This streetwise caution feels especially poignant in this illusory age of applause, accolades, and endless self-validation.
Clouded by the smoke and disoriented by the mirrors of our own installation, the lines between self-awareness and delusion are increasingly blurred. Leaving us entranced by our own reflections — seductive and affirming, but dangerously blinding.
It’s exhilarating, intoxicating even. Like any addiction, it tightens its grip with every indulgence, making it harder to kick. But such highs are fleeting, and the crash inevitable.
For the past month, this article has been tossed, turned, and swirled in a tempest of realisation and revelations. I found myself constantly peeling back layers of glittery fluff that exposed deeper, glaring truths.
Why do many seemingly genuine initiatives celebrate underwhelming results? Is it just a flawed definition of success, or something more?
What started as an attempt to understand why so many seemingly genuine initiatives I’ve been looking into celebrated underwhelming results as victories, soon revealed more than just an obvious flawed definition of success. It uncovered an entirely different dimension!
Oscar Wilde once observed, “The truth is rarely pure and never simple”. Were he alive today, he might pen a biting satire on our obsession with appearance over substance.
He’d undoubtedly find ample inspiration and bitter irony in the very thoughts and creative efforts that drive many transformation and revitalisation initiatives, that in reality are myopic in approach.
Satire aside, the question persists: Why do so many well-funded efforts settle for shallow optics over real impact?
They are as meticulously conceived as dumping sand into a sinkhole
At first glance, these efforts appear not just half-baked but hastily cobbled together, about as meticulously conceived as dumping sand into a sinkhole without first uncovering its underlying cause.
They exude the authentic enthusiasm of noble minds; clouded in intention, engulfed in the haze of self-satisfaction. Shackled by a glaring lack of foresight, they often amount to little more than hollow gestures at best; at worst, they descend into a perilous abyss of wasted resources.
It’s a quintessential essence of the creeping plague of the narcissistemic ‘Syok Sendiri Policy’, where self-indulgence masquerades as progress, and infatuation with validation eclipses the pursuit of thoughtful, meaningful real outcomes.
This complacency of entrenched privilege lacks depth and quantifiable impact
On closer scrutiny, the stench of complacency and the brazen shortsightedness of entrenched privilege is all-too-familiar. Beneath the superficial façades there’s little depth, explaining the disjointedness and lack of quantifiable impact of the efforts.
It’s all too easy to mistake the bait for the fish!
Take the modern café culture that’s mushrooming throughout the city. Instagrammable aesthetics dominate the scene — elaborate plating, intricate coffee art, and curated backdrops — all choreographed to feed the insatiable appetite of social media.
Yet beyond these lures; the eggs taste like they were reheated in hot water, the cakes look like they were picked from the same online catalogue, the coffee arrives lukewarm, and the staff are more concerned with how they look behind the counter, than their service in front of it.
What’s left to bring people back after the social media checklist has been ticked? Certainly not the hastily fabricated optics that are indistinguishable from props on a set.
Meanwhile, those old-school coffee shops; untouched since the 70s (or earlier), have long realised the truth. Without the frills or fallacies, they continue to thrive on the essence of what matters — the taste of the food served, that perfectly brewed stained cup of coffee, the thoughtful detail of remembering a regular’s order.
It leaves a lasting impression of feeling welcomed and being comfortable, without pretence. It’s these basics; not the manicured aesthetics, that nurtures relationships. It’s how patrons feel when they leave; not what they see as they enter, that ultimately determines if they’ll return!
They miss the one thing that can’t be fabricated — soul
Many modern cafés mimic that rustic charm and kick up a social media frenzy amongst influencers and exhibitionists, but after that fizzles out, they hit reset and throw a ton into doing the same again. They miss the one thing that can’t be fabricated — soul.
The difference is subtle, yet pivotal. One flickers a fleeting spark; the other ignites a lasting connection.
This brings us to the crux of the matter. Authenticity; seductive as it is, can become a mask, an excuse for indulging personal whims under the guise of being “true to oneself”.
Its vulnerability lies in subjectivity, oblivious to personal biases masquerading as universal truths. Authenticity seeks validation, not necessarily accountability, and risks confusing what we want with what truly needs to be done.
Earnestness, on the other hand, is a mirror. It demands introspection and prioritises real outcomes rather than empty gestures. Forcing an evaluation of impact over mere impression, stripping away illusions to focus on what truly matters.
It ensures actions align with intent, and intent with a genuine purpose greater than our own whim — measurable, meaningful, and at times, uncomfortably honest!
“Siapa makan cili dia rasa pedas!”
Does this strike a nerve? Perhaps it’s the realisation of a deeper truth. “Siapa makan cili dia rasa pedas!” (He who eats the chilli, feels the heat!)
The fact that this critique probably ruffles feathers across many sectors — from restoration to public policy — exposes the deeply entrenched fixation with building ego-stroking castles out of fluff. It reveals the chasm between the success celebrated, and what is achieve in reality!
Are we truly serving an audience, or merely indulging ourselves? Are we chasing applause, or doing something that really matters? Has the bait been mistaken for the fish? Shouldn’t it be about staying true to purpose, crafting value that resonates; sustains over time, and leaves a legacy?
The truth cuts deep reminding us that it’s not a catchphrase — but a discipline.
Wilde’s satire, ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’, may veil wisdom in humour, but its truths cut deep. It reminds us that earnestness demands more. It’s not a catchphrase — but a discipline. It’s sincerity with purpose, conviction without pretense, and calls for rejecting illusory wins for real substance.
Returning to the café analogy. Being photogenic is not enough, that’s just the bait. What brings patrons back is the consistency of the little things that resonate with them. And they are the catch after all, not you!
Don’t subscribe to the Syok Sendiri Policy!
So, how do we embrace earnestness? First, define a clear purpose, one that truly matters. That sets the intent. Test your assumptions. Measure the results, not through applause but tangible outcomes.
Do these actions align with the intent? Does it create something of value that will endure beyond the moment? And if it didn’t, adapt. Strip away what doesn’t work, refine what does, and try again. Above all, don’t subscribe to the Syok Sendiri Policy!
It may not require grandiose plans but instead the humility to take meaningful, incremental efforts, each aligning closer with a true purpose. The difference between moments that fade and legacies that last lies in such deliberate pursuit. In a world obsessed with optics, earnestness might seem idealistic.
But in truth, it’s profoundly practical, anchoring decisions in real purpose rather than self-indulgent whims.
Earnestness prioritises depth over breadth, long-term connections over transient optics. It seeds the call to build with care, refine with honesty, and transform with impact. While the bait may lure attention, it is the catch that matters.
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