IS THIS LOVE… OR HYPOCRISY?
A non-fiction emotional spoken-word poem by Uncle Fred MUJEMU FRED
Voice direction: Deep, mature male voice. Very clear pronunciation. Speak slowly, with pain, controlled anger, and long silences. Soft piano only. No bass. Let the silence speak where words fail.
(Soft piano. A long pause.)
There lived a woman…
A woman from overseas. A woman in power.
They called her Pride Queen.
She had authority. She had a title. She had people under her command.
But tell me…
What is power without compassion? What is leadership without humanity? And what is love without kindness?
(Pause.)
Then came Daniel.
A hardworking man. A man with responsibilities. A man with a life beyond his workplace.
But one morning…
Sickness struck.
At 6:17 a.m., Daniel lay bedridden in hospital.
His body was weak. His heart was troubled. He needed treatment.
He reached for his phone.
“Madam… I am admitted to hospital. I cannot report for work today.”
(Pause. Voice drops lower.)
Two minutes later…
A warning letter.
A WARNING LETTER… WHILE HE WAS LYING IN A HOSPITAL BED!
(Silence.)
Oh, Daniel…
You were sick. You were seeking treatment. You were fighting to recover.
Yet someone looked at your situation and saw a disciplinary offence.
You needed compassion. You received punishment.
You needed understanding. You received a warning.
Tell me, Pride Queen…
Was this love… or hypocrisy?
How can you claim to care for people yet forget their humanity when they are at their weakest?
How can you demand discipline from a man whose body is fighting sickness?
Can authority stop a fever? Can a title heal a wound? Can pride negotiate with death?
(Long pause.)
And when Daniel returned…
The smiles returned.
“Oh, Daniel! We missed you! Keep working. I am simply strict.”
(A painful, restrained laugh.)
Strict?
Is cruelty discipline? Is intimidation leadership? Is pretending to care the same as loving someone?
Is this love… or hypocrisy?
Love does not disappear when another person becomes weak.
Love does not humiliate and then hide behind a smile.
Love does not demand respect while refusing to show compassion.
True love listens. True love understands. True love corrects without destroying.
And true leadership remembers that every employee is human.
(Piano softens.)
This is the painful lesson I learned.
When you work under the wrong leadership, your contributions may begin to feel meaningless.
You give your best… but your best is never enough.
You complete your duties… but your efforts go unseen.
You remain loyal… yet you are treated with suspicion.
And slowly, you begin to question your own worth.
But listen carefully…
Your value does not disappear because someone refuses to recognise it.
Sometimes, the problem is not your contribution.
Sometimes, it is the environment in which your contribution is judged.
(Pause.)
### THE WORD OF GOD
First Corinthians 13 teaches us:
Love is patient. Love is kind. Love is not proud. Love does not dishonour others.
So, Pride Queen…
Where was the patience? Where was the kindness? Where was the compassion?
Colossians 3 calls us to put on humility, gentleness, patience, and compassion.
And Jesus taught in John 13:34–35 that we should love one another.
Not only when people obey us.
Not only when everything goes our way.
But also when we hold power and someone else is suffering.
Remember this…
God's Word is not a decoration for our speeches.
It is a standard by which we must examine our actions.
We cannot preach kindness and practise humiliation.
We cannot demand love while giving others fear.
We cannot claim to lead people while forgetting their humanity.
(Very slow. Deeply emotional.)
Daniel was a soldier…
But before he was a soldier, he was a human being.
He could obey orders. He could serve his institution.
But he could not command his body never to become sick.
And Pride Queen…
You could hold authority.
But could you command your heart to show compassion?
(Silence for three seconds.)
### THE FINAL QUESTION
By Uncle Fred MUJEMU FRED.
To every leader listening…
Your title will not last forever. Your office will not last forever. Your authority will one day pass to another.
But the way you treated people may remain in their hearts for years.
So, I leave you with this question…
(Almost a whisper.)
If Daniel had been your own son, lying helpless in that hospital bed, would you still have sent him that warning letter?
(Long silence.)
\*\*Tell me…
Was it love?
Or was it hypocrisy wearing the face of leadership