An interesting mirror to this topic is provided by the thoughts of ethnologist, writer, and journalist Mnislav Zelený-Atapana, who has long focused on the lives of Amazonian indigenous tribes and has been traveling to South America to visit them for decades. His experience is neither touristy nor romanticized. It is the experience of someone who has repeatedly encountered a different way of living, a different understanding of freedom, old age, rituals, pain, and responsibility. And it is precisely his ideas that compel us to reflect. Not because we should start imitating the lifestyle of Amazonian tribes—that would be naive and disrespectful—but because they show us how accustomed we have become to a world where obstacles are removed before a person even encounters them. How often we sweep the path clean for children, students, and young people—only to be surprised when the first major stone in their way feels like a catastrophe.
Comfort is not the problem. The problem is when it becomes the goal
Modern society knows how to simplify many things. Thanks to this, we live longer, safer, and more comfortable lives. That is no small feat. However, comfort carries a subtle trap: when it becomes the primary value, we start viewing any discomfort as a system error.
Waiting is a problem. Effort is a problem. Uncertainty is a problem. Failure is a problem. Criticism is a problem. Silence is a problem. Everything becomes a problem.
Upbringing and education then often turn into a well-meaning protective bubble. We want to motivate, support, and encourage the student. That is fine. But if we do not simultaneously give them the opportunity to experience difficulty, responsibility, and the consequences of their own choices, we are preparing them for comfortable presentations rather than real life.
When an obstacle is not a system error
One of Mnislav Zelený-Atapana's thoughts is that a child should not be raised in a way that prevents them from ever stumbling. They should be prepared for life as it truly is—sometimes kind, sometimes unexpected, sometimes tougher, sometimes more complex. This is not an argument for harshness, insensitivity, or unnecessary pain. Rather, it is a reminder that certain abilities simply do not develop in a perfectly protected environment. They require experience, reasonable stress, and the opportunity to face reality as it is at any given moment.
Resilience cannot be fully understood from lectures and slide decks. Responsibility cannot be trained solely in safe debates. Self-confidence does not stem from praise, but from experience: something was hard, I didn't know what to do, I made a mistake, but I stayed standing and kept going. This is essential for preparing young people, potential leaders. If a student is to one day lead people, projects, or their own business, they need to learn more than just analytical tools, strategy, and communication. They need to learn to build internal stability, the capacity to endure frustration, work through uncertainty, and withstand moments when things do not go according to plan.
And right here opens another topic of our era: an environment filled with immediate, fast, and easily accessible stimuli. Social media offers us quick rewards, short dopamine flashes of attention, recognition, or distraction. Yet, the more we get used to instant gratification, the harder it is for us to tolerate slowness, silence, waiting, frustration, or ordinary effort. Added to this is the paradox of digital connectedness: we are constantly online, but often less genuinely together. Physical meetings, shared experiences, natural friction, and the simple experience of being face-to-face with others are diminishing. Yet, it is precisely in these situations that social resilience, empathy, the ability to negotiate, handle conflict, and take responsibility—not just for oneself, but for relationships and the team—are born.
Rituals are not an obsolete relic. They are an anchor
Another idea from Zelený-Atapana concerns rituals. In Western society, we often view them as something archaic, perhaps exotic, or unnecessary. However, a ritual does not have to mean a complex ceremony. A ritual is repetition to which we assign meaning. Something that keeps us in rhythm and reminds us of who we are and where we belong.
In a young person's life, a ritual holds immense value. It helps mark a transition. I am no longer just a passive participant. I am no longer just someone waiting for instructions. I accept the role. I accept responsibility. I am entering a space where something is expected of me.
That is precisely why moments that can be perceived as initiatory, transitional, or closing make sense in education. A student needs to feel and experience: something is closing here, something is being confirmed here, this is no longer just about completing an assignment, but about my own growth. For example, the Business Leadership Forum, the ceremonial conclusion of each academic year in the Business Leadership program, is in this sense not just another event on the schedule. It is a ritual acknowledging work, courage, and personal evolution. A place where students articulate what they have learned, how the experience affected them, and what next step they are taking into life. In the truest sense of the word, it is a modern rite of passage.
Respect for elders as respect for experience
Zelený-Atapana also brings up the topic of old age. In our culture, we often admire youth, performance, speed, and the ability to stay constantly 'up-to-date.' Older people are sometimes viewed as no longer flexible enough, productive enough, or digital enough. Yet in traditional cultures, old age can mean something completely different: proof that a person has walked through life, survived its pitfalls, and carries experience that cannot be downloaded as an app.
This is an important concept for leadership as well. A young person needs courage, energy, and the drive to change the world. But without contact with the experience of those who have already lived through challenges, they can easily mistake speed and confidence for wisdom and competence. Respect for elders does not mean uncritically adopting their opinions or dismissing their experience just because it doesn't look modern. It means learning from the stories, mistakes, decisions, and life paths of people who have had the time to experience, ponder, and reflect on how their choices unfolded in life.
The winding path to happiness
Fairy tales teach us that the path to happiness is often winding. It doesn't run straight, it frequently gets lost in the forest, sometimes your feet ache, and occasionally you aren't even sure if you are heading in the right direction. Yet that is precisely where its strength lies. It leads through decisions that are uncomfortable. Through experiences we wouldn't voluntarily choose. Through moments when we realize that the world won't conform to our expectations—and that is when we learn to adapt our mindset, seek new perspectives, discover alternative routes, and remain true to ourselves in the process.
A paved road might look appealing. It is straight, comfortable, and free of mud. But if one walks on it for too long, they might find themselves no longer moving toward something, but merely continuing. Fulfilling, executing, checking boxes. Not searching, not creating, not questioning. And in that way, comfort can subtly become a trap. A person moves forward, but ceases to be the author of their own direction.
And that is perhaps one of the most important lessons for everyone: a life in your own hands doesn't begin by removing all obstacles. It begins by learning to carry some obstacles, step over others, and understand some as part of our own growth.
The Business Leadership specialization at NEWTON University does not aim merely to pass on knowledge about leadership, strategy, or entrepreneurship. It creates an environment where students learn to think, decide, collaborate, reflect on their own experiences, and gradually take responsibility for their personal and professional lives.
The quality of leadership is not born from comfort, but from the ability to face reality, endure it, and consciously respond to it. This is not a shortcut to an easier life. This is preparation for the life we want to live.
