Moral Principles
By Dr. Edmond Melhem
Antun Sa′adeh formulated a genuine philosophy known as al-Madrahhiyyah or the philosophy of Syrian Social Nationalism, which reflected our national identity, our social reality and our genuine character and ideals. This philosophy consists of a set of moral principles, which aim to eradicate the causes of our people’s miseries and improve our national life.
Sa′adeh believes that principles exist for the sake of peoples and for the sake of society and its life and that “every true principle must serve the life of the nation.”
He also believes that morals are at the core of every system if it is to be successful. Therefore, he formulated his ethical principles to elevate our people to higher levels of morality and to establish a decent, good and beautiful life for the whole nation. His national principles, he asserts, do not only mean beautiful appearances on papers, but rather an effective force in life that aims to unite our people and to direct our attention and our efforts towards the national cause of our Syrian nation.
These national principles, I believe, offer the solution for our problems because:
1- they constitute the foundations for our national unity, freedom, independence and sovereignty;
2- They bring our people together and unite them around a common cause; hence, enabling them to feel connected and empowered to rally for unified action and to effect real change;
3- They foster social intolerance, solidarity and collaboration;
4- They connect us to a grand vision of a better society and they provide the hope that our future will be bright;
5- They enable us to believe in our talents, skills and creative mentality;
6- They make us believe that changing things is not impossible and they encourage us to develop self-confidence and to confront and overcome obstacles;
7- They make us realize that we can achieve extraordinary things when we believe in our strengths and work together as a united nation;
8- They demand that each individual should give loyalty to the whole nation and place the national interest ahead of all other partial interests.
By embracing Sa′adeh’s moral principles, we can eliminate the corrupt conditions of our society; liberate our homeland and prohibit the interference of other foreign countries in our affairs; we can also create a secular, democratic and viable state void of injustice, oppression, exploitation and discrimination of any kind.
By embracing Sa’adeh’s clear moral principles, we can live a life well lived – we live with honour, pride and dignity.
Let us embrace these moral principles, which will certainly guide us towards goodness, beauty, freedom and victory.