In a world torn by wars, shaken by calamities, and strained by moral decay, the anchor of our values has never been more critical.

Across the globe, humanity seems to be in conflict not only between nations, but within hearts.

From the shattered homes of Gaza and Ukraine to the rising tide of global poverty, we witness a collapse of empathy.

The earth too groans from our neglect. Floods, fires, and earthquakes are not acts of vengeance, but signals of imbalance.

Here in Malaysia, the tremors are moral. Classrooms once sacred for learning are marred by bullying, harassment, and even violence.

When children lose compassion, and adults lose integrity, society loses its soul. When moral decay outpaces modernity, progress becomes a hollow pursuit.

We have produced competent minds but not always compassionate hearts. In the race for results, we’ve forgotten reflection; in chasing success, we’ve neglected significance.

If we are to secure the values of the future, we must first reclaim responsibility and accountability in the present.

Responsibility and accountability: The forgotten virtues

When failure strikes, it’s easy to point outward to systems, circumstances, or others. But whether success or failure, the compass always points inward to character.

Responsibility is not a burden; it is “ability to respond.” The capacity to answer life’s demands with integrity and initiative. It begins when we recognize that every role, we hold either as child, student, professional, or citizen carries both privilege and purpose.

Accountability is “ability to count on one’s actions.” The courage to measure, own, and learn from our choices. When we meet our duties with positivity, we strengthen our moral muscle. When we meet them with blame, we erode trust in families, teams, and nations.

In the family, responsibility is learned.
In school, it is practiced.
In society, it is tested.
When one fails, all three tremble.

A responsible upbringing plants values; a responsible person practices them. Shielding a child from consequence may seem kind, but it robs them of maturity. True love disciplines with wisdom, not indulgence. Ownership fuels growth; accountability sustains integrity in nations.

Responsibility is planting the seed. Accountability is nurturing it to bloom. Together, they form the roots of trust, resilience, and purpose that every society depends on.

From classroom to character: The missing blend

To build values for the future, we must cultivate individuals who embody a balanced blend of IQ (Intelligence Quotient), EQ (Emotional Quotient), and CQ (Character Quotient).

The classroom is where this balance begins. IQ trains the mind to think critically; EQ teaches the heart to feel compassion; but CQ anchors both in conscience. Without it, intelligence becomes manipulation, and emotion becomes indulgence.

Education should not only measure excellence in examinations but also exemplify excellence in ethics.

Every subject should strengthen both intellect and integrity. When we educate only for knowledge but not for wisdom, we graduate brilliance without benevolence.

A nation that teaches its youth to think with clarity (IQ), feel with empathy (EQ), and act with conscience (CQ) doesn’t just create employable graduates. It nurtures accountable citizens.

Revisiting our values through the DIARY

To restore moral balance, we must start with introspection.

The DIARY framework offers a compass for rediscovering what it means to live with purpose:

■ Discovery: Awaken our awareness of what truly matters.
■ Immersion: Live our values through daily action.
■ Authorship: Take ownership of our story; stop outsourcing our conscience.
■ Reflection: Revisit our motives, not just our mistakes.
■ You: The person our Creator intended us to be—anchored in character, not convenience.

The DIARY is more than a concept; it is a mirror of conscience. It reminds us that progress without reflection is regression in disguise. Start to own our own DIARY.

A call to reawaken conscience

As Malaysia advances toward digital transformation and an AI-driven future, let us not forget that moral intelligence must walk alongside machine intelligence.

AI may accelerate decisions, but only human integrity can determine direction. Character Quotient reminds us that technology may predict behavior, but only character can shape destiny.

Accountability and responsibility are not relics of the past. They are the values for our collective future. When each of us chooses to act with conscience, we no longer need to blame systems for what society lacks.

The time for reflection is now. Let this World Values Day be our national wake-up call. A day not just to remember what we’ve lost, but to recommit to what we must rebuild.

And perhaps, one day, the entire world will take this day seriously by anchoring World Values Day in every nation’s calendar, celebrated each year on the third Thursday of October. Because the values of the future begin with the courage to value the present.

(Asohan Satkunasingham is an Author, Character Quotient Pioneer, Corporate Educator and Global HR Strategist.)