Yesterday evening, before Maghrib, I carved out a small window after some light reading to sit in reflection about human life.
As usual, my reflections begin with my own shortcomings because weakness is the most honest teacher in the journey of life. From that space of humility came the urge to write. Not for the masses first, but as advice to myself, who is often distracted by the noise of the world.
And so I arrived at a theme that I think holds up a mirror to all of us: the “benchmarking” of life.
Today, people seem to have reduced the metric of human worth to money, titles, big houses, luxury cars, or intoxicating power. It’s like admiring a garden only for its blooming flowers, while ignoring the roots hidden beneath the soil the true source of strength and continuity.
This forces us to ask a bigger question: is the benchmark of life really just about material accumulation, or is there still space to elevate adab (ethics), knowledge, strategy, and human values as the true measure of existence?
History gives us clues. From Ibn Khaldun’s Muqaddimah, to Montesquieu in Europe, to Japanese thinkers like Mikio, great minds have always challenged society’s assumptions. They didn’t just write; they sparked intellectual revolutions so humanity could see itself from wider, sharper, more liberated angles.
But today, we’re facing a subtle yet dangerous disease of thought: the narrowing of life’s benchmarks. Especially in Malaysia and the modern world, we too often equate success with being wealthy, a millionaire, having a luxury home, branded handbags, expensive cars, prestigious titles, or high office. That has become the default KPI of life.
But is that true success?
A four-story house with 15 rooms doesn’t make its owner refined. A luxury car gliding down the highway doesn’t make the driver wise. A handbag worth thousands doesn’t guarantee its owner a noble soul.
The tragedy is this: we bow to symbols. We respect titles, we glorify wealth, we idolize glamorous lifestyles. Yet we rarely pause to ask:
What about the benchmark of ethics?
What about the benchmark of intellectual depth?
What about the benchmark of strategic thinking?
What about the benchmark of kindness, empathy, and human warmth?
We rarely honor the modest person who treats others with dignity. We rarely celebrate the man or woman who may not own a luxury car, but can lift the spirit of others with a smile or kind words.
Everyday conversations reveal the subtle mental colonization:
“I don’t have a degree.”
“I’m just an ordinary person.”
“I’m not as successful as the rich.”
This is the tyranny of false benchmarks. People begin to internalize their worth through the shallow metrics of a materialistic society. They forget that human potential isn’t measured by what’s in their hands, but by what’s in their mind and heart.
A person who dares to speak truth when others stay silent has more value than ten academic certificates. A person who sincerely uplifts the poor has more dignity than one who donates for publicity.
It’s time we disrupt these benchmarks. It’s time to expand the framework of human success. Let me propose four new “benchmarks” for life:
1. Benchmark of Ethics (Adab)
True success is measured by how one treats those who are weaker, poorer, or unable to repay kindness.
2. Benchmark of Knowledge & Thought
Greatness is not in houses, but in minds in how one thinks, evaluates truth, and crafts solutions.
3. Benchmark of Strategy & Leadership
Not every wealthy person is a leader. True leadership is in the ability to design strategies for the common good, not just manage personal wealth.
4. Benchmark of Soul & Empathy
The world doesn’t only need accountants of money; it needs accountants of feelings. People who can understand and heal others’ pain.
If humanity wants to progress toward true civilization, we need more thinkers, not just trend-followers. We cannot keep swallowing false benchmarks. We must build a collective consciousness: a person can be great without being a millionaire, remembered without holding office, and honorable without owning a mansion.
Life is too short to waste chasing hollow recognition. True success is when others feel better because of your existence and ultimately, when God accepts our presence on this earth.
Once upon a time, a PhD signified years of research, sleepless nights, contributions to society. Titles like Datuk or Dato’ Sri were conferred for service, sacrifice, and genuine merit.
But now? Degrees can be bought. Titles can be purchased. Awards can be packaged into gala dinners “buy a table, get a trophy.” Recognition has become commodified.
Shouldn’t we feel ashamed? Shouldn’t we ask: is this the true price of human dignity? Are we content with applause that can be purchased, while our souls remain impoverished of real value?
This is what happens when “worldly benchmarking” is reduced to what money can buy, not what character can build.
I write this not as a lecture to others, but as a mirror for myself. I, too, fear being swept away by the current of shallow benchmarks. So I remind myself and you, the reader: do not chase what humans can sell, but pursue what only God can grant.
All that is good is from Allah; all weakness and error is from myself.
I seek forgiveness for my shortcomings, and pray this reflection stirs us to recalibrate life’s compass not for the awards of this world, but for the eternal reward of the hereafter.
