Weak humans result in weak nations [Archives:2003/644/Viewpoint]

Editor
I consider the humiliating situation that Arabs are in today to be the result of long decades of ignorance and negligence to the value of humans living in the Arab world. When we are talking about the military or economic incompetence of Arab countries, we are in fact talking of the lack of those two things in Arab people.
What made the West and far East so advances were mainly the care they gave to humans. Human resource development is the core and most important element in any country because it is humans who build any nation, so if humans are well-educated, qualified, skilled, healthy, and productive, they become the driving force behind development and prosperity for the whole nation.
But looking at our pathetic situation here in the Arab world, we can easily see how humans are given the least of care and attention. The educational system is in most Arab countries out-of-date. Employees are not paid enough to cover their daily expenses. Life conditions are so tough that some families avoid sending their kids to children and instead having them work in cleaning cars or selling goods. This is why the next generation will most probably suffer even more.
In a time many developing countries have started developing their own electronic and machinery industrial complexes to produce electronic equipment and on many occasions vehicles and other types of machinery, Arab countries are lagging far behind and are still importing extremely basic tools such as needles and razor blades.
Our Arab leaders are still obsessed with purchasing weaponry and military equipment and dedicating large portions of their budgets on them, while giving less attention to education and health and other matters that concern human beings and lives directly.
Some try to justify this by comparing the super powerful countries with us and saying that it is their military might that made them superior, and hence by purchasing military equipment, we are enhancing our superiority.
But if we look into the matter carefully, we would see that those super powerful countries were only able to produce and manufacture such technologically advanced military equipment by promoting science and scientists, and by taking good care of potential inventors and engineers. Soldiers and military officers are merely users of that equipment, but it is scientists and professors who are involved in production. Hence, it becomes obvious that focus on those scientists is the reason why those countries were able to produce laser-guided missiles and other advanced military weapons.
One cannot ignore that education and health should be a prerequisite for any country wishing to develop and prosper, simply because humans are the pillar of any strong nation, and just as strong pillars created strong countries in the West. Weak pillars are the reason why we have turned to be among the weakest countries on earth.
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