By Ts Dr. Hj Ramli Amir, former President of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Malaysia and Vice-President of CILT International for Southeast Asia
KOTA KINABALU: The relationship between the port and the ship is a profound metaphor for understanding the interplay between stability and effort, success and sacrifice. A society that yearns for the port’s prosperity without appreciating the ship’s hardship risks losing sight of the values that underpin its achievements. By teaching resilience, recognizing contributions, and fostering intergenerational respect, we can ensure that the lessons of the past inspire the aspirations of the future, creating a balanced and humane society.
The upbringing of the younger generation plays a critical role in shaping the future of society. The questions raised—whether we are fostering an understanding of the value of hard work and resilience, and whether we adequately honour the contributions of those who came before—highlight the need for intentional efforts to instil values and lessons that bridge the past, present, and future. Addressing these aspects is essential in nurturing a humane society where stability, empathy, and progress coexist.
Fostering the Value of Hard Work and Resilience
Hard work and resilience are the cornerstones of enduring success and societal progress. However, in a fast-paced world driven by convenience and instant gratification, these values risk being overshadowed. Many younger individuals aspire to the prosperity and security represented by the metaphorical port, without fully understanding the toil and sacrifice symbolized by the ship’s voyages. To address this, society must actively nurture resilience and a respect for effort in the younger generation.
Instilling Resilience Through Challenge
A humane society must create environments where young people can experience challenges in controlled and supportive settings. These could include introducing problem-solving and project-based learning that require persistence and creativity, encouraging volunteer work or civic participation that exposes them to real-world struggles and triumphs and connecting youth with individuals who have overcome challenges, providing role models who exemplify resilience and hard work.
Through these experiences, younger generations learn that success is rarely immediate and that overcoming obstacles is integral to personal and societal growth.
Celebrating Effort Over Outcome
Modern society often emphasizes outcomes—grades, accolades, or material wealth—over the process of achieving them. To shift this perspective parents, educators, and leaders should celebrate the effort, discipline, and perseverance shown by young people, regardless of the immediate results. Recognizing milestones along the journey fosters intrinsic motivation and a deeper appreciation for the value of hard work.
Honouring and Communicating Stories of the Past
The narrative of the ship and the port underline the importance of remembering and respecting the hardships that led to current successes. In the context of nurturing a humane society, it is crucial to ensure that the younger generation understands the sacrifices and efforts of previous generations.
Preserving Stories of Sacrifice
Every community has stories of resilience—be it individuals who braved hardships to build thriving businesses, leaders who fought for social justice, or innovators who ventured into the unknown. These stories need to be preserved and passed down where elders recount their struggles and successes. Educational curriculums should include local and global examples of perseverance and ingenuity. Via digital media, leveraging storytelling formats like documentaries, podcasts, and social media to engage younger audiences.
These narratives inspire respect for those who came before and provide a sense of continuity, linking the efforts of past generations to the opportunities of today.
Recognizing Invisible Contributors
Much like the metaphorical ship, the contributions of many individuals—such as labourers, caregivers, and frontline workers—often go unnoticed. Highlighting these roles in public discourse ensures that society appreciates the diverse contributions that build stability and progress. This instils humility and gratitude in younger generations.
Balancing Tradition and Innovation
To build a humane society, the younger generation must also learn to balance respect for tradition with the courage to innovate. This dynamic mirrors the interplay between the port’s stability and the ship’s exploratory nature.
Younger generations should understand that traditions and systems provide the scaffolding for growth. Respecting these foundations does not mean resisting change; rather, it means appreciating their role in creating opportunities for advancement. This can be achieved by showing how past struggles shaped today’s realities and promoting critical thinking about how existing structures support current endeavours.
While respect for tradition is vital, so is the encouragement of bold thinking and risk-taking. Young people should be empowered to act as the “ships” of tomorrow, venturing into uncharted waters while grounded in the lessons of the past. A humane society supports this by fostering creativity, providing resources for experimentation, and celebrating innovation.
Building Empathy and a Sense of Responsibility
A humane society requires empathy and collective responsibility. Younger generations must be taught not only to pursue their dreams but also to understand their role in supporting the broader community.
Empathy arises from understanding others’ experiences. By exposing young people to diverse perspectives—through travel, literature, or community service—they develop a broader worldview and the ability to connect with others.
The younger generation must understand that their actions contribute to the well-being of society as a whole. This can be nurtured through participating in community-building initiatives, learning about sustainability and ethical practices and understanding the interplay between personal success and societal impact.
The upbringing of the younger generation is pivotal in shaping a humane society. By fostering resilience, honouring past struggles, balancing tradition and innovation, and nurturing empathy, society can bridge the gap between aspirations and realities. The metaphor of the port and the ship serves as a timeless reminder: prosperity is built on the foundation of effort and exploration. Through intentional education and engagement, we can ensure that the youth of today appreciate and carry forward the values that create a compassionate, balanced, and thriving society for tomorrow.
The Allure of Success Without Hardship
Today’s younger generation grows up in an era of instant gratification, where technology and convenience create the illusion that success can be achieved without enduring the challenges that underpin it. Social media amplifies this perception by showcasing the outcomes of success—wealth, prestige, and stability—without often revealing the sacrifices and struggles required to attain them.
This dynamic mirrors the metaphorical port: many admire its prosperity but fail to appreciate the ship’s arduous journey that enabled it. In the real world, this translates into a generation that emulates success without fully understanding the process behind it. The tendency to rely on shortcuts—be it through bypassing ethical practices, seeking quick fixes, or avoiding long-term effort—can undermine the principles of resilience, integrity, and hard work.
Why Avoiding Challenges Matters
The avoidance of challenges and hardships weakens individual growth and societal resilience as hardship shapes character, teaching perseverance, patience, and problem-solving skills. Avoiding challenges deprives individuals of these critical life lessons, leaving them ill-prepared to handle adversity.
Shortcutting processes diminishes the value of effort, and the satisfaction derived from overcoming obstacles. This can foster entitlement, a mindset that prioritizes outcomes over the means of achieving them.
Without experiencing struggles, individuals may find it harder to empathize with others who face hardships. This lack of understanding undermines the foundation of a humane society, which relies on mutual respect and collective responsibility. To address this issue, society must actively nurture a mindset that values effort and embraces challenges as integral to success.
Stories of achievement must include the full narrative, highlighting the sacrifices, failures, and perseverance that led to success. This can be achieved by sharing real-life examples of individuals or communities who overcame significant obstacles to achieve success. Encouraging leaders, influencers, and educators to discuss the challenges behind their accomplishments. Teaching young people about the past struggles that built the present, fostering gratitude and perspective.
Encouraging Patience and Process
Modern society often emphasizes quick results, but lasting success requires patience and dedication. Young people must be taught to value the process as much as the outcome. Practical approaches include Project-Based Learning – Assigning tasks that require sustained effort and iterative improvement. Encouraging activities that reward discipline, persistence, and gradual mastery. Pairing youth with mentors who can guide them through challenges, demonstrating the rewards of perseverance.
Combating the Culture of Shortcuts
The culture of shortcuts must be addressed at its root by shifting societal attitudes toward effort and integrity. Success achieved through shortcuts often comes at a cost—be it compromised ethics, superficial knowledge, or instability. Educating the younger generation about the importance of ethical practices and long-term thinking is crucial.
Recognition systems in schools, workplaces, and communities should focus on rewarding effort, creativity, and perseverance, rather than just results. By shifting the focus, society can reframe success as a journey rather than a destination.
Promoting a mindset that values learning from failure, embracing challenges, and continuous self-improvement can help counteract the appeal of shortcuts. This growth mindset empowers young people to see obstacles as opportunities for development.
Experiencing challenges not only strengthens individuals but also fosters empathy. When young people understand the struggles that precede success, they are more likely to appreciate and support the efforts of others.
Engaging young people in community service and initiatives that expose them to real-world struggles builds a sense of responsibility and empathy. These experiences highlight the interconnectedness of personal success and societal well-being.
The stories of older generations who endured hardships to create today’s opportunities must be shared widely. By learning about these sacrifices, young people can develop a deeper appreciation for the values of effort and resilience.
Conclusion
The tendency of today’s younger generation to admire success while avoiding the hardships that create it reflects a broader societal challenge. By fostering resilience, patience, and a respect for effort, society can counteract the allure of shortcuts and instil values that build character and empathy.
The metaphor of the port and the ship serves as a powerful reminder: the prosperity of the port is only possible because of the ship’s arduous voyages. Similarly, a humane society of tomorrow depends on nurturing a generation that values the journey as much as the destination, embraces challenges, and understands that lasting success is built on a foundation of hard work, resilience, and ethical effort.
