Saudi Vision 2030, reform and character change

“People tend to believe that one’s character would never change, but in the true sense of the word I think this is wrong, because it rather means that during human beings’ short life, motives cannot forge themselves deeply to eliminate what’s left of the millenniums,” said the late philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.

“However, if we imagine a human being at the age of 80,000, we can discover that his character can change a lot. In fact, this same human being can give birth to succeeding generations, each one different from the other. It is the short period of life that makes us constitute this wrong belief about human beings, and pushes us to defend his virtues,” he added.

“Unchanging character” makes people “static human beings,” and makes them hold on tight to their habits, even if they make their lives hard or pay a price for conducting a wrong lifestyle. They reject change even if new and brighter opportunities await them.

The main reason behind that is directly linked to psychology, because human beings are afraid of the unknown and of the future. In addition, being static creatures serves the social, economic and political interests of powerful individuals who brainwash people and monopolize their money.

Another reason is that past experience – such as broken promises or stolen money – does not encourage people to advocate change. As a result, people have lost hope in change, believing that attempts at reform are a means to silence them without achieving concrete results.

Vested interests

Humans’ short life and impatience heavily influence their way of thinking and behavior, according to Nietzsche. These are the reasons why some commentators wish success for the Saudi Vision 2030, but in reality are reluctant and discouraged.

Many political parties oppose any development or reform in the kingdom because it does not serve their interests. Therefore, they spread propaganda to convince people to reject change. What about low-income and working-class citizens who are mainly targeted by the socio-economic reforms? They do not understand national change, how it will be introduced, how long it will take to notice the effects, or what role they should play in the process.

As such, ministers must communicate with their citizens and offer them practical plans. They must open a scientific and analytical dialogue with them and accept their criticism. They must take into account the ideas of intellectuals and specialists to ensure the success of Vision 2030.

“The state is the entity that encompasses the institutions that belong to a historic group,” said philosopher Eric File. This group, constituted by citizens, have the right to monitor institutions’ performance and role, and to establish legal mechanisms to measure productivity. This way, everyone can participate in the realization of Vision 2030 and be proud of making the dream come true, a dream on which future generations will rely.

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Hassan AlMustafa is Saudi journalist with interest in middle east and Gulf politics. His writing focuses on social media, Arab youth affairs and Middle Eastern societal matters.