In failed societies, there are a thousand fools for every sound mind

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MANY countries have suffered from adversities and some among them were able to emerge from those situations with the least damage because they turned their adversities into opportunities to create ideas that would help their advancement.

On the other hand, other countries are drowning in bickering and conflicts about who bears responsibility for the adversity, i.e. a crisis or a problem. When asked about the failure of societies, a conclusion offered by the Russian writer Anton Chekhov is pertinent. He said, “When there are a thousand fools for every sound mind and a thousand foolish words for every conscious word, the majority will always remain fools, and will always prevail over the rational person. If you see trivial issues taking precedence in a society over conscious speech, and the trivial people taking center stage, then you are talking about a very failed society.”

Many countries have fallen behind because they did not prioritize the language of reason over the nonsense that preoccupies the elite of the people. They did not realize that education is the task of collective awareness, not just memorization and obtaining grades and certificates, even if they are fake. Singapore made education a priority when Lee Kuan Yew assumed the premiership because he found an ignorant country rife with chaos and poverty. He therefore worked on implementing good education first, and within years, that island became one of the developed countries of the world. It has the highest percentage of educated people and creative people with ideas. Its per capita income in 2022 reached about USD 60 thousand.

This example shows how leadership can make societies vibrant and productive. In another example, when Elizabeth I assumed power in England in the 16th century, the United Kingdom was suffering from unrest and an economic crisis. She chose to work for her country, and dedicated herself to it to the extent that when she was asked about marriage, she said her famous phrase, “I am married to Britain”. Because of that, she was called the Virgin Queen at the time. She ruled for about 40 years, during which England developed at all levels. The basis was education, and granting freedom to people to express their creativity in all fields.

Centuries after that, the United Kingdom fell into a major crisis. As a result of the chaos that prevailed, demonstrations spread throughout the country and social division emerged. This continued until Margaret Thatcher was elected as Prime Minister, as she worked with everyone for the sake of Britain. An English politician once said, “You can discuss any ideas with the Queen, but you will not dare discuss them with Thatcher” because she was truly the “Iron Lady” about her country’s interests and her lofty defense of it.

Many experiences can be learned in this regard, such as in China where President Deng Xiaoping sought the help of a British expert of Iraqi origin to create the renaissance that took place in it. Today, it has become one of the strongest economies in the world. The same lessons can be learned from the experiences in Europe and America. There is no doubt that the leadership in any country is the basis, especially if it chooses competent assistants who are capable of being an aide to the ruler, and not a pharaoh over the people, as well as who are loyal to their countries and their rulers, and not to their interests. As Chekhov said, if there are a thousand fools for every sound mind, the majority will always remain fools, and will always prevail over the wise. Unfortunately, the majority of Arab countries have produced failed societies, because they introduced idiots and fought rational people and those with creative ideas. That is why wherever you look, you see chaos, lawlessness, and fraud in everything. That is why the Abbasid Dynasty’s poet Al-Mutanabbi was right when he said, “O nation whose ignorance other nations laugh at!”

By Ahmed Al-Jarallah
Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times
[email protected]

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