What holds individuals and nations back is not always what we loudly blame. More often, it is what we quietly refuse to confront. In deeply religious societies, uncomfortable truths are often masked by spiritual explanations that absolve us of responsibility while offering emotional comfort. Over time, this habit reshapes how failure, delay, and disappointment are interpreted, turning structural and personal shortcomings into metaphysical battles. Earlier today, I had a conversation with a lady who profusely complained about a friend of his, a first-class student who had been unemployed for close to 16 years after graduating with a first class. To her, the friend’s predicament was a result of spiritual problems, because she once had a dream about her in which a spiritual attacker burned her certificates.