Drifters

Dubai. A city that rose from nothing to something. A very big something at that. A city that has become the face of the country. A city that….is Dubai.

After spending 4 hours in the Mall of Emirates, I realized something very key. Dubai wouldn’t be what it is today without all the input it has had over the years. Input in the form of ideas and elements

from different cultures and mindsets from across the globe. Diversity, in a nutshell.

Yet, I realized that even though these diverse ideals live inside the same boundary, a majority of them seemed to be so, for the lack of a better term, alone. Each person flocked to their own kind. No one made an effort to step out of the box.

An Indian, a Russian, and an Italian walked into a mall. They all sat in their own seats, a foot away from each other. No one made a move even though they were all feeling…left out. There is no joke. It’s a fact.

With intense diversity comes the formation of sects. Similar gravitating towards a similar set of ideals. Creating their own little boundaries within an already existing boundary. But that isn’t the issue here, is it? It’s the huge “Nearly impossible entry if you’re not like us” graffiti they have painted over these walls that is the problem.

But that isn’t always the case. You see people from different backgrounds becoming friends too. People from polar opposite cultures draw close. But ask yourself this, did they just meet by chance once day and decide, “Oh well, they seem nice. Let’s go mingle!” or was it some other catalyst involved? Coworkers, school mates, Tinder matches, etc. etc. There is almost always a catalyst involved.

And that got me wondering. What is this the root of this problem? Why are people like this? Is there something wrong in reaching out for no apparent reason? And it all munched down to one thing: Inability to be accepting.

People have been living under the same boundaries for so long that even when they step out of that boundary, they try to recreate the existing social regime wherever they go. They aren’t willing to accept change right away. They have been drugged by the endorphins of a particular drug (society) and have become so addicted to it that they have withdrawals just by thinking about quitting it.

 Many of you will probably say “Why should I quit what I was born into? I lived my life in that environment and it is who I am?” Fair enough, really. It stands true that a person’s psyche develops significantly when they are growing up and the society they are brought up in plays a massive role in it. But you misunderstand. When I say quit, I don’t intend for you to completely abandon whatever you were in. What I am asking you is to explore the vast world in front of you. This beautiful mosaic of millions of cultures that make 7 billion people who they are. To be accepting of change and open the gates to your cultural fortress. And then you will see the beauty of what lies ahead. Maybe you won’t like some colours. And that’s okay. You made the effort, and that’s totally worth it. You delved into the adventure that is humanity and found out another aspect of it. Another person who was totally different from every person that you knew. Wouldn’t that be interesting?

And to all those of you who already make frequent travels into this realm, don’t stop. You might think you have perfection and that you don’t have to delve deeper but look around you. You are surrounded by people and each one is different and yet you haven’t even scratched the surface. People are the most interesting things on this planet by far. Each one so alike yet so very unique. Each one a collectible in your mind. An experience, per se, that you will never get from anyone else. (No pun intended) And isn’t that worth collecting? Why stop at 10? 20? Why not keep an ever expanding box and keep filling it until you cannot anymore and then look back and say “Wow, that’s a huge load!” (Again, no pun intended).

So go ahead. Mingle. Open your mind to new things. To new experiences. To stepping out of your little “comfortable” zones. Say hello or konichiwa or hola or namaste. Say yes to that weird looking sushi and say hell yes to that scary looking ski drop. Most of all, say hi to that person who is sitting near you alone, having their burger at the food court. Don’t forget, if you feel alone, you’re not the only one. Maybe just like you, they’re afraid to take that first step. So, why don’t you do it instead?

Or you could just whip out your phone and play some Flappy Bird. The call is yours.

29^th September, 2016 15:17, Raheel Haque.