Rumi at the School of Business

Addressing our students at the Beta Gamma Sigma, the International Business Honor Society, Ceremony at the AUB Suliman S. Olayan School of Business at the American University of Beirut

As I was reflecting on today’s meeting with you, I thought about Rumi, an early Persian mystic and poet. His sayings are inspirational and I want to share with you some of his insights.

“?????????? ???????? ??????????, ?????? ???????? ??????????. ???? ???? ???????? ???????? ?????????? ??????????????, ?????? ??????????????.”

At a university, we talk a lot. We talk in classes, we talk in hallways, we talk in cafeterias. Sometimes in our desperate attempt to talk more, we fail to listen. Remember though that by learning how to talk, a child learns to argue, negotiate, and ask for her right. How often as we grow older, we forget the power of the spoken word and we rely more on the power of the "sword" to get our way. We might be sometimes tempted to use the power of our position, our title, our status, or our inherited privilege to get our way. We forget a thing that we learned in childhood; there is so much power in the word that we fail to use.

“?????????? ???? ?? ???????????? ???? ???????? ??????????, ?????????? ???? ???? ??????????????. ?????????? ???? ?? ???????? ???? ???????? ????????, ?????????? ???? ???? ????????????. ?????? ???????? ????, ??????’?? ???????”

One thing that I am sure you all share is that you have a passion. This is evident from your accomplishments. Keep it up and do not lose it. The hardships of life sometimes get the better of us; they take us down; they drain our energies; but keep in mind what Rumi says: As you go through life, you might face times when you just want to give up, take a step back, and listen to Rumi saying “????????. ???????? ?????????????? ???????? ????????. ?????????? ???? ?????????? ??????????????????.” And when you want to walk but do not know where to walk or how to walk, just walk “???? ?????? ?????????? ???? ???????? ???? ?????? ??????, ?????? ?????? ??????????????.”

“???????? ???? ?????? ???????????? ?????????????? ?????? ?????? ????????????????????.”

You might agree with me about the importance of passion, but one cannot be reasonably passionate about things he or she does not love. Explore yourself; dig deep into what makes you tick; what drives you; what interests you; what energizes you. If you know more about yourself, you will know the things where you will make a difference, a big difference. You will be able to do it, not only with diligence, hard work, and passion; you will be able to do it with love.

?????? ?????? ???? ?????????? ???? ?????? ???????? ???????????? ???? ?????? ???????? ??????????:

“You have been invited to become a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, as you have shown an outstanding aptitude for business studies and have demonstrated your work ethic and determination. This event is a testament to your hard work. It symbolizes your induction into a very exclusive group of top business scholars. From the pool of Beta Gamma Sigma chapters, only the top 10% of undergraduate students, the top 20% of graduate students and some of the most accomplished business practitioners are eligible to be recognized as members.”

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