A New Pair of Shoes, an Unpaved Road, and Our Society“When the shoes are new but the road is rough, the journey is never easy.”This is not merely a simple saying; rather, it is a profound reflection of our social attitudes and circumstances.Sometimes, a person has strong steps, lofty ambitions, remarkable abilities, sincere intentions, and a genuine desire to achieve something meaningful in life. Yet, unfortunately, the society, environment, and circumstances through which that person has to travel may not be favourable to his or her dreams.The new shoes represent a person’s abilities, hard work, education, skills, and potential, while the rough road represents a social environment that makes the journey of a good and capable person difficult.We often see someone’s failure and immediately conclude that perhaps the person lacked ability, did not work hard enough, or was not serious about achieving the goal. But we rarely try to understand the circumstances in which that person travelled.Did they receive encouragement or discouragement?Did they receive guidance or criticism?Was their potential recognised, or were people constantly trying to pull them down?Were they given opportunities to move forward, or were obstacles placed in their way at every step?These are the questions that a society must seriously consider.Sometimes, Environment Matters More Than AbilityA strange attitude has developed in our society. We are often unwilling to appreciate a person until they become successful. Once they achieve success, we celebrate their achievements, but we forget the loneliness, opposition, deprivation, and struggle they endured along the way.When a young person possesses talent, some people begin discouraging them instead of helping them move forward.When a teacher goes beyond the call of duty, their extra effort is often taken for granted.When a poor but talented child tries to move forward, their circumstances themselves become a wall in their path.When someone presents a new idea, instead of listening to it, people may make fun of them.And when a person remains committed to their principles, they are often labelled stubborn, arrogant, or out of touch with the world.This is what the rough road looks like.Jealousy: The Silent Poison of SocietyThe progress of any society comes to a standstill when people begin to see the success of others as a threat to themselves.We must learn that another person’s success is not a danger to us; rather, it is a success for our entire society.If a student succeeds, that success should inspire other students to work harder.If a teacher performs exceptionally well, other teachers should learn from that example.If a young person achieves a position through hard work, we should learn from their journey instead of trying to bring them down.But when jealousy replaces appreciation, opposition replaces cooperation, and ridicule replaces constructive guidance, society begins to obstruct the progress of its own people.Hypocrisy and Double StandardsAnother major problem in our society is the existence of double standards.We speak about merit, yet in practical life we often give greater importance to connections.We speak about morality, yet fail to protect the dignity and respect of others.We advise young people to work hard, yet fail to create meaningful opportunities for them.We call education the foundation of progress, yet fail to give genuine respect and value to educators and people of knowledge.We speak about character, yet often value wealth, status, position, appearance, and connections more than character itself.This contradiction makes the road of society even rougher.Criticism Is Necessary, But Humiliation Is NotIn a civilised society, criticism should not be used to break a person; it should be used to help them become better.If someone makes a mistake, they should be given an opportunity to correct it.If someone is weak, they should be supported.If someone takes a new step, they should receive guidance.And if someone achieves success, they should be congratulated sincerely and wholeheartedly.Because bringing someone down is easy, but lifting them up and helping them move towards success is the true expression of humanity.An Educated Society and an Enlightened Society Are Not the SameDegrees alone do not make a society civilised.A society truly deserves to be called educated when knowledge is accompanied by tolerance, respect, justice, ethics, dialogue, and the ability to disagree respectfully.If we have great educational institutions but cannot respect one another, then we need to reconsider the true purpose of education.We Must Make the Rough Road SmoothWe cannot always complain that there are too few good people in our society. We must also ask ourselves how supportive an environment we are creating for good people.A child needs not only education, but also encouragement.A young person needs not only advice, but also opportunity.A teacher needs not only responsibility, but also respect.A hardworking person needs not only appreciation, but also justice.And a talented individual does not merely need to hear, “You are very capable.” They also need a supportive path that allows them to move forward.Finally…In the journey of life, every person sets out wearing their own new pair of shoes.For some, those shoes represent knowledge.For others, they represent skill.For some, character.For others, hard work.And for many, they represent dreams.But when the road is rough, the environment is unfavourable, people are constantly discouraging, jealousy is widespread, and relationships are valued more than merit, even the finest shoes soon become covered in dust.Therefore, we should not only look at where a person has reached.We should also look at the road they travelled to get there.Because sometimes, it is not the person’s ability to move forward that is weak;the road itself is difficult.And the true responsibility of a better society is to make the path easier for its people rather than becoming an obstacle in their way.More dangerous than a shortage of good people is a hostile environment for good people.Let us build a society where there are new shoes, a paved road, and courage in the hearts and steps of those who walk upon it.— Lone Mudasir, Wadoora
