KUWAIT, Jan 13 (KUNA) -- One year after the passing away of Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the themes in his speeches remained relevant to Kuwaitis. Throughout his tenure as Kuwait's Amir, Sheikh Jaber had stressed the values of hard work and time management.
His first speech as Amir following late Sheikh Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah's death, Sheikh Jaber said, citizens should work hard and use their valuable time to a better Kuwait.
In his last speech, delivered on October 25, 2005, on the occasion of the last ten days of the holy month of Ramadan, the late Amir of Kuwait stressed the importance of Ramadhan as a month of time management ordained by Islam. He spoke to the youth saying, if they truly loved life, they should respect time as the fabric of life, learn to work hard in any job, "a needle in the hand of a working seamstress has more honor than a sword sitting idly in the hands of a hero."
Kuwait University's dean of social sciences Dr. Yaqoub Al-Kandari told KUNA, at the first anniversary of Sheikh Jaber's passing away his speeches that asserted the importance of time and human development are remembered by Kuwaitis and remain relevant.
"The significance of time is a value that must be instilled in our citizens at an early age," Al-Kandari said. "Another value that must be expressed is the significance of vocational jobs no matter how trivial they may appear to our youth," he added.
A country can only develop by its citizens, Al-Kandari continued, social development experts have concluded that nations that were built by imported labor and expertise would never rise to required levels of development.
Hard work is what will make a nation able to keep up with modern times and evolve from a consuming society to a producing society, he added.
Kuwait University Professor Dr. Ahmad Al-Bustan agrees. He told KUNA, the late Amir's wisdom was imparted to the Kuwaitis by his speeches where he stressed the values of hard work and time management.
Al-Bustan added, the family has a large role in preparing its children to face life's challenges. Awareness of the value of time is the first step to success in addition to completing any job to the best of one's ability, he said.
Educational institutions in developed countries often offer career guidance and counseling to help students choose careers that they are best fit for, he continued.
Following the late Amir's guidance, people should learn to value time and use it in ways that will develop the person and the Kuwaiti society, Al-Bustan concluded.
By Kawthar Al-Ghanim
