Hossam Badrawi Official Website
Just as the dialogue about human values with young people was exciting, so was this dialogue with their families.
This is a dialogue that took place in a new way, in fact, on Facebook Time, and on Zoom, and it included different generations, who were attracted by the dialogue, so they participated and added. I have collected it in one article to spread the benefit and open new windows for thinking.
You will recall that we talked with young people in the previous dialogue about 35 human values that should be included in the lives of children and young people in educational institutions, the media and the arts, and we discussed the accusation by young people of the older generations that they have conflicting concepts, as a result of the behavior of this generation that contradicts the concepts of values they claim.
We chose the values of honesty/accuracy/beauty/tolerance/love/cleanliness/freedom/patience/courage/mercy/faith/knowledge/charity/thanksgiving/apology/forgiveness/giving/respect/compassion/gratitude/happiness/friendship/responsibility/citizenship/ Humility / Justice / Perfection / Righteousness / Pride / Listening / Sacrifice / Obedience / Respect / Solidarity / Integrity / Participation. We discussed with the youth the values of patience, courage, sacrifice, respect and obedience, and we disagreed and agreed.
An educated mother of one of the young dreamers told me:
I thought about the 35 values that you talked about, and I have two observations:
First:
Some of these values are overlapping by definition, pillars, or results, and accordingly it can be reduced to about ten main values.
the second:
The word (pride) mentioned in the enumeration of values has an unpopular connotation in the popular understanding, as it means arrogance or arrogance for the common people, and (self-esteem) or, as they say, (self-respect) or (self-esteem) can be used as an alternative.
In another call, one of the dreamers’ fathers said: I imagine that the question should not be related to values only, as it should be related to the institutional building that imposes, protects and works to activate these values and consolidate them in the conscience of society.
The dialogue of the “Dreamers of Tomorrow” café is a wonderful formula for spreading ideal ideas, reminding me of the New Nidaa Association and Dr. Saeed Al-Najjar in the early nineties.
In fact, it pains me, rather it tortures me to see the state shrink and withdraw from people’s lives and their life concerns, leaving the whole of society mired in the swamp of backwardness, want and chaos.
Sorry for the gloomy look and I hope I’m wrong.
I replied to him, saying: You are wrong, sir, because today’s youth are better than you think and more capable than our imaginations. I see latent energies and superior abilities that need to be launched, not repressed, they need freedom or closure, or the matter remaining as it is, to satisfy older generations who see their ideas as ridiculous, and in their means accusations and sins.
– In the midst of the communications of the older generations, Mahmoud Kaddah, my older brother’s grandson, asked me, saying:
Why did you mention faith among the values? Is faith a human value?.. Can you explain to me the definition of the value of faith and why it was chosen?.. What is the relationship of this value with human interactions between humans?..
I was pleased with his question and said to him: My son, the literal meaning of faith is to believe what has no proof, and it is said that every person needs faith in one way or another. With the increase in the area of knowledge, many of what we thought were unseen, science proved its proof.
My mind tells me that the space of faith for the ignorant is wide, and his space for those who search may be limited to what is after death, because belief in God has proofs for the sane and contemplative.
The truth is that faith has no value, as you say, Mahmoud, in the sense we have explained. My educated friend, mother and grandmother, says in another communication:
Belief in the Creator, Mahmoud, is a mental instinct created with man, and not a value he acquires.
This is what Dr. Tamer Zakaria disagreed with, saying that faith is an acquired value, and the two d. Amr Abu Al-Ezz, pointing out that faith is a gift from God, neither innate nor acquired.
In response to Mahmoud’s question about the value of faith in relationships between humans, the educated lawyer said: The term belief in another person or belief that this person is capable of achieving something or a goal, and it is a metaphorical belief in the sense of belief based on previous experience, practical testing and succession of achievements for this person, which is what He departs from the definition of linguistic faith by searching for proof, because the proof here is the precedent of success and achievement for this person.
My friend Dr. Ayman Al Mohandes commented on the phone from New York, raising other questions:
Are the values absolute or relative?
Are the values fixed or dynamic?
What are the relative values to each other?
And in the case of selection, do we have to prioritize one value over the other?
Can we separate between societal values and individual values?
– One of the young judges whom Egypt is proud of intervened in the dialogue, saying:
Dear Dr. Hossam..
At the outset, I would like to salute you for raising a very important and sensitive topic, because values and principles are the true mirror that reflects the extent of civilisation, awareness and advancement of peoples.
Therefore, I would like to respond to what was stated in the article in the following points:
1- The ongoing struggle between adhering to those values and adopting them as a way of life on the one hand, and the challenges and moral crises experienced by man on the other hand, is a living model of human suffering (and is not a problem of a particular generation), so how can we teach our children higher values and sing? Then they discover when they enter the fray of life that they must – in most cases – abandon those values so that they can overcome the difficulties and challenges of life. We are not in a utopia or in a perfect world, but rather we live in a world full of conflicts, conspiracies, personal interests, grudges, wars and hatred, and if someone adheres to these values along the line, it is possible that he will live a miserable life full of misery, and he may be subjected to injustice and become an easy prey, and that is not There is a flaw in it, but because there is a terrible flaw in the system of values and morals in most people.
2- This challenge must be faced with the utmost frankness and transparency so that we can overcome it. Unfortunately, the Egyptians have been subjected to a systematic process of eroding values and morals until…
Laziness, lying, hypocrisy, lack of attention to hygiene, extremism, contempt for women, opportunism, racism, sectarianism, corruption, chaos, randomness, fraud… and other reprehensible traits that made Egypt lag behind the countries of the world in The indicators of education, health, and the standard of living of the individual take precedence in harassment and corruption. Therefore, an integrated system must be formed – education is the most important pillar of it – to instill values and principles in the minds of new generations, and the state must make this its first national project – and the most important to reconfigure and restore the Egyptian character to become a loving person. Enjoying life – connoisseur of art and beauty – attentive to conscience – sanctifies work – accepts difference – respects women – is free of belief.. The state must harness all its resources and capabilities in order to achieve that goal. And he added: In the context of the youth’s views on sacrifice, I think that getting a return for sacrifice does not detract from it as an important and basic value for the continuation of life. Great but very rare.
I also liked the youth’s comment on the value of respect and obedience, and I agreed with them on the distinction between respect based on conviction and equality on the one hand, and blind obedience and absolute submission, which is actually considered a manifestation of slavery and should not be included in the values to be spread.
This hadith is a rest in which we combine values with each other, put priorities, and ask the readers to continue communication and participation, for the dream is our dream, old and young, old and children.
