Tenure was supposed to be a shield —

a noble idea invented to protect academic freedom,

allow thought without fear,

and give educators the courage to question authority.

But somewhere along the way,

the shield became a cushion.

And cushions don’t empower.

They soften.

They slow.

They seduce.

This is the underbelly nobody talks about:

when permanent jobs slowly turn temporary effort into a lifestyle.

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Scene 1: The First Day vs The Fifth Year

A newly appointed lecturer walks into campus carrying books, ideas, and raw excitement.

She stays up late preparing classes,

writes detailed evaluations,

experiments with pedagogy,

walks the extra mile.

Five years later, she walks into campus carrying familiarity.

Not laziness.

Not disinterest.

Just routine.

The flame is not gone.

It is simply… dimmer.

Comfort does that.

Tenure creates safety.

Safety creates predictability.

Predictability slowly lowers urgency.

Not because she doesn’t care.

Because the system doesn’t demand that she does.

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Scene 2: The Staff Room Truth

A senior professor jokes to a colleague,

“Once you get permanency…

life becomes easier.”

The colleague replies,

“Easier is good.

Too easy is dangerous.”

They laugh —

because it’s true,

because it’s taboo,

because it’s universal.

Comfort is heaven for good people.

And heaven, if you stay too long, makes you sleepy.

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Scene 3: A German University Parallel

A Berlin professor tells his Indian counterpart,

“Tenure made my research bold…

but my teaching lazy.”

The Indian professor responds quietly,

“In our system, tenure doesn’t make us bold.

It makes us invisible.”

Two continents.

Same paradox.

Different symptoms.

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The Structural Flaw: Security Without Accountability

1. Brilliant teachers flourish

Give a passionate teacher job security,

and they transform classrooms for decades.

They build departments,

mentor students,

shape futures.

Permanent jobs protect their passion

like a greenhouse protects delicate plants.

These are the heroes of academia.

They exist in every institution.

They deserve every applause.

But…

2. The mediocre survive

They don’t harm the system.

But they do not elevate it either.

They become the comfortable middle —

like ceiling fans that work but don’t cool.

3. The weak hide

Permanent jobs become permanent hiding spots.

Inside committees.

Inside bureaucracy.

Inside seniority.

Inside the fog of “experience.”

The system has no mechanism to detect these shadows,

so they blend into the furniture.

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Scene 4: A Silent Classroom, Toronto

A student tells her friend,

“Our professor has tenure.

But his lectures feel like he’s on autopilot.”

Her friend shrugs,

“That’s what tenure does.”

Not everywhere.

But often.

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Scene 5: The Government College Irony

A newly appointed assistant professor is dynamic, sharp, and full of fresh ideas.

An older colleague pulls him aside:

“Beta, this enthusiasm is good…

but don’t keep it up —

you will burn out.

This system rewards survival, not spark.”

And slowly,

the spark adjusts.

Not because he wants to dim it.

Because the environment teaches him to.

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Why Does Permanent Job Culture Create Temporary Effort?

1. No consequences

If excellence and mediocrity get the same reward,

mediocrity becomes rational.

2. Committees as hiding shelters

Committees become the perfect disguise —

lots of activity,

very little impact.

3. Emotional fatigue

Without recognition,

even the best slowly slip into “functional performance”

instead of inspired teaching.

4. Seniority without renewal

The older you grow in academia,

the fewer fresh challenges you receive.

People stagnate with grace,

but they still stagnate.

5. A culture of adjustment

Everyone learns to do:

“Just enough.”

Not out of selfishness.

Out of survival logic.

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Scene 6: The Japanese Parallel — Kyoto Evening

A professor sips tea and tells his American colleague,

“We spend years becoming permanent.

Then spend years becoming stationary.”

The American nods,

“Security should liberate the mind.

Instead, it sedates it.”

This is the global underbelly of tenure.

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The Emotional Root

Most teachers are not lazy.

Or indifferent.

Or selfish.

They are exhausted.

Under-challenged.

Under-recognised.

Over-regulated.

Trapped between committees and classrooms.

Stuck in a system that rewards existence

more than excellence.

And when effort stops changing anything,

effort stops arriving.

This is not failure.

This is emotional economics.

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The Underbelly Essence

Tenure is not the enemy.

Tenure without accountability is.

Permanent jobs don’t damage academia.

Permanent comfort does.

The tragedy is not that some teachers reduce effort.

The tragedy is that the system doesn’t notice —

and rarely, if ever,

asks for more.

Good teachers shine anyway.

Mediocre teachers float.

Bad teachers vanish into committees.

And academia moves forward

exactly as fast

as the slowest person in the room.