The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble. Proverbs 4:18-19
Cleber and Sidnei started law school on the same day, with the same dreams and the same freshman anxiety. They sat side by side in the first class, both from small towns, both determined to make it in the big city. But there, at that starting point, their paths began to diverge, like two rivers that spring from the same mountain but flow to different oceans.
Cleber chose the path of the morning light. His progress was slow, almost imperceptible. He would spend hours in the library, poring over heavy books while others were at parties. He made a point of citing his sources correctly in his papers, even if it cost him more time. He helped classmates who were struggling, sharing his notes, believing that knowledge grew when it was divided. His brilliance was not that of a spotlight, but of the first, pale, stubborn light that announces the dawn. Many considered him too much of a straight arrow, a bit slow.
Sidnei chose the path of instant brilliance. He was darkness disguised as light. He quickly discovered the shortcuts: ready-made papers from the internet, answers shared in secret groups during online exams, the art of flattering the right professors. He did not study; he “hacked” the system. He landed an internship at a large firm not on merit, but through a recommendation secured with a lie. His success was dazzling and swift. He was popular, admired, the model of a “winner.”
Over the five years of the course, the difference became stark. Sidnei always seemed to be ahead, getting the best grades with minimal effort, moving in the most influential circles. Cleber, for his part, kept his steady pace. His grades were good, the fruit of hard work. His reputation was not for brilliance, but for reliability. His light, still soft, began to gain strength and warmth, and the right people started to notice it.
The perfect day for Cleber and the great stumble for Sidnei happened during the Bar Exam, the test that would define their careers.
Cleber prepared with his usual diligence. Months of disciplined study. He arrived for the exam feeling not arrogant, but prepared. His mind was clear, the path ahead of him illuminated by the knowledge he had built, brick by brick.
Sidnei, accustomed to shortcuts, tried his final trick. He acquired an earpiece, a risky scheme to receive the answers. He entered the exam room not with knowledge in his mind, but with fear in his heart. He was walking in darkness, dependent on a fragile piece of technology and invisible accomplices.
In the middle of the exam, the anti-fraud detection system was triggered. Proctors silently approached Sidnei’s desk. Panic froze his veins. He did not know how, or why. He had stumbled in the darkness he himself had created. The humiliation of being removed from the room under the gaze of everyone was the culmination of a five-year journey built on fraud. He did not even know what he had tripped over, for in the darkness, the obstacle is always invisible until the fall.
Months later, Cleber, with his Bar card in hand, began working at a small but respected law firm. His path was just beginning, but the morning light was now strong, clear, and the day ahead of him promised to be perfect in its righteousness.
One day, he received a message from an unknown number. It was Sidnei.
“Congratulations, man. I heard. You deserved it.” The message continued: “I don’t know where I went wrong. It all seemed so easy.”
Cleber looked out the window of his small office. The morning sun bathed the city. He typed his reply, not with pride, but with a deep compassion:
“The mistake, Sidnei, wasn’t in a single step. It was in the path we chose. Yours promised a shortcut in the darkness; mine, a long walk toward the light.”
(Made with AI)
This story is part of my book Everyday Wisdom
https://books2read.com/u/3knogL
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