Form vs. Substance

We hand out diplomas like passports to adulthood. The ceremony is flawless, the robes pristine. But the knowledge? It’s thin, outsourced, forgotten before the ink dries. Form wins. Substance disappears.

We file into compliance trainings, clicking boxes that say we understand. The ritual is complete, the liability covered. But safety doesn’t come from slides — it comes from practice. The form survives. The substance is left behind.

We sit through performance reviews, numbers and graphs recited like scripture. The conversation is polished, the template followed. But the work — the real work — goes unseen. The review is the job. The job itself rots.

We cast votes in pageants choreographed for television. The speeches are delivered, the flags arranged. But power doesn’t change hands — it recycles. Democracy becomes theatre, applause standing in for agency.

When form devours substance, a society isn’t just asleep — it’s embalmed.