The more of the world I get to see, the more I am reminded that we humans are a lot more similar than we are different. Yes, we have language and religious differences, our skins may be different colours, and our native dress and traditions may differ, but at our core, we are all trying to survive, we are all looking for ways to grow, to support our families and to improve our lives.
On a recent and rare escape from Dubai during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, I was struck by a section of beach in Fujairah where people had set up small food trucks. This simple image stuck in my mind and made me think back to my childhood in England and heading to the beach in the summer. On either the east or west coast and at places in between, there were similar situations where people were trying to make a living by selling local foods. I have seen very similar ventures in all of the places I have lived. In America, in Mexico in Germany and in Singapore, similar situations occur where people are just trying to make a simple living by selling food. From food trucks to street vendors and every sort of improvised food vendor vehicle in between. This simple food truck nestled into a barren landscape close to the beach in Fujairah struck me in regard to just how similar we are beyond all the superficial differences.
At our core, we are all simply looking for ways to survive. Now, more than ever.