An old friend whose affection is renewed in my heart, even when distances and life’s papers scatter our steps and we never meet, wrote a text message saying: “Hello, Al-Aash.. How are you? Would you like to check on you?” That question ended with a drawing of a white heart, and my response to her was: “I am on an extended coast visited by waves whose strength is controlled by the moon… Between the sea and the mountains are beaches and valleys of memories and nature… Thank God for everything beautiful we see in the world, in those around us, and in us.” .. Reading is a cure.. Thank you for the beautiful question and the white heart.” Her response was: “Enjoy.” That word was followed by an image of a red heart. I left my phone and sat in my usual corner, facing the sea from the east and the mountains poking their shy glances from the south. Waiting for me near a cup of Sulaymani tea without sugar were three books: “The Genius of Khaled,” “The Sane,” and “A Telephone from Andalusia.” What should I start with? I started thinking about the common denominator between these titles, and I realized that it is “humanity.” But what is humanity? The tangible ones are the human being with his fat and flesh, especially when he is in a human group, and the intangible ones are his qualities that indicate goodness, compassion, tolerance, cooperation, kindness, understanding, brotherhood, and the most important of them is humanity. All of them are meanings that our fathers and grandfathers embodied for us in their sacrifices and in the values and principles upon which they lived and died. There are sects, sects, Sunnahs and predecessors, customs and traditions, mores and modesty, and there is behavior and conduct, and there is the money and the laws of life that ensured the security, security, and peace of mind that we enjoy today. Does humanity lead to happiness? Yes, I lived through the generation of the first two and touched their happiness represented by concealment, coexistence, peace, respect for the property of others, cooperation, and the simplicity on which their daily lives depended, and what was carried by ships carried by the wind and others piercing the sand…no commercial brand, no first class, no coffee made from animal waste, or ice cream with gold leaves.
Yesterday, the same friend sent me a message, “Asha… What are your aspirations for the year 2024?” I told her, “You mean the Year of Humanity.” I have 3 initiatives. First, raising the level of performance and loyalty to the UAE, its leadership, my work environment, and my family, public, and global community. Second, I will see others through the lens of measuring their happiness and I will be a part of that happiness. Thirdly, I will not blink an eyelid before I do something positive, even if it is a donation of one Emirati dirham. These are my goals in the Year of Humanity, and do not forget, my dear, that the basic development that occurred in the first human groups depended on cooperation and solidarity, which ensured their survival, discovery, and building kingdoms and civilizations that relied on science, then control and colonization… and the rest is up to you.
To those who know, I say, every year, the Emirates, its rulers, its people, and the residents of its land, with the beauty of their humanity, see the world as it should be, full of goodness, security, acceptance and inclusion of others, peaceful coexistence, empathy, solidarity, and cooperation, all of which are principles, a way of life, and a nature that God Almighty has bestowed upon man and no one else.
#Year #humanity