I am really interested about the education I am latin american and I Think that the fundamental base of development of a country is the esducation.

For the most part, achievments in political reforms innovates social reforms, just as political reforms do for social ones. Though the process may be slow, advancements on one side end up helping the other.

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You do not have to invent the wheel, brother. This means, you can gleaned from the histories of other nations lessons you can apply to your present dilemmas and problems. You may thereby avoid mistakes already made and reach quicker the goals you want for yourself and your countrymen.

My people, more than a century ago, faced this problem: Should we demand to be free (independent of a colonizer) or should we educate ourselves first so we will be ready to live independently? So similar to your question, isn't it?

More than a hundred years ago, our putative leaders come out with this answer: You can not be free until you act freely. Freedom is not granted, gifted, or given away by one to another, be they individuals or nations. Freedom has to be earned, to be deserved., often, to be fought for, to bleed over, and sometimes to die for. It is not a medal to be hanged on your neck as you graduate from a course programmed by another, it is not a reward bestowed--it is what you become as you act and live it out. That means, you have to be free to be free! So, when is the time for a nation to be free? When the people demands it with fervor enough not to countenance denial.

On this, you have to go beyond your skin, so to speak. You have to think nationally, you have to embrace your people so firmly you merge, you become one with them. You have to be "educated" together to be free together. How can you be free if your nation is enslaved? You have to "become another person--a false/faux one."

Educators worth that title of honor will tell you, most of what is important can not be taught but caught. Values such as honesty, self-reliance, compassion, industry, dignity or honor, and the like, can not be learned by memorizing lessons. They have to be lived out, be part of the learners' experiences. So is the love for freedom and the independence of your nation. For freedom must be loved and lived or it is just an empty word.

Freedom and education go hand-in-hand or they will lead you astray and thus be a danger rather than a beneficial boon. haven't we seen educated boors, learned goons riding rough shod on the rights of others, etc.? And crimes committed under the aegis of freedom?

Freedom enables education to take place; education empowers freedom to rule so that truth may prevail and establish justice that will allow you and your people the space to achieve your destiny, in peace.

But when is the time for this to take place? And by whom should it be led?

My people have grappled as well with these questions. And our answer was: "If not now, when? If not us, who will?" (The cry had an undefinable ring of power in our own language; it suffers in my translation. But, you get the drift, right?)

Best wishes!

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Just this morning I noted in the newspaper that the Syrian government has cut off access for Syrians to the Facebook web pages. Again, without freedom of access to education and communication with the wide world how can a society ever arrive at democracy or even appreciate what it means to be free? Totalitarian governments will always spoon-feed information and stiffle innovative thinking that are the hallmarks of democratic societies.

It's sad - very sad.

Education is second name of liberty,liberty from ignorance,illiteracy,fundamentalism etc.I donot know how you are separating two?

Ideally I agree with Mr. Moubayed but from a practical perspective how can his proposition work? What is more education in Arab countries? More radical islamist teaching? Will this lead to faith in democracy and women's rights? It seems you have to free your people and let them make choices and hopefully the good choices will outweigh the bad ones in time.

It seems to me that without freedoms people naturally take less responsibility for the "big" issues that determine the health of a society. They don't have the freedom to responsibly select good leaders so they rely on the strongest or most forceful leaders who feed them steady diets of "blame someone else" and anyone else but me.

I share Mr. Moubayed's belief that education about diverse cultures and thoughts is on the path to true freedom. This is sound advice for all societies today, in the West as well as in the East. As he has pointed out, sadly many times only the superficial is experienced.

I appreciate his statement.

I am palestinian guy, live in USA and I agree with the author. I also may add that questioning things around us as a society will be essentail for us to go beyond. RELIGION was debated in my brain so many hundreds of times. My rational conclusion was it is a brainwash. It does not matter if it is Islam, Christianity or Judaisim.
I happen to born to Muslim Parents.That is exactly why I was brought up Muslim till Mid Thirites.
My famliy and society taught us that religion can not and should not be questioned in your head as long as you live if you want PARADISE for eternity
The whole world must end the ARAB-ISRAELI conflict jusly and according to international law, otherwise religion will be used in our geographic area if injustices occur. in my view, extremisim will always find its way to injustices in an area where religion was born.
one more thing, i would like to add on the Israel Lobby in the USA. based on rational and reason, i sometimes question the existance of Allah, Why in the hell do you think i can not question Israe's Lobby and its influence. sometimes good and many times disastarus .It exists. we know it. but it seems we are not free to talk about it. I know I can. Can you? I am a palestinian that happens to be free!

Who told you that America wants democracy in Syria? THere will never peace between Israel and Syria which mean it will never be a "American democracy" in Syria despine of eductaion, small military budjet, elections, and so and so. Term democracy is USA property - All right reserved, it is not depend from political institutes and society id depends of Washingthon loyalty and American interets. Forget about word, only weapon is only tool that USA understand and hear.

I had complained about the comments before but since its thanksgiving in the US nobody is monitoring them at the moment.

But Shabatti Bekdil Akyol how the hell did you come up with that idea? Not that I like anything about dogan media but I think you seriously need to see a doctor. Perhaps take some serious medication. You are as sick as Ted Baines

you are keeping the comment which describes prophet Mohammed as a pedophile posted. Please take it away

The one who made offensive comment about Prophet Mohammed PBUH above is a know Turkish journalist who makes his living by attacking Prophet Mohammed. he works for the Dogan media corporation which works for Israel.

Part of the discussion when considering freeing the American (Black) slaves was whether they were ready for freedom. This given their years of enslavement; lack of education, diverse job skills, lack of this and that: those "factors" that supposedly enable "man" to really be a free self-sufficient man. Some proposed a gradual end to slavery as they educated the blacks to "take thier place" in society".

It was finally decided that to wait for the right answer was delay the liberation for another century or two; it was not a prequisite to liberation. It was decided this way because the question was a false question.

In America, you are free to starve to death; commit suicide; not go to school; not work. You let the people go "free" and they will decide, eventually, what is best for themselves: hopefully, it will be the best for society (or they could elect Hamas). That is indeed the cost of freedom. Anything less than unconditional inalienable freedom; is not freedom at all.

Thank you.