AKES,T Letter to Staff, 6 April 2006
This letter to staff appeared in the AKMSS staff room on 6 April 2006, the last day of term before the Easter break.
History of a Failure
What [Hazrat Ali] thus is telling us, is that we find knowledge best by admitting first what it is we do not know, and by opening our minds to what others can teach us.…
But accessing knowledge, is only the first step. The second step—the application of knowledge, is also demanding. Knowledge, after all, can be used well or poorly—for good or evil purposes…
Throughout history, the application of knowledge has often been determined by a few powerful rulers—or by highly dominant governments. But I believe the hour is passing for these outmoded, top-heavy ways of deciding how knowledge should be utilized.
—Address by His Highness the Aga Khan at the Commencement Ceremony of the American University in Cairo June 15, 2006
