Playing the Game Feels More Important Than Doing the Work

For as long as I can remember, I believed what they told me: that being kind, working hard, and following the rules would make life work out. From school assemblies to moral science classes, we were taught: "Be good. Good things will happen to good people." And like many of you, I took that seriously.

But here I am at 24, sitting at my desk, watching reality slap that belief straight out of me.

Let me tell you what I see: I work hard. I focus on the technical side, I get things done. I don’t kiss up to managers, I don’t play politics, I don’t fake smiles. And yet—somehow—when things go wrong, I’m the one getting blamed. Meanwhile, I see colleagues who’ve mastered the art of manipulation: they talk sweet to managers, cover up unfinished work with charm, and escape any accountability. They’re not necessarily skilled. They’re just skilled at survival in the system.

It hit me hard: this world isn’t running on skills and morals. It’s running on power, politics, and manipulation. You don’t have to be good at the job; you just have to be good at the game.

And it’s not the first time I’ve felt this. Zoom out to my school days. While others remember school for their first love, fun memories, and lifelong friendships, for me it was hell. I was that quiet kid sitting in the corner, minding my own business. And that made me a target. Bullies broke my stuff, hit me, tormented me. My silence didn’t protect me. My morals didn’t shield me. The "be good and good will happen" lesson failed me over and over.

Now I see it playing out again, just on a bigger stage: the office is no different from school. The bullies just wear formal clothes and speak sweet words. It’s the same Big Boss house, just with paychecks.

So here’s the uncomfortable truth I’m wrestling with: if the world rewards power plays and punishes the honest, why the hell are we still teaching kids to be the nice guy? Why did they make us believe that being good is the way to win at life, when the game is clearly rigged for those who know how to bend rules, fake charm, and manipulate?

Does being a good person feel like a scam to anyone else?

I don’t have the answers. I’m still figuring it out. But I do know this: if you’ve ever felt like the outsider because you chose integrity over politics, you’re not crazy. The system really is built this way. And maybe, just maybe, we need to start talking about it instead of pretending morals alone will get us through.

If the world is a game, maybe it’s time we all learn the rules — or rewrite them.