Selected Speeches of His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I
Important Utterances on life from His Majesty Date:
Fri, 9 Mar 2001 19:23:16
-0600
Education
By
what means can man's achievements in this world be best remembered? Many people
believe that this could be done by the erection of physical and material
structures; others believe that their works are in themselves lasting monuments.
We for our part, think that mans contributions which live to influence the life
and progress of posterity, are the most permanent monuments that can ever be
erected.
Knowledge paves the way to
love, and love in its turn fosters understanding, and leads one along the path
of great common achievements. Although the fruits of education can be applied to
evil as well as to good things, you Ethiopian students should avoid having a bad
reputation and be eager and energetic in your studies, be loyal to your country
and obediant to your teachers, eschew lies and follow truth, respect good and be
heirs of good work. Through education one can keep himself healthy; one can
acquire the knowledge of many other things; but without health, education and
growth of a population are unattainable. Education and the quest for knowledge
stop only at the grave.
Agriculture
From
the beginnings of recorded history, right up to the Middle Ages, and even as
late as the beginning of the Industrial Age in which we live, agriculture has
always constituted the fundamental source of wealth for the human race. For
example, when the world was sorely distressed by lack of food immediately after
the Second World War, Our country, although she herself had for five long years
been strugling to recover from the terrible damage inflicted upon her during the
war, was yet able to perform a significant service in supplying foodstuffs to
the countries of the Middle East.
A
country and a people that become self sufficient by the development of
agriculture can look forward with confidence to the future. Only when a solid
agriculture base has been laid for our countrys commercial and industrial growth
can we ensure the attainment of the ultimate goal of our development programme,
namely a high standard of living for our people. Commerce and industry, being
concerned in the main with production and distribution, can only develop and
profit from existing resources, but cannot actually create things which did not
exist before. Even in this nuclear age, in spite of the revolutionary changes in
mans way of life which science has brought about, the problem of further
improving and perfecting agriculture methods continues to hold a position of
high priority for the human race. It is hard to believe that a substitute can
ever be found for the occupation of agriculture--a sacred task graciously
conferred upon man by God to serve as the source of his well being and the basis
of his wealth. Agriculture and Industry are indispensable one to the other. Only
close co-operation between these two branches of knowledge can guarantee the
fulfilment of Our programme of economic development for our country.
Engineering
Although
the first institution where men received formal training in engineering was
established only a little over two hundred years ago, the science of engineering
is one of the worlds oldest. The existence from ancient times of marvels of
construction--among which Ethiopia proudly numbers the monuments at Axum, the
remarkable rock churches and other engineering wonders--attest to the long
history of the profession. Mans education never stops. Place your faith and
trust in Almighty God; for, without His assistance and guidence, man is but a
weak and puny creature.
Leadership
He
who would be a leader must pay the price in self-discipline and moral restraint.
This entails the correction and improvement of personal character, the checking
of passions and desires, and an exemplary control of ones bodily needs and
drives. We all know that the need for good leadership in every walk of life is
much greater today than ever before. Every aspect of living demands guiding
hands. It is important however to remember that leadership does not mean
domination. The true leader is of different sort: he seeks effective activity
which has a truly beneficient purpose. He inspires others to follow in his wake,
and holding aloft the torch of wisdom, leads the way for society to realize its
genuinely great aspirations. In every significant event in history you will find
a courageous and determined leader, an inspiring goal or objective, and an
adversary who sought to foil his efforts. In any normal society, every one has
some opportunity to show himself ! as a leader. The leader is marked out by his
individual craftsmanship, his sensibility and insight, his initiative and
energy. Leaders are people who raise the standards by which they judge
themselves-- and by which they are willing to be judged. The goal chosen, the
objective selected, the requirements imposed, are not merely for their followers
alone. A love of high quality, we must remember is essential in a leader.
Dependability is another requirement in a leader. To embark successfully on a
career involving leadership demands a courageous and determined spirit. One mark
of the great leader is that he feels sufficiently secure to devote his thought
and attention to the well being of his subordinates and the perfection of his
task, rather than being constantly worried about the appoval or disapproval of
others. Leaders have to submit themselves to a stricter self discipline and
develop a more exemplary moral character than is expected of others. A leader
must stay ahead.! Further a leader must possess initiative, which is the
creative abili ty to think in new ways and do new things. He cannot be content
merely to see new trends and take advantage of them, he must keep his
imagination vividly alive, so as to originate ideas and start trends. A word of
warning is in order here. To help ones subordinates or dependants at the cost of
harm to the public is tantamount to sacrilegs and blaspemy. A good leader is
devoted to his work and will willingly forego even the demands of sleep to see
its accomplishment. This does not mean that he is impetuous. On the other hand,
he maintains a balance between emotional drive and sound thinking. No matter
what our point of departure in speaking of leadership, we reach the inescapable
conclusion that the art of leadership consists in the ability to make people
want to work for you, when they are really under no obligation to do so. The
true leader is one who realizes by faith that he is an instument in the hands of
god, and dedicates himself to be a guide and inspirer of the noble! r sentiments
and aspirations of the people. To sum up, there is no power on earth that can
take a clerk from his desk or a mechanic from his bench, and easily mould him
into a leader. To develop oneself, one has to develop ones own initiative and
perseverence--a man has to strive in order to
grow.
From Selected Speeches of His
Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I.
Posted: Fri - February 21, 2003 at 12:00 AM