheap. But those who truly build know the weight of their work. They are careful, because they see themselves in what they produce.
And so the drumbeat question remains: what do we do when we’re given the chance to make a difference?
Do we resist shortcuts, choose the harder path—the path of builders? Do we have a process and systems thinking mindset to build with care? And build to leave behind something that whispers, “I mattered in the creation story?”
But here’s the rub: how do we design systems that reward genuine builders and expose slothfulness? Don’t we know that until dignity in labour is honoured, and merit, patriotism, and honesty become the pillars of our society, robust systems will remain a dream deferred—and growth, a shimmering mirage?
Our choices ripple outward. A careless word can cut deeper than a blade; a kind gesture can heal more than medicine. Silence in the face of wrong is not neutrality—it is consent. Effort in the face of apathy is not wasted—it is a gift to the collective good.
And let’s be honest: how can we judge fairly what we’ve never lived? We can’t. Criticizing a marathon runner from the couch with a bag of chips isn’t wisdom—it’s seasoning on ignorance. Fairness begins with humility: the courage to say, “I don’t know, but I want to understand.”
So let us be mindful. Let us be builders. Let us laugh at the flamboyance of shortcuts, but never envy them. Because schemers rise quickly, yes—but they rise like balloons: bright, floating, but empty. Builders rise slowly, like trees: rooted, steady, enduring.
And when history calls the roll, it will not ask who shouted the loudest. It will ask who built, who mentored, who cared. May we be found among the builders.
Serenity Prayer
Divine Source,
Grant us the courage to build with integrity when ease seduces, and leave behind us footprints in the sands of time. Amen
