Hello, world!

Tonight, a question keeps echoing in my mind; one about the human system itself, about values and behaviors that feel very different from what I was taught at school. School trained me to memorize formulas, follow rules, and chase grades. But it never truly prepared me for real life: relationships, loyalty, contentment, integrity, and how to live with meaning. So without further ado, let’s buckle up.

1. Loyalty: A Value You Don’t Learn in Class

I never learned about loyalty at school. And honestly, how could I? 😆 How could a teacher explain love, commitment, or faithfulness using textbooks and exams? 😬💀 Loyalty isn’t an academic subject; it’s a life lesson.

Even though it was never part of the curriculum, I strongly believe in loyalty, especially in marriage. Loyalty is sacred. Marriage is not just a legal agreement or a social label; it is a promise made before God, to oneself, and to one’s partner to stay together in health and sickness, joy and hardship, until death separates two souls.

And yet, betrayal seems to be everywhere. 🙄

Isn’t it true that before marriage, people choose their partners based on their own will, without pressure or coercion from anyone? So why betray a choice you made yourself? You chose them, why break what you willingly built? 🧐

Why do people who are already in marriages still open doors for third, fourth, even fifth parties? Is there no sense of “enough” within oneself? Wouldn’t life be simpler if one stayed loyal to a single person and walked together until “till death do us part”?

Life wouldn’t be so complicated. There would be no hiding, no lying, no creating excuses. Life would be straightforward and honest.

Speaking personally, once I commit to one person, loyalty becomes natural. Even if I wasn’t the one who developed feelings first, faithfulness is non-negotiable. To me, other people besides my partner become irrelevant like background figures, zombies 😅. I don’t care if they trip, fall upside down, or disappear entirely from my world. Their existence simply isn’t my concern. ☕

When you find the right person, life should move forward. You grow together, upgrade yourselves together, and chase shared goals together. That’s why I find it strange when people seek validation from others despite already having a partner. What is missing inside that makes outside attention feel necessary?

2. Living Simply in a World That Worships Excess

Another thing that feels strange in adulthood is how lifestyle often rises faster than wisdom. As people’s economic status increases, their lifestyle tends to inflate alongside it. More income, more display. More comfort, more desire.

Yet the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) lived a simple life, even when he had enough. He chose modesty over luxury and humility over excess. So the question becomes: if we claim to be his followers, whose lifestyle are we truly following? 😳

Ironically, when we were students, teachers taught us to live simply, to share with others, and to be kind. But adulthood feels like a never-ending competition. People live just to become a rival, desperate to prove, “I am the most successful,” “I am the most upgraded,” “I am the best.”

Do people not feel tired? 😒

Every trend must be followed, even though nothing terrible would happen if people didn’t.

There’s a quote that perfectly captures this mindset:

A person who is ungrateful would still ask for more even after being given a mountain of gold, while a grateful person is given just one bowl of chicken noodles and keeps saying Alhamdulillah without stopping.

And it’s true. Gratitude changes everything.

Allah reminds us clearly...

And when your Lord proclaimed: ‘If you are grateful, I will surely increase you; but if you are ungrateful, indeed My punishment is severe.’ (Qur’an 14:7)

This verse teaches us that gratitude invites abundance, not only in wealth, but in peace, clarity, and contentment. A grateful heart always feels rich, no matter how much it owns.

So whenever we receive any kind of goodness in this world big or small never forget to say Alhamdulillah.

3. Integrity: Taught in School, Abandoned in Reality

Back in school, we were taught about honesty and integrity. We were told not to cheat, not to lie, and to always do the right thing even when no one was watching.

But reality tells a different story.

In fact, many people manipulate others for their own benefit. We see it clearly among those in power such as governments, politicians, and influential figures. For the sake of wealth, corruption becomes normal. Forests are destroyed. Laws are bent. And for what?

Yes, just to pile up wealth that is never permanent.

I once talked to my mother about this. I asked her, “Why do people in power love corruption so much? I mean, being able to eat well three times a day is already more than enough. When they die, they won’t even get to enjoy the money they stole.”

She answered calmly, “So their children and descendants won’t struggle. So they won’t have to work, and everything will already be provided.”

Then she added something that stayed with me:
“But humans were not created only to worship. They were also created to strive to work and to try no matter how small the result is, as long as it is halal.”

And I was like, “Yeah… that makes sense.” 😬

Integrity is knowing that not everything you can take should be taken. It’s choosing what is right over what is easy. It’s understanding that wealth without honesty is a burden, not a blessing.

What’s the point of leaving luxury behind if it comes from injustice? What’s the pride in inheritance built on the suffering of others? Integrity teaches us that it’s better to leave our children values, effort, and faith than stolen comfort.

In short, yes....

School gave us lessons, but life reveals character.

Loyalty, simplicity, gratitude, and integrity may never appear on exam papers, but they determine the weight of our lives and the peace of our hearts.

In a world obsessed with validation, excess, and shortcuts, choosing to live honestly, remain loyal, and stay grateful is a quiet form of courage.

And perhaps, that quiet courage is what truly makes us human. 🔥🙌