“In a world where speed outruns substance, the righteous often limp behind the ruthless, but every step held by truth echoes longer than the loudest leap of deceit.”
Recently, my longtime friend visited, and we had a discussion about why progress sometimes seems slow, despite putting in all the necessary effort to achieve one’s goals and dreams.
We talked about how many people are pursuing the same things, yet some seem to be making more progress than others, even though the ones progressing slowly might be more daring in their pursuit of success.
Why does this happen? How is it possible?
My friend is a churchy girl. From the echoing classrooms of our secondary school days to the scattered paths of adulthood, I have known her for over eleven years now and we have somehow managed to hold on to the thread that binds us.
She used to top the class while we were in secondary school, consistently. Upon graduation, she was chosen as the school’s head girl. Joy by name and a devout Christian. She has always been a brilliant girl who earns her little wins through grace, integrity and hard work, a workaholic that one. She is pursuing a career in Fine Art, painting to be exact. I sincerely wish her the best because she has come a long way, defying the odds to be where she is today. I know her story as well as my ABC. Lol
We reminisced about things we had missed out on, on the topics we had discussed over the years, things that were familiar to both of us, Smiling, I mean, keeping up.
We talked about life, dreams, it was that kind of conversation that pulls no punches but leaves no bruises, and eventually, our discussion centered on why some people put immense value and effort into achieving their goals, yet progress feels slow, while others, who appear to invest less seem to have greater grace and growth. And this killer question came onboard:
“Why does progress feel so slow, even when we’re doing everything right?”
There are days you take certain actions, expecting a positive outcome, yet it feels like you have just made a castle in the air, because your expectations become shattered due to a bad result. We both know the hustle. We both know what it means to pour your heart into a goal and still feel like you’re crawling when others seem to be sprinting. Joy and I started comparing notes, not academically, but in terms of life. And it quickly became clear that there are people doing far less, seemingly investing far less, and yet gaining far more, visibility, wealth, opportunity.
I asked, almost rhetorically, why some people who seem reckless or morally loose rise faster. Why is it that those who dare more, even if it means breaking a few rules, appear to be the ones climbing the fastest?
Our conversation meandered like a stream, touching on examples, stories we both knew, people we once sat beside in class or admired from afar. And somewhere between the laughter and sighs, I told her something I had thought about for a while:
“Look at the people who are loud and active on social media. Compare their lifestyles to yours, not in value, but in visibility. They’ve made peace with some things that you haven’t. There are moves they’re willing to make that your faith and morality won’t permit. That alone sets different speeds.”
‘Approach leads to varying paces in life’
This is not us judging, we were just observing. Because the truth is, opportunity often follows visibility. And visibility, in today’s world, favors the bold, the unfiltered, the relentless, sometimes the ruthless. Joy, on the other hand, is thoughtful. She reflects before she acts. Her moral compass isn’t just a guide, it’s a guardrail. And that, while noble, often means delayed gratification in a world obsessed with Now.
And then, like fate was eavesdropping, I stumbled upon a post on my favorite social media platform, Facebook. It was about a concept called “Immoral Morality.” Just two words, but they landed like a hammer on everything we had just discussed.
A world that runs on the raw instinct to survive and conquer? I dare say that Immorality would whoop the living ass out of Morality, fact.
What name has goodness, in a world where saints drown in silence, and beneath the sun, you can’t find a shadow.
Hahaha 😅
Truth be told, the one mirror that neither falters nor flatters, is reality. And the reality, without delusion, is that, the unrelenting drive to be and become, against all powers of constraints is Immorality. Because it acts, against all odds, in contrast to morality,which reflects, pauses.
How do you argue that Morality will suffice for sustainable greatness , in an environment where we applaud those whom are driven by doggedness, survival, who will drop honesty, humility and self-restraint at the bottom of the ladder in order to rise in a system built on power, profit, and performance.
The above piece argues that human success often relies on traits that morality condemns.
And personally, this is true. We seem to be in a world where boundaries are drawn in shadows, ambition wears mask, and success walks hand in hand with deceit. We see it displayed in the pages of history, whispered in the corridors of power: that those who climb the fastest are those who carry the least weight of conscience.
The unrelenting drive to become rarely wears a clean glove and so, in some situations, certain uncomfortable decisions are demanded. Some of the world’s most celebrated figures, generals, tycoons, didn’t always play fair. They were either strategic or smart, sometimes break or bend rules, and then emerge as success stories and not saints. All of these are what morality hesitates to allow. Virtue doesn’t guarantee success or victory in elections, boardrooms, in battles of influence. And rarely! do you see the purest rise, it is usually the most relentless.
We are told “Good things come to those who wait”. Does the world really wait? Because it only rewards those who know that, in a world of wolves, gentle is not enough. It is such a saddening reality. In wanting to become, you may most likely step outside the lines of morals, and this bags the big the question, is Moral Philosophy a Fiction?
Yes! It can feel like one. In an age that is obsessed with shortcuts, impatience, speed overshadowing depths, power outpacing principles, I wonder too, just like you’re now.
Morality reflects. It pauses. It thinks. And in that space between intention and action, opportunities can slip away. In that silence, someone else might have already shouted loud enough to be seen. However;
“ For what greater deception walks among us than the quiet belief
that immorality speeds the journey more than integrity ever could?”
The roots of those who take the longer routes often runs deep. So I ask you, is it about arriving first, or arriving whole?
We are mostly inclined to believe that cutting corners, compromising values, or bending truths will hasten our progress.
But that, my friend, is the biggest lie we’ll tell ourselves tomorrow, and the day after that. Some things are just louder. I mean, there is so much volume in an empty can, yet it holds no value, compared to a can filled with milk, no noise, yet it carries richness.
So what do you really want my friend; is it the Echo or the Essence?
Morality is like a bridge that takes long to be built. It is a foundation that forms network of trust, alliances that will last, and attract loyalty that cannot be bought.
Virtue is not weak, morality is not ineffective, it is not a crutch, it is a compass that guides and anchors, helping you build sustainable greatness.
You cannot buy this my friend. Because, think about it, the doggedness that immorality breeds, ruthlessness, manipulation, betrayal, burns fast and fierce. But like a fire fed only on dry leaves, it dies out quickly. Kingdoms built on lies do not endure. They may rise spectacularly, but they fall just as dramatically. A person who rises with their integrity intact doesn’t just reach the top, they remain there. Because success without peace, without honour, without legacy is simply noise, IT WILL FADE.
History will remember your name, not only for your achievements, but for how you have achieved them. The reward may come slower due to the morals you imbibe, but longevity and richness like a can filled with milk should be the goal. And in a world where everything is fleeting, legacy is the one thing that can’t be stolen.
So here’s to Joy, and to everyone else out there choosing the hard path, the quiet road, the longest route, the narrow gate. May your slowness be strength. May your morals make room for your miracle.
Because the world may run on speed, but the soul runs on substance.
And in the end, substance will outlast spectacle.
Joy is a recent graduate of Yaba College of Technology, where she specialised in Fine Art with a focus on painting. She is also a passionate musician, skilled as both a guitarist and a konga drummer.
Her picture is featured above my write-up, and I encourage you to follow her handles to explore her exceptional works. She truly excels at what she does
Joy’s Socials
About the Writer
Remi Wahab was born in 1999 in Yile, a small town nestled in the heart of Sierra Leone, to a Liberian mother and a soldier father from Nigeria. Raised within the rhythms of military life, she grew up with discipline and resilience at her core.
A distinguished graduate of English Language and Literary Studies from the University of Ilorin.
Remi is a prolific communicator, a skilled wordsmith, and a culinary expert on the side. She currently works in the banking sector and hopes to transition fully into the field of communications and creative writing in the near future.
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