The Art of Dialogue

Monday, 04 December 2006
By Sabria S Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette

Last week another round of the national dialogue concluded with a list of general recommendations that were of no difference from those that came out of the previous forums. It added little value to the event, especially with the absence of implementing authorities. However, two things about this dialogue stood out. First, the participation of high-level representatives from the Ministry of Education, which was related to the theme of the dialogue.
Second, the collective agreement among the participants to give copies of the recommendations, work papers, discussions, audio and videotapes of the three-day event to the Ministry of Education. That has also added more value to the recommendations in the hope that one day they will be taken into consideration and fully examined and implemented.
I point this out because past national dialogues on specific topics lacked participation of ministry officials who could address and implement solutions.
This year’s national dialogue emphasized the importance of education as the best tool for uplifting the nation and its development process. Education should be considered a tool through which nations mold their youth in a way that goes along with their beliefs as well as the changing world around them.
Schools should not foster isolation where students leave only with superficial knowledge that does not help them to survive elsewhere. It also should not be a cookie-cutter factory that molds minds to be identical.
Education should be the means that leads the student through life and experience toward a better understanding of himself. It should always end with positive changes in man and society. The molding process of the youth’s intellectual excellence should be equally joined with spiritual qualities and values in order to achieve the required balance between the soul and the body.
Yet a deep look at our education reveals that it does not provide the desirable atmosphere for the student to know the truth by developing a critical thinking. It lacks in the basic information to develop good and proper attitudes toward family and society. It does not focus on the importance of students’ contributions as members of their society.
Our students, unfortunately, are taught how to realize their full academic potential but not to promote good citizenship. Values such as responsible freedom, integrity, human dignity, responsibility and acceptance of authority and differences are almost absent from our textbooks.
Principles of dialogue, which are essential instrument to fostering relationship and promoting understanding among the different segments of society, are nothing but a distant dream in our schools.
Sometimes it seems to be absent from the minds of educators that when we teach our students how to truly communicate and use the art of dialogue, we are increasing their expected performance and understanding. Peace and harmony are also a result of dialogue and mutual understanding. The spirit of hostility that appears each time a dialogue or even a debate takes place among us even if only in the newspapers, tells a lot about the philosophy and background upon which our education was built. The lack of freedom of expression inside our classrooms has also contributed to bringing up a generation that is hostile to whatever is different.
The principles of dialogue should be taught at school. Consequently, educators should acknowledge that for a true dialogue to occur it needs to take place within a protective environment of mutually accepted rights and responsibilities. Dialogue, , according to the Center for Organizational Energy, should be rooted in two fundamental values: respect for the person and trust in the process itself. Each person has the right to define himself and articulate his beliefs without being labeled by others. At the same time, people should be taught how to seriously question their assumptions about others and to evaluate their own attitudes, values and positions on issues within the context of their religion and tradition.
We should learn to deal with each other from a position of mutual trust, based on an expectation that others come to the dialogue in a spirit of honesty and sincerity. Finally, we have to learn the difference between a dialogue and a debate where we listen to each other to find flaws and disagree.

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