Mostafa Malekian: A Special Issue on Teacher's Day and Moral Education and Upbringing

I am very happy to be in the company of dear friends—friends who are engaged and active in the important institution of education and upbringing. Certainly, any joy in teachers is also transmitted to their students. The more I think, the more I see that there is no area in which we are thriving. In every area, there is ruin and desolation. So I do not know where to begin speaking. Moral education and upbringing, which in my view is the most important social institution, like other institutions—politics, religion, economics, the family, and so on—needs to be cultivated. I will present a few important points in this short time.

.

We must not make the goodness and happiness of life contingent upon the political regime. Even if you have the best political regime, it may be destroyed tomorrow. It could be destroyed by a foreign intervention or a coup. If the worst political regime is in power, it might last a hundred years. Therefore, one cannot say that because we have the best political regime, our life is guaranteed to be good and happy, nor can one make the goodness and happiness of life contingent upon the destruction of a bad regime. For example, a brutal regime like the Soviet Union, which destroyed half the world, lasted from 1917 to 1980, that is, 63 years.

In a friendly and well-meaning way, I advise you: do not make the good and bad of your life, and its goodness and happiness, contingent upon the ruling political system. While you must be sensitive to the pain and suffering of the people, at the same time, in parallel, provide a good and happy life for yourselves and for others whose lives are influenced by you. Sensitivity and vigilance regarding the performance of the political system that dominates people's destinies must be in parallel with attention to yourselves and the individuals under your influence. The individuals under your influence may be your family, or beyond the family, they may also be your students. For instance, someone like Gandhi had six hundred million people under his influence. In short, while vigilance and sensitivity to the conditions prevailing under a political regime must exist, do not postpone your own happiness on this pretext.

.

The corruption of a political system can, in one analysis, be found in two things. One is that its officials and functionaries either do not know the job they have undertaken, or they do not perform the job they know and have undertaken as they know it should be done. Apart from these two, corruption in a system seems to have no meaning. For example, suppose I become the minister of a ministry but absolutely lack the scientific, intellectual, and experiential ability for that job. I have undertaken a job here that I do not know. Or, from another angle, a person may have undertaken a job and knows the correct way to do it, but does not want to do it correctly because of personal or group interests. For instance, they know that building a dam in this region is neither necessary nor beneficial, but they do it for financial and material gain.

Of course, these two analyses apply to those who have power. If someone is placed in a position where they cannot do anything, they no longer have power, and their role is merely for show. They are a figurehead, merely having an appearance, but power is not in their hands. For those in whose hands power lies, their corruption boils down to one of these two things. Therefore, it seems that if someone's responsibility and position is for show, they either should not have entered that job in the first place, or if they did not foresee it and realized after accepting the post and position that they have no power, they must abandon that job and sever the umbilical cord of others' hope in them.

If an individual, with alertness and sensitivity, analyzes and monitors a regime and system based on those two parameters, they must first ensure that their own actions do not constitute an instance of corruption according to that analysis. That is, they should undertake a task they are capable of performing and have the ability to do. Likewise, they should perform that task according to what they know to be the correct way of doing it. In this case, no threat or enticement will affect them. The political struggle of every person is to accept any task they know how to do, to do it as they know how, and to remain unaffected by threat and enticement. Even if they go to prison because of this method, their imprisonment is sacred, because they were imprisoned for doing their own work correctly. Like a journalist who goes to prison for doing their news reporting and job correctly. But if a university professor lacks the necessary knowledge, thinking ability, deep understanding, and sufficient experience for teaching, and also does not observe ethics, and goes to prison for criticizing an official, this imprisonment is not worth a penny; because they themselves are also part of the same corrupt system they protested against. Their unspoken words to that official are: 'You go so I can come.' In reality, they are seeking a shift in power, not the correct performance of work. The honor of political prisoners, and their importance and status as role models, lasts only as long as they have been imprisoned for the correct execution of their own job and profession. If the magnifying glass of criticism is always on others and not on ourselves, the situation will not improve by going to prison. Everyone must be sensitive regarding the performance of their own work. For example, if I am a street sweeper who does my job well, I understand this as political struggle.

If each of us resolves not to do a job if we do not know how, and to do it correctly if we do know how, the situation will improve. Of course, no one is expected to do more than they are capable of. "Lā yukallifu Allāhu nafsan illā wus'ahā" (God does not burden any soul beyond its capacity) is not only God's decree; no just person expects more from a human being than their capacity. Capability also means doing our work well, and even if we are enticed or threatened, still doing our work correctly.

.

Another point I want to emphasize is paying attention to having a pleasant and good life; of course, pleasantness must be within the framework of goodness. By goodness, I mean living ethically. Ethical living can be in relation to ourselves, in relation to others, and with inanimate nature. One can also act unethically towards a garden, and similarly towards a dog. Pleasantness means trying, as much as we can, to gain the most pleasure from life and the least pain and suffering, provided that we do not violate ethical rules.

Despite everything we have been taught, being happy is a value. A person should derive the most pleasure from life. We should not be ashamed of being happy and hide our happiness. One should only regret a happiness that comes at the cost of trampling ethics. Happiness is our honor and virtue in life. What is bad is violating ethics in order to be happy. The culture that says a person should not be happy, and if they are, they must deny it, is a decadent culture. It is stated in the Quran, "Lā tansa naṣībaka mina ad-dunyā" (Forget not your share of the world), and the phrase "matā' al-ḥayāt ad-dunyā" (the enjoyment of worldly life) is mentioned repeatedly in the Quran.

So, one must pay attention to two matters: being good in the first degree, and being happy in the second degree. I say good-happy, not happy-good. That is, our life must first be ethical, and then, within the framework of being ethical, we should enjoy as much as possible. So, if for the sake of happiness we take bribes, slack off, hoard, cheat, practice usury, gossip, or commit injustice, it is bad and elicits the strongest condemnation. If you commit no injustice for the sake of happiness, do no wrong, and enjoy yourself within the framework of ethical standards, this happiness is nothing to be ashamed of.

We usually behave in the opposite way: firstly, we violate moral principles in order to be happy, while we do not even enjoy it, and if there is any pleasure, we hide it and adopt a complaining posture in life. Of course, there is no doubt that being good limits our pleasures.

In order to achieve a good and pleasant life, we must do three types of tasks. Do them yourselves and also teach them to children at school. The education system destroys children with certain programs. For example, the university entrance exam (Konkur) has become an issue that preoccupies children from kindergarten. Passing the Konkur has become associated with attending numerous and costly classes, and the children's entire lives are summed up in it. We take away all the goodness and pleasures of life from our own children and those of others, and from among the various dimensions of life, we focus on something rubbish like the Konkur. Something that pushes individuals toward the unhealthiest competition, where rivalry replaces friendship. Children raised for the Konkur view everyone as a rival from the very beginning.

This is that for a good and pleasant life, one must do three types of tasks in life, and it is good to tell children these from the beginning. First, a person must have financial and material independence in life so that they can provide themselves with a moral life accompanied by the most pleasure. To have financial and material independence, one must have an income. To have an income, one must have a job and profession. To avoid falling into those two calamities (the second point) in our job, we must have expertise. The first task is to pursue expertise for a profession. Of course, by expertise, I do not mean an academic degree. Expertise means having enough knowledge in a scientific, technical, or artistic field to the extent that you want to be in charge of a profession or job. This is technically called skill. Engineering, medicine, and management are techniques. Music is an art. The first thing that must be taught to children is that their primary activity should be gaining expertise in a field. Of course, it is not necessary for everyone to go to university, or if they do go, to study up to the post-doctoral level. They need just enough science, technique, and art to be able to have a job and profession through it and earn a living.

From the beginning, remove from their minds the awe of the university and the idea that only through this path can they take charge of a job or profession. God has never said anywhere that if you have a degree, I will give you sustenance.

A second set of tasks must also be done. Each of us has inner spontaneity and intrinsic motivation.I technically call this having an inclination. That is, each of us has a spontaneous and intrinsic interest in one or more things within us. People's inclinations are influenced by their personality and differ from one another. These inclinations are what cause your enjoyment and are not dependent on a job or earning income. The English term for it is hobby. For one person, reading books; for another, walking; for someone else, horseback riding; for another, playing chess; and for yet another, music might be among their inclinations.

Each of us has one, two, or several interests in our life. If a person is inattentive to these interests, it will leave very adverse effects on their life. A human being needs to be quenched. One's job and profession are for one's income, but what quenches a person is attending to their interests. Someone might be quenched by singing, and another person by going to the park. Everyone has their own pursuits. Although no value judgment can be made about these pursuits, it can be said that some interests create hardships, like certain social activities that also well up from within a person. Like those who walk a tightrope, knowing that one day they will fall from it. These things quench a person. Of course, how good it is when interest aligns with one's job and profession. But usually, in countries like ours, the alignment of interests with earning a living is a rare and impossible occurrence. Everyone's heart is in one task, and their hands are in another. These pursuits bring no income and even incur costs, but there is no alternative.

Women, especially, should pay attention that they also have duties toward themselves and must not forget themselves. Just as a child has a right to life, so too do their father and mother have a right to life.

In both the first task, which was income generation, and the second task, which was attending to interests, we were dealing with our own benefits.

The third activity is giving freely. Everyone, sooner or later in their life, reaches this conclusion. Psychologists consider the age of reaching it to be around forty, although some may reach it later, and rarely might someone reach this stage earlier. I am not stating the argument for giving freely from a religious perspective; even if someone is a pure materialist and thinks about its reason, they will arrive at the same conclusion.

We did not exist from the beginning to have any request. Rumi, in a couplet, has also pointed to this: "We were not, and our request was not." That is, what has been bestowed upon us was not for anything, not even a small request, and whatever I have, existence has bestowed upon me freely. My deservingness has not been the cause of bestowal upon me. Existence, God, or whatever other name you give it, whatever it has given you has been without your deservingness, and if something has not been given to some people, it has not been because of their lack of deservingness. Givings are not based on worthiness or unworthiness. They are absolutely not based on worthiness or lack of worthiness. Whether it be physical characteristics in terms of health, bodily strength, and beauty, or mental characteristics such as better intelligence, memory, learning ability, speed of transmission, strong understanding, and power of thought. Whether it be psychological characteristics such as being fearful, cautious, brave, courageous, open-handed, generous, or miserly, or social abilities; for instance, which family, with which father and mother, and in which neighborhood we are born was not due to our having or lacking deservingness. Certainly, the personality of a child who, from the beginning, had a father who was the object of social attention and esteem differs from a child whose father was not accounted for in society. The worthiness or unworthiness of the children was not the cause or reason for having such and such fathers. The abilities that a person acquires due to the natural environment are also not due to worthiness or its absence. For example, whether we are born in a desert climate, a temperate one, or a verdant one causes differences in us. So, everything has been given to us freely. Someone might ask why identical twins born under the same conditions can have different futures; for example, one becomes a university professor and the other becomes an auto mechanic. This shows that some things are in our own hands; for instance, with perseverance, we can change the course of our life. You speak of perseverance. I pose the answer with this question: Who gave perseverance to one and not to the other?

Psychologists believe that usually after the age of forty, when one's life experiences have increased, a person realizes that neither were we unworthy of what we were not given, nor were we worthy of what we were given. The more this feeling grows in you, the more a reciprocal feeling arises within you that if these things have been given to me freely, I should return a portion of them to existence. To give freely to those who have not been given, instead of priding myself on their lacks and using my possessions as a source of vanity and boasting. They gave to me without merit, so I should give to him to whom they have not given, without him being undeserving. In other words, they gave to you freely, and did not give to him freely. But we usually do the opposite. So not only should we not be boastful, but we should also have more compassion and tenderness of heart towards those who do not have what we have. Among blessings, those that are more important and have been given to us should cause greater compassion in us towards individuals deprived of those blessings.

Therefore, when you reach the conclusion that you have been given freely, in appreciation, you also return a portion of it. This is how one can be grateful. One must appreciate what has been given to me and not to others. So, the more freely someone has been given, the more freely they must give. Giving freely is precisely ethical living. Ethics differs from legislation. Even if we have excellent legislation, it is ultimately based on justice. Justice is the safeguarding of rights. To be a good citizen, an individual must act according to the letter of the law. A just person is one who neither violates another's rights nor allows their own rights to be violated. This is merely law, and laws and rights make us good citizens, citizens who act strictly according to the laws of the country. Living ethically is higher than being a good citizen. Being ethical means I do not violate anyone's rights and even give a portion of my own rights freely to others. Being ethical, in other words, is the same as giving freely. Someone who freely forgoes their own right performs an ethical act. Every ethical act is an instance of giving freely. If someone wants to be a good citizen, they must slap back in return for a slap, but if they refrain and forgive, that is an ethical act. Forgiveness is forgoing one's own right. So, living legally differs from living ethically.

Giving freely provides the goodness of life, and earning an income and attending to one's interests provides the pleasure of life. Without financial independence, one cannot live ethically, so we mentioned earning an income first, and on the other hand, until you yourself are quenched, you have no right to give to another. First, a person has a duty to themselves. Quench your own thirst, and then help others.

My eye is sated, my soul is valiant

Children must know that university is solely for attaining the first type of work, which is earning an income. Although it is not the only way to earn an income. There are many who have not gone to university and do their job well, and conversely, some who have gone to university and do not do their job well. We first tell children about the first work, which is having a job and profession, and then we present going to university as the only requisite for attaining a job and profession. We push them into the competition of tests and the university entrance exam, and this market becomes so heated that children imagine that to succeed, they must crush some people, and to climb the illusory ladder of the entrance exam, they must throw some people down. In this competition, mercy and compassion are destroyed. The entrance exam has created an unhealthy competition. A situation arises where it is said, "Man is a wall to man." (Sartre) Or in other words, "Hell is other people."

Teacher and student are aboard the same ship, and with cooperation, this ship will move. If a teacher tells their student something they themselves do not practice, it is unacceptable. "Kunoo du'aat al-naas bi-ghayri alsinatikum, ay bi-a'malikum" – Invite people through your actions. For example, if a professor spends all their time teaching to earn money, how can they advise others to pursue their interests?

The ancients called the balance among these three "wisdom." Balance does not mean dividing your time into three. Rather, it means establishing equilibrium and harmony between income generation, cultivating interests, and giving freely. If this balance exists, your children will also learn. For example, they will not disregard their inner child, and if their inner child seeks music, they will not forgo it in pursuit of more money.

In closing, I re-emphasize two points: first, lower the wick of your reliance on the political regime as much as you can. In parallel with attending to people's pain and suffering and socio-political issues, try to provide a good and happy life for yourself and those under your influence.

Second, establish a balance among these three (work, goodness, happiness). Not everything is money, such that you would sacrifice the second and third for it. There have been no shortage of wealthy individuals worldwide who either committed suicide or turned to narcotics and psychoactive substances, and derived no benefit from their wealth for the goodness and happiness of life.

.

---

.

.

---

.

.

---

.

.

---

.

.

---

.

.

---

.

.

---

.

.

---

.

An Overview of Education from the Perspective of Mostafa Malekian in a Meeting with a Group of Teachers

Audio and Text - in 5 Sessions - Transcribed by Farzaneh Dashti

Statements by Mostafa Malekian on Teacher's Day - 2004