Honesty is a blessing. Not only is it important for us to be honest in our day to day life, but also realize that only honesty goes a long way in life.
INTROSPECTION
Honesty is a blessing. Not only is it important for us to be honest in our day to day life, but also realize that only honesty goes a long way in life.
When I was in grade IX, scoring an A+ had become my ultimate goal in life. I was disheartened by the countless stories about how easily students like me secured excellent grades and positions without studying at all.
But now whenever I look back, I feel extremely proud of myself because I didn’t choose to be dishonest!
Board exams were terrifying, too! A dilapidated college or school would be the centre; no electricity and unbearable heat; and, constant distractions made examinations even more painful. I still remember that friendships were based on how supportive your friends were during the exams. Your classmates sitting around your seat would constantly ask you for help, and invigilators would keep yelling at students and reiterate this dialogue like crazy, “Hey you, there, will you stop peeping into your neighbour’s script?” Sometimes I wondered if they knew what exams really meant.
Exams were merely a test of how loyal you were as a friend. I lost my best friend in the process only because I wouldn’t allow her to copy my answers during the test and this made her end our friendship.
Even today when we are talking a lot about improving our education system, students resort to cheating and get away quite easily. In fact, the peer pressure is so high that the ones who don’t want to cheat end up feeling alienated.
Some people had connections and I saw this with my own eyes that they would start doing their paper even before the question papers were distributed! Can you believe this? But it was all normal for the rest! It seemed like I was the only person who felt uneasy.
Students who brought with them an “extra advantage” to the exams and the ones who worked tirelessly throughout the year got the same A+ grade. This injustice was frustrating!
I would cry, but my mom would say that it was useless to do so! She told me to feel sorry for the students who wasted their time and energy, and learnt nothing! Plus, they also miss out on that joy students experience after seeing stars in their report cards. They can never enjoy the fruits of hard work students put in to secure good grades. What satisfaction do you get from telling a lie, or being dishonest?
She was right; believe me, there is no greater satisfaction than achieving success through honest means. You feel like a warrior who has finally won the war and is now ready to celebrate.
Now, when I get to know about my classmates running after companies and begging for employment, my heart sinks! You can’t go back in time to fix everything. I believe if they had taken studies seriously and devoted themselves to learning, they wouldn’t have to suffer miserably at the hands of employers.
