Confession to the crime by the man who used gold smuggling as a means to becoming filthy rich within a few years should no longer surprise the public. A public servant is more blessed (!) to amass resources but whenever a corruption case is somehow unearthed, entire society curses the person involved, carelessly expressing collective ignorance about such corrupt practices.
Isn't it natural for many, not just a handful, to look for such opportunities when there are examples of getting successful overnight by foul means galore?
Usually, it takes two decades or so with relentless efforts to shine as a doctor, lawyer, banker, entrepreneur and writer and maybe, more to make oneself a seasoned politician. Success often requires investing nothing less than a life. When exceptions become nearly the order of the day, adherents to conventional wisdom encounter the cruellest question of their life - are they fool?
Still, the average people get surprised by Donald Trump's unwillingness to concede defeat when he has in fact lost the US presidential elections. So what if there are allegations of tax evasion, he was anointed as an American billionaire or of Russian conspiracy in helping him win US presidency, he became the most powerful man on earth. He has exploited the flaws of American system in making him what he is!
The West's end-means calculation that 'ends determine means', has enormously influenced the post-colonial minds in Asia and elsewhere in securing success at any cost, no matter if the process is morally correct or not.
In Bangladesh, examples are innumerable in terms of attaining massive wealth within a short span of time, as reported unfortunately whenever financial scams were unearthed one after another.
While the names involved in share market manipulations, bank loan swindling, drug trafficking, illegal casino operations and money laundering are not considered role models, they have already made their beneficiaries and followers.
Once the corrupt elements are caught or at least put into some trouble, nobody wants to pay the price for their previous acts that made them successful in the eyes of some others.
In such a scenario, the innocents may opt for searching for safer routes that are legal, ethical and sustainable. For the current generation of Bangladeshis, the areas to explore for both personal benefits and collective welfare are unlimited.
The only barrier is: Almost all around us who have overcome hurdles in life and society are saying in public forums that there is no short-cut for success.
People hardly take such advice seriously, when they even pursue stardom in various fields. They admire money, power and fame but show repugnance to long, due diligence required for success.
Be it in writing a research paper, carrying out a school assignment, and drafting a unique article, a search engine - Google in our case - has been the easiest means of accomplishing the job. Why should one take so much of pains in producing a creative piece when millions of contents are available on the worldwide web?
This is only one aspect of the social trends that are set today. We fear creation of a situation where our children tend to sit idle or show complacency before our nation reaches a standard on the global scene.
Excuse is the worst thing that could be a means to evading challenges. For failure to attain success in business, one can genuinely blame the prevailing business climate. If s/he waits for the atmosphere to be corrected fully someday, his/her entire life may be wasted.
So, today's Bangladeshi entrepreneurs may have to face dual challenges: working for establishing a fair, functional system and pursuing personal dreams braving adversities.
There is no reason to believe the enterprising minds will not be taking a hard-working approach to solve the problems of their time.
In Bangladesh, it's a matter of national choice if we shall work hard for achieving success or be compelled to pay a higher price for not doing the homework.