''Please, stay away from any form of examination malpractices during this examination'', I loudly said.
But, one stubborn girl decided to play 'a smart game' with me.
She brought out her note, carefully placed it on her laps, covered it with her hijab and started writing the answers with the speed of light.
During my elementary days, we called it 'expo'.
Here, they call it 'leakage'.
And indeed, she was 'leaking' the answers from her note 'into' her answer script.
I had sighted her wrongdoing.
But, I decided to ignore and give her the second chance of doing the right thing.
But, she continued with the 'leakage'.
Enough was enough!
I gently walked to the other side of the classroom, went to where she was seated, collected her answer script and tore it into pieces.
''Corper, corper, what did I do?'', she exclaimed.
''What you did? Go and 'google' it'', I replied.
She was still sitting on her chair, looking at me annoyingly.
Who cares anyway?
''Leave this classroom. I am not giving you another script to write on'', I ordered.
''Corper, students will not like you again with this attitude'', she murmured as she exited for the door.
No, I had to respond to that gibe.
''I don't care if you like me or not. I'm not here to be adored. I'm here to dutifully do my job and leave'', I sternly said.
She served as a scapegoat for the rest and the classroom became as silent as a graveyard until the end of the examination.
Not once, not twice have I been in a situation similar to the one I just narrated.
I have come to realise that it is easy to decide to do the right things.
But, it is difficult to sustain the right decisions made.
The difficulty does not occur because the person who has made the right decisions does not want to stand by them.
But, people's reaction to the decisions made will affect the decision-maker's stance.
In a world filled with people who find pleasure in doing the wrong things, it becomes more difficult than ever to do the right things.
Hatred is now the reward for few good ones out there.
Return a lost money back to its owner and people will start calling you a fool.
''Are you mad? How can you return such a huge amount of money in this bad economy?''
Decide to abstain from fornication and the wayward young ones out there will mock you.
''You are denying yourself enjoyment'', they will say.
Truly, the world has decided to applaud the wrong things and condemn the right things.
How, then, can one do the right things in this world?
The answer is simple.
Be stubborn with your right decisions.
Those who eventually do wrong things after succumbing to pressure from wrongdoers are those with 'soft hearts'.
They are too 'soft' to stand on their decisions.
When they decide to do the right things, they give room for words from the wrongdoers.
They make decisions to please everyone.
Don't be like them.
Once your decisions are right, be 'stubborn' while you stick with them.
People will definitely hate you for being rightly stubborn.
But, you should not be fazed by the hatred.
Everyone cannot like what you do.
No matter what you do, someone somewhere will still be displeased.
Why waste your time trying to please people then?
Don't be like a light paper being easily blown about by the wind.
Be strong like a rock.
Stand firm with your right decisions.
Regardless of what people think, always make the right decisions.
Not only that; also stand by your right decisions.
Don't care whose ox is gored.
You have made the right decisions and no matter what others think, the right decisions are never wrong.
Let your 'yes' be 'yes' and your 'no' be 'no'.
Of course, it is good to sometimes listen to others' opinions; after all, no man is an island of knowledge.
But, once you are sure that your decisions are right, be 'stubborn' with them.
If you wait until everyone agrees with you, you will end up doing nothing right.
So, as long as you are doing the right things, be happy even if others hate you.
Be 'stubborn', be rightly 'stubborn'!
the Voice has spoken!...
