We want strong generations with intellectual and analytical capabilities that appreciate the independence and culture of others, and at the same time have a strong will to confront and challenge everything that may constitute a threat to our nation and homeland.
My talk here is directed at teachers at different stages of public education, who undoubtedly have the most difficult tasks of the community. They work on building young personalities to have faith and good character, that are thinkers and free spirits.
Today we see shocking conflict not only at our national level; but it has reached the level of local communities. It is a time of discord, everyone around us reiterating their latest slogans, ideologies and beliefs. You are either with us or against us.
Every day we face a new battle, I will not talk here about the quality of the battles, but what I want is to find ways to reach the best solutions to get out of the mentality that led us to this dark road of discord, and as teachers before us today is the responsibility of starting work on change, confrontation and then dealing with crucial issues, before they worsen.
We should begin by screening ideas that have been deeply rooted in our culture, and it is time to face the challenge — how? By training our students to think out of the box, acquiring thinking and research skills, considering results and reaching wise decisions. If they did not do so, we will not be able to help them change, in preparation for rejecting everything that threatens their nation and their communities.
We would not be able to help them to identify bullying and tyranny, the collective programming by the few who do not care about the interests of the majority and only care about matters of profit and loss. Thus they would not be able to consider ways to help meet the challenges of the era of wars, hunger, disease, inequality, and discrimination based on sex, religion or ideology. What we want is to get away from it all, what we want is peace and security, what we want is love and compassion, what we want is dialogue and participation in construction.
We do not want hostile and weak generations; we want conscientious generations with strong capabilities, intellectual and analytical. Generations that respects the autonomy of others, their history and culture, but at the same time we want future generations to have a strong will to confront and challenge everything that might pose a threat to their nation, homeland; their communities, families, and yes, to every individual.
We should not ignore that most people’s list of priorities are to obtain a job, health care, a decent standard of living, security, housing and safety. Education is a foregone assumption. However, if education was on top of the list, we would have found mass movements of parents to pressure effective officials in the Ministry of Education, but what we see are just individual complaints that
on television or read about in our media. However, the important issues of concern to the average citizen are dealt with timidly, and hardly ever referred to again to view results of change, if any.
Other times we see complaints online, but until now, I have not heard of the formation of a parent association, or that one of the parents is chosen from the majority in any school district, to go and speak on their behalf and to insist on reaching agreements to ensure the desired change.
Yes we are not the best, but we also are not the worst, but it is our ways in approaching issues that are extremely frustrating. We must abandon empty arrogance that leads us to trouble, and teach future generations about humility and respect for those who disagree with us, we are not obliged to accept, but to act with patience and forethought. We must also teach them critical thinking skills, and train them to have will and determination to finish what they start, and not leave loose ends.
— Courtesy of Alwatan newspaper
We need to change ourselves not the world
