Do you remember where you were the first time you saw a rocket fly past your balcony? I do. And those are two sentences I never thought I’d write.
To many people I know that come from countries that regularly face the wrath of their colonizers, abusers, and other evil entities, this barely registers. I have friends from Lebanon, from Palestine, from Ukraine, and many other countries where just seeing a rocket and not having it destroy their neighbor’s building is actually a good day.
I’ve been lucky enough in my life that I am not one of these people. For me, seeing a rocket (even if immediately followed by its destruction) is still far from normal. It’s not scary but it’s surreal. Hearing it ups the ante from just surreal to also jarring. Knowing how scared some people are and what’s going not far past our borders takes it from jarring to worrying. And so forth.
The fact remains though that surreal, jarring and worrying aren’t great feelings but they don’t come close to what many other people are going through.
I’m a lucky guy in life. I live in a country that prioritizes defending its residents and does a damn good job at it. I enjoy my days and generally love being alive. I bask in the warmth of sunlight and I get to feel the breeze of the salty sea air anytime I want. Many people would do anything to enjoy the freedoms, luxuries and privileges that I do.
A mixture of where I live and the work I’ve put in to get here means I can carry on with my stress-free existence and focus on what mountain I want to climb rather than what avalanche will bury me.
All of that allows me to continue my existence but I also know that the undercurrent is there. I see layoffs left and right, I see people selling houses and ditching their cars to head back home. I see a region slowly sinking deeper and deeper into a darkness brought on by forces outside of their control.
Dubai keeps the physical chaos at bay. Nothing can fully contain the emotional and mental chaos many of us feel.
I know this is all inconsistent. Even writing all of this feels like contradictions left and right. But when’s the last time you saw a rocket fly past your balcony?
Writer Path 