It's been long due, given the time I've spent in the Middle East, finally it happened rather belatedly, a week long trip to Dubai.
With world's tallest building and the largest shopping mall to name a few the economic aspirations of the Emirate is obvious. With dwindling oil resources, their move to be a strategic hub between West, East and the Middle East for business and focus on tourism is a mixed bag of success stories. Awe inspiring accomplishments and failed dreams, trying to bite more than one can chew scenarios, no its actually the opposite, there is too much to bite but a tad few to chew. Empty apartments, office spaces and stalled mega structures cannot be missed.
The collective ego of the society is attention seeking and mostly shallow, an amplified reverberation of self indulgence of the masses comprising of a high % of floating population from across the globe. Some are there to please and some are there to be pleased. Its all about the money, some are there to earn, some are there to burn. It is basically a 'I want' go to city. A place to indulge and just pamper yourself. For fear of sounding all too self righteous, please take note, I was there for the same. Like the nice doc we met put it 'Dubai is good but Saudi is better for family and saving, you can come anytime you want vacation'. I nodded in affirmation.
The blue and pink collar working class people there in a way are so similar to what we see in Mumbai. If you are willing to work you can have a decent life. It doesn't have a rigid structure and one size 'must' fit all approach like in say Singapore with respect to cost of living. In Dubai a blue or pink collar expat be it an Indian,a Pakistani, a Pinoy or a Sri Lankan is most likely to find a place to have a meal at a cost that is affordable and well within their means. The comparison stops there, by no means is the pace in Dubai as hectic as Mumbai.
The Burj Khalifa- what an epic effort! The very name and its history of how it it went from Burj Dubai to Burj Khalifa overnight is reflective of the Arab culture of looking out for each other, business built more on relations, trust and honor than just numbers. A project of such magnitude could not have been done without its fair share of pain, struggle and its start up history unfortunately being a part financial meltdown.
The most intense moment I had at Burj Khalifa was not while at the top of the building looking down at the concrete jungle brightly lit, it was on my way to the exit. The hordes of pictures of people involved in building right from fitters to engineers to project managers from various countries and from contrasting social strata. The pictures potentially had those whose single month salary might be equivalent to a few decades of savings of some workers that stood alongside them, both flashing a bright smile. No no I am not trying to chastise the society, it is what it is, I just am sharing the mixed feeling I was left with at that moment.
As for the flashing smiles and greetings,again there are smiles and smiles. There are these animated 'Hi how are yaa' that puts me off and triggers this 'get your guard up' response to these small gestures and unspoken words from strangers that makes you totally feel at home. And then there are situations when you totally feel at home when your ability to be 'aware' is challenged, like in a bar :-)
The happiness quotient in Dubai. Typical of a place that is focused on boosting tourism and exotic everything. For some happiness quotient tied to bling and the zoom, plastic, glamor and badge value. A.k.a attention seekers and their happiness quotient directly proportional to their ability to seek attention. Then there is one segment whose phone bills form a major chunk of living expenses living as an expat. Not just Dubai in any country ask any of the expat taxi driver what the best international phone plans are in that country and who the service provider is, they can tell. For some happiness is in listening to the sons and daughters and the loved ones narrate how their day was from far away. For them its more about paying attention to a smaller circle of near and dear than seeking attention from an ocean of strangers and plastic smiles.
Oh well, sharing is lovely when its for the sake of sharing, it gets dizzy when in name of 'staying connected' one gets into this madness of seeking other's affirmation on good and bad of one's life situations, partner, job, religion, breakfast, lunch, dinner, restroom break, coffee break, hangout spots to name just a few. Ask facebook.
This disease and the fanfare after its cycle of spike, hype and one's own learning cycle, cures by itself. And then what remains is just utter dissatisfaction.Look closer and we can see this unconscious act of seeking affirmation comes from basic insecurity in life. Where is scope for happiness when one is insecure?
When we start comparing our lives with others, even the pristine aspects of life that are qualitative - contentment, caring and sharing gets polluted and made quantitative and even those noble virtues turns vice. When comparison creeps in you want to scale what you are content with, set boundaries on whom you care for and compare and contrast how much you share.
When these acts aren't spontaneous anymore and done for an audience in mind life becomes a business and just a deal with everyone including your so called near and dear.
The volition behind caring and sharing is more important than the act itself.
Well as we go through this life, we all slowly but steadily learn that the externality of life situations can do only as much to be truly happy. Things, achievements, and these fleeting moments in a tourist place can only tickle you at the surface level.
Inherent happiness is from my response to my life situation in full awareness, not from what others make or think of it.
'I' am aware now that this 'I' is seeking affirmation of 'I's understanding of life. So 'I' will stop.
To get back to where I started, like the one word Sun TV end note for new movie review, here is one for my trip.
Dubai to buy.
With world's tallest building and the largest shopping mall to name a few the economic aspirations of the Emirate is obvious. With dwindling oil resources, their move to be a strategic hub between West, East and the Middle East for business and focus on tourism is a mixed bag of success stories. Awe inspiring accomplishments and failed dreams, trying to bite more than one can chew scenarios, no its actually the opposite, there is too much to bite but a tad few to chew. Empty apartments, office spaces and stalled mega structures cannot be missed.
The collective ego of the society is attention seeking and mostly shallow, an amplified reverberation of self indulgence of the masses comprising of a high % of floating population from across the globe. Some are there to please and some are there to be pleased. Its all about the money, some are there to earn, some are there to burn. It is basically a 'I want' go to city. A place to indulge and just pamper yourself. For fear of sounding all too self righteous, please take note, I was there for the same. Like the nice doc we met put it 'Dubai is good but Saudi is better for family and saving, you can come anytime you want vacation'. I nodded in affirmation.
The blue and pink collar working class people there in a way are so similar to what we see in Mumbai. If you are willing to work you can have a decent life. It doesn't have a rigid structure and one size 'must' fit all approach like in say Singapore with respect to cost of living. In Dubai a blue or pink collar expat be it an Indian,a Pakistani, a Pinoy or a Sri Lankan is most likely to find a place to have a meal at a cost that is affordable and well within their means. The comparison stops there, by no means is the pace in Dubai as hectic as Mumbai.
The Burj Khalifa- what an epic effort! The very name and its history of how it it went from Burj Dubai to Burj Khalifa overnight is reflective of the Arab culture of looking out for each other, business built more on relations, trust and honor than just numbers. A project of such magnitude could not have been done without its fair share of pain, struggle and its start up history unfortunately being a part financial meltdown.
The most intense moment I had at Burj Khalifa was not while at the top of the building looking down at the concrete jungle brightly lit, it was on my way to the exit. The hordes of pictures of people involved in building right from fitters to engineers to project managers from various countries and from contrasting social strata. The pictures potentially had those whose single month salary might be equivalent to a few decades of savings of some workers that stood alongside them, both flashing a bright smile. No no I am not trying to chastise the society, it is what it is, I just am sharing the mixed feeling I was left with at that moment.
As for the flashing smiles and greetings,again there are smiles and smiles. There are these animated 'Hi how are yaa' that puts me off and triggers this 'get your guard up' response to these small gestures and unspoken words from strangers that makes you totally feel at home. And then there are situations when you totally feel at home when your ability to be 'aware' is challenged, like in a bar :-)
The happiness quotient in Dubai. Typical of a place that is focused on boosting tourism and exotic everything. For some happiness quotient tied to bling and the zoom, plastic, glamor and badge value. A.k.a attention seekers and their happiness quotient directly proportional to their ability to seek attention. Then there is one segment whose phone bills form a major chunk of living expenses living as an expat. Not just Dubai in any country ask any of the expat taxi driver what the best international phone plans are in that country and who the service provider is, they can tell. For some happiness is in listening to the sons and daughters and the loved ones narrate how their day was from far away. For them its more about paying attention to a smaller circle of near and dear than seeking attention from an ocean of strangers and plastic smiles.
Oh well, sharing is lovely when its for the sake of sharing, it gets dizzy when in name of 'staying connected' one gets into this madness of seeking other's affirmation on good and bad of one's life situations, partner, job, religion, breakfast, lunch, dinner, restroom break, coffee break, hangout spots to name just a few. Ask facebook.
This disease and the fanfare after its cycle of spike, hype and one's own learning cycle, cures by itself. And then what remains is just utter dissatisfaction.Look closer and we can see this unconscious act of seeking affirmation comes from basic insecurity in life. Where is scope for happiness when one is insecure?
When we start comparing our lives with others, even the pristine aspects of life that are qualitative - contentment, caring and sharing gets polluted and made quantitative and even those noble virtues turns vice. When comparison creeps in you want to scale what you are content with, set boundaries on whom you care for and compare and contrast how much you share.
When these acts aren't spontaneous anymore and done for an audience in mind life becomes a business and just a deal with everyone including your so called near and dear.
The volition behind caring and sharing is more important than the act itself.
Well as we go through this life, we all slowly but steadily learn that the externality of life situations can do only as much to be truly happy. Things, achievements, and these fleeting moments in a tourist place can only tickle you at the surface level.
Inherent happiness is from my response to my life situation in full awareness, not from what others make or think of it.
'I' am aware now that this 'I' is seeking affirmation of 'I's understanding of life. So 'I' will stop.
To get back to where I started, like the one word Sun TV end note for new movie review, here is one for my trip.
Dubai to buy.
