Issue 2: October 2025
Theme: The Fire in My Hands – Lessons on Experience, Dignity, and Trust
After school, I’d attend religious classes taught by a teacher who wore his authority like a second skin. He didn’t just expect obedience; he demanded submission. He kept a long, flexible bamboo cane within reach, and he wielded it with the precision of someone who found satisfaction in pain.
One day, he pointed to a boy seated next to me—a quiet, well-behaved classmate—and ordered him forward for caning. There had been no wrongdoing.
I couldn’t stay silent.
I stood up. I objected.
He didn’t say much. He didn’t need to. With a flick of his hand, he redirected his punishment toward me. I remember extending my hands slowly, deliberately, knowing what was coming. The pain came swiftly and brutally.
“My hands trembled, but I stayed silent. I would not cry. I would not give him satisfaction.”
I did not go back to school for months and sought revenge by puncturing his tires many times. I was worried what would happen if my father found out. He did! But he was compassionate and asked why I had not reported the cruelty of the teacher earlier. He engaged a private teacher who taught me at home for the rest of the year.
A childhood marked by injustice turned into a powerful lesson in resilience.
- A cruel teacher punished without cause.
- A boy resisted, endured pain, and chose defiance.
- In secret, he rebelled—stones, sabotage, small acts of justice.
- His father, instead of punishing, listened with compassion and found a better path forward through a gentle tutor.
This is not just a childhood story—it is a mirror for how we create, break, and restore trust in human experiences.
CX Principles That Shine Through
| Insight from Story | CX Lesson |
| Trust betrayed in a safe space led to rejection | Trust is fragile but foundational |
| Pain remembered more than lessons | Emotion defines experience |
| Retaliation was a response to injustice | Customers push back when unheard |
| Arbitrary punishment stole dignity | Respect at every touchpoint |
| Boy abandoned the religious school permanently | Customers abandon harmful systems |
| Father listened and acted with empathy | Empathy builds loyalty |
| Authority abused, no accountability | Fairness must be designed in |
| One moment shaped months of rebellion | Every touchpoint matters |
| Listening restored agency and peace | Listening transforms relationships |
Leadership Takeaway
The chapter reminds us: Experience is not just what happens—it’s how it is felt, internalized, and remembered.
- Customers remember pain, fairness, dignity, and kindness far more than products or transactions.
- Organizations that listen, act with empathy, and design fairness into every interaction move from merely serving to truly honoring customers.
Closing Thought
“Great brands don’t just serve customers—they honor them.”