Those working in the field of human development know that the most important conditions that make a psychologically healthy person who is able to deal positively with himself and others is that this person has high self-esteem
Self-esteem is what establishes balanced relations in society based on dialogue and mutual respect.
The most important factor that raises human self-esteem is his existence in a society shaded by a culture that respects human dignity, life, rights and freedom, and the existence of laws that consolidate and protect this culture.
When a person’s self-esteem rises, he becomes a good citizen because his self-esteem will prevent him from breaking the law and from keeping silent about the mistake and will prevent him from offending or harming others.
I do not want to underestimate the positive impact that human development practitioners have on institutions and societies that lack laws and practices that respect human beings, but I say that many of their efforts will be in vain unless those laws and practices exist that respect human dignity, life, rights and freedom.
What happens in a society where hundreds of courses on self-confidence and self-esteem are held if those attending these courses are deprived of their basic human rights, such as their right to expression? What happens in an organization whose manager provides each employee with ten courses on self-confidence and self-esteem if that manager treats employees as objects and not as human beings with their feelings and needs? Do we expect these courses to increase employees’ self-confidence or self-esteem? Courses like this in an organization led by such a person will entrench the dichotomy between words and deeds in the organization and will increase the employees’ sense of contradiction between what they learn and what they apply and this atmosphere charged with lies and contradiction will pull the organization back rather than push it forward.
The Carlton-Carlitz hotel chain is considered one of the most successful hotels in the world, and when Stephen Covey, author of the book “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”, investigated the secret of the success of this institution, he found the secret in the slogan it took for itself, which is“We are ladies and gentlemen, we serve ladies and gentlemen,” and Coffey himself made sure that this institution actually lives this slogan and doesn’t just hang it on the walls. Every worker in these hotels feels no less valuable than the people he serves and this high sense of self-esteem made the loyalty of employees to this organization and their dedication to work to make it successful at the highest levels.
What applies to the institution applies to the whole society, If we want to close distances, shorten time and achieve the best results in building the human being at the lowest cost and shorter duration, we must seriously demand laws and practices that respect the human being. When I was in Britain, the world stood up and did not sit down when the policemen assaulted one of the citizens, This assault has not been turned into a humorous drama and I cannot imagine a single Briton who can laugh at a drama in which a policeman overstepping his powers and assaulting a citizen! Rather, this attack became the main concern of the press and the story subsided only after apologies, reviews of police powers and referral of violators to justice. I think that the way in which British society dealt with this issue with its media, officials and intellectuals raised the feeling of every British citizen of his self-esteem more than a thousand lectures or training courses on self-esteem held in a society that considers the assault on people’s rights and dignity normal and even turns the forms of this attack into television material for laughter and humor!!
Yasser Al-Aiti