In 1992 and after realizing that my degree from Lebanon didn't amount for anything in the USA, I pursued an MBA degree. The material I learned in graduate school re-ignited my enthusiasm for education. For example, I learned about the future value of money. My new precepts produced two life changing connections: The golden era didn't conclude with prophet Mohammad’s life. I mean, tools existed to plan a prosperous future spanning from Finance, Organization Management , and ehm … ehm … Communications; therefore, things can get better. The second and more profound connection presented itself in class during an exam.
I took a test with over twenty other students. On instinct, I tracked the teacher with the corner of my eye as I frenzied to answer. What happened next floored me! Nonchalantly, the teacher left the classroom! She just walked out without clear accountability for punishment should we get unruly. Anxiety set in. Immediately, I looked up. Once another student detects the teacher’s absence, there will be chaos. We will start rubber necking or whispering an SOS for a difficult question. Any second now! No one flinched! One minute passed. Nothingness! Just utter silence. I summoned every ounce of determination to get back into the exam. When I left the class, I experienced an onset of a new outlook on life.
My aspiration for an ethical way of life rose to a sky-scraping elevation. Alternatively, the 'in my countr-ry' pride continued to plummet. Like with everything I had experienced since landing in the USA, I resolved to identify the source of my habituation.
My earliest memories included getting caught in the web of remorseless cheating during tests. Incidentally, when a student got away with cheating and had a successful outcome, he was praised for his wit. The comedians in class predicted a parliament position for those who aced their exams utilizing state of the art cheat sheets.
Fueled with the feeling of entitlement, a government employee could amass a sizable fortune. In Lebanon, for example, the feeling of entitlement stems from the belief that the government robs its citizens. Muslims presumed that the Christians used money to pave their side of the road. On the other hand, the Christians figured their money got siphoned to the Palestinians through the Muslims. Since democracy in Lebanon was founded on religion, a holy heist ensued torching the nation from 1975-1990. Allegiances to foreign forces bloomed.
Militias formed with funding from foreign countries and politicians sold their allegiances to the highest foreign bidder. The price of local principles was commensurate with the global influence du jour. We, here, paid for influence. I get it. Wars are fought with brute force, diplomacy, building allies with our enemy's enemy, negotiations, coalitions, etc. However, one short-term approach that always imploded in the long-term is to turn the corrupt SOB there to our SOB. Caveat: The corrupt SOB is one of the root causes of the problem.
The traitor, our ally, streams rotten morals into the heart of patriotism. By putting his interests over his country's, he loses his constituents. Turmoil ensues. Where turmoil exists war is incubated. The citizens defect. They lean on their religious figures for salvation. It is those very factors that birthed the Taliban. The citizens of Afghanistan flocked to the Taliban to get help, eradicate corruption. In the long-term, however, Taliban leaders reverted to the cultural application of the sharia. They accepted "gifts."
