Frem awarded an Honorary Doctor in USEK

03-07-2018

MP Neemat Frem attended the graduation of “Class Happiness” at USEK as the guest of honor to deliver the keynote speech of the ceremony, and to be awarded an honorary doctorate, in recognition of his brilliant efforts and achievements at the educational and patriotic fields.

The ceremony was attended by Father in chief of the Maronite Order Neematallah Al-Hachem, President Father Georges Hobeika, ministers and deputies, Reverends, members of education and administrative commissions, Board of Trustees members, military, civic and educational officials, as well as graduated students and their families and friends.

Frem Speech

After decorating Frem with the honor sash of the honorary doctorate, he delivered a speech in which he recalled his memories of his pursuit of truth and happiness:

“Father in chief of the Maronite Order Neematallah Al-Hachem, President Father Georges Hobeika, Your Excellencies, Reverends, members of education commissions, dear students and their families, dear beloved.

I stand in front of you this evening, with a strange feeling in my heart; seems like yesterday I was a student seeking the same dream as yours today.

The moment Father Georges Hobeika asked me to deliver a speech in your graduation, and the moment I started writing it, I didn’t expect this opportunity to recall my life’s flashback, from my childhood until today especially that I am not used to writing but to talk from the heart.

I didn’t realize how perseverant is the invisible hand holding mine since then, a stubborn hand, but an elegant, compassionate and loving one.

I didn’t realize that every person had a destiny, a path and a message, whatever was this called, he still had to live it.

While I was recalling my life memories, a certain moment struck me, and I think this moment goes back to my first teenager years when I used to have a constant question in my mind: What are you looking for in your life, young boy? Is it happiness or truth? Which one matters more to you?

This question became an obsession haunting me until I decided clearly and steadfastly and in a heroic way to seek the truth. The pursuit for happiness and joy was the last of my concerns, not that I didn’t love myself, but that I was ready to lose it in my pursuit for truth.

The truth, in my opinion back then, was about knowing the answers for those questions: How? Why? When? How passionate I was, at a certain stage of my life, in gathering information, linking it, analyzing it and making sure to understand all aspects of it: How things do work? How things were made?

I was fascinated by astronomy, aviation, mechanics and chemistry. I was amazed by the Viking lander which landed on Mars surface 1976, and how amazed I was by its images sent to Earth, images of the Martian surface and orange/red soil.

In my truth-seeking journey, I discovered that knowledge is an intellectual sport, sculpting the brain.

Years later, I progressed in scientific knowledge of different fields, and naturally I went seeking for common aspect in diversity, for the link between creations. The same question popped up in my mind again asking why? Where’s the logic in all this greatness? Where is the coherence and what’s binding everything?

I couldn’t ignore the obvious signs repeated in every scientific information I was learning: from the planets cycle to the electronic one, from the magnetic field to the gravity one, from stars ages to the institutional process, from light and heat spectrum to music frequency range, from seasons sequence to stages of human life, from circulation to economic cycle.

I became fully convinced that creations are not subject to coincidence theory, that the sole Creator fingerprints were undoubtedly obvious in the whole creation. Only then, I reached a new phase in knowledge-seeking, a phase of discovering this great architect of this great creation.  I reached an amazing conclusion: as the Creator is one, the creation purpose may be one also, were undoubtedly the human being plays a key role.

Dearly beloved, I wouldn’t have understood the ultimate precision of the first powerful Big Bang explosion if it wasn’t to create a growing expanding world in a certain speed allowing the formation of stars.

I wouldn’t have understood the effort of the Creator to establish an electrical balanced control in an absolute precision of the atom components if it wasn’t to create the Substance.

I wouldn’t have understood the coordination and control of a star explosion of a certain weight and size if it wasn’t to form a solar system, a sun of the size of ours and a planet far from the sun at this particular distance with this particular speed, rotation and bending, if it wasn’t to form our planet with its characteristics, different seasons and day and night succession.

I wouldn’t have understood its ultimate chemical composition with this precision and control of its temperature and levels of seas and water in it if it wasn’t to bring life to it. 

I wouldn’t have understood the birth of this Life and the growing of different living species with evolution of their genetic code from few genes to thousands of them if it wasn’t to create the human being.

I wouldn’t have understood the amount of his brain cells and his characteristics if it wasn’t to generate consciousness or capacity of research and communication.

And I wouldn’t have understood the capacity of research and communication if it wasn’t to live a certain life, that I don’t understand its dimension and can’t imagine its size by myself. 

Humankind began accumulating knowledge and experiences through generations, and social units were organized in the same form of the cosmic order units, so that the societies could resemble the Creator.

The accumulation of these experiences resulted the transition of men from prehistoric age to the age of great empires. At some point, creation was surprised from the intervention of the Creator through consciousness of human beings, supernaturally, with infinite love and amazing grace… He was born. The ultimate truth was born and the countdown started for some end…for the end of an era and the beginning of another.

Ladies and Gentlemen, knowing Jesus closely through his intervention in history and the gift of the inspirational Holy Spirit, and deepening into Jesus truth, the Son of Man, through generations, formed the missing piece for me to go on in my journey, a truth-seeking journey of light-years.

By getting to know Jesus we understand that absolute truth is not revealed if we only search for it, but it’s given to those who deserve it and this is a new concept. This is a divine truth from above, “For many are called, but few are chosen” (Matt. 22:14), a truth that comes out from the heart, derived from living and not from expertise, a truth that sets you free, a truth that fulfills you with soul wisdom, purity of vision and clear inner peace, so you get touched by great joy and divine happiness. This truth is unrevealed to many and isn’t complete without impartiality, love and forgiveness. A truth living on redemption and impartiality, overflowing with joy and happiness, feeding on love, forgiveness and giving hope.

This truth doesn’t fade away, but it grows by itself towards perfection.

In a summary of this initial journey of mine, I tell you dear beloved that, while you are leaving an elegant organized world to enter a chaotic world of complicated life, everything is coherent and continuous. We live within different dimensions but interconnected, for we are from one Creator and one moment.

I learned that when the human person started to understand the laws of nature in the Enlightenment centuries, the thrones of kings and sultans began to roll.

However high up political affairs are, laws of nature, production and economy remain higher. If we don’t reform productivity in our country, the growth of the public depth will not stop and we will not escape the great collapse.

And I learned that true knowledge brings you closer to pure faith, and away from uptight fundamentalism. For the true knowledge overflows with happiness, love and peace.

And because each one of us has his own godsend and mission, and because high nations are a blessed soil and a rich space for their young potentials and innovations, I beg you when you enter a world floundering with hatred and ignorance, to get engaged in building the nation with perfect coherence with the laws of nature, the purity of knowledge and the inspirations of the soul.

Lebanon will no longer be a symbol of failure, incapable of managing its affairs, a burden for its citizens and a disappointment for its lovers. It will no longer be a nation that encumbers its children with depth for a coming generations, in which despair among its youth reaches a physical suicidal level.

Do not accept anymore to overrule everything you have learned in the name of sectarianism and narrow politics. Do not accept anymore the absence of productivity in the core of our coexistence, for the diversity in unity will enrich each compatriot and will be a living proof for the world, of the one God’s sons step, and together, towards a promising future.

This is how we build a country in which People are First, because a human person is the center and the essence of creation.

May Lebanon be the land of People’s happiness and growth, within the cosmic journey towards the end of time… and beyond. 

Congratulations

God Bless you all

Long live the USEK

Long live Lebanon “

Professor Hobeika speech

Father Professor Hobeika said that Frem’s Family was always generous towards the nation, since the late Minister Georges Frem through the spirituality of the Hermit Karim Frem (who took the name of Charbel) cousin of MP Neemat Frem.

The President of USEK stressed the importance of continuing the workshop of quality and excellence, so that the USEK will be ranked among the most advanced degrees of higher education level in the world.
He recalled how the University was awarded the Gaïa International Prize last June by the Prince of Montenegro and a high-ranking European delegation. The prestigious British institution, the world's leading university, has ranked the Holy Spirit University among the top five universities in Lebanon and among the 651 leading universities in the world at 28,000 universities worldwide.

The father congratulated the graduated students wishing them an open horizon to fulfill their dreams.

Students’ speech

The student Sarah Maroun Estephan recalled the fear and hesitation of the start of this journey, which transformed into self-confidence and determination by establishing a sense of belonging. She shared with the attendance some memories, challenges and life lessons that consolidate values in order to take responsibility beyond degree, in preparation for the greater challenge, being grateful in the name of students for the efforts of parents and teachers.

The ceremony also featured a concert by Carine Ramia and her band.