In the 5 weeks between the New Year and the Chinese New Year, I've had to travel to 7 cities, and in the process keeping my mind open to the societal and cultural differences in each city. Bangkok still ensnared in political quagmire. Hong Kong is chugging along being a special appendage of China. Jakarta is beginning to cripple under lackadaisical infrastructure. KL is still struggling to deal with the elephant in the room (racial divisions). Malacca is still cashing on its past glories. Riyadh is looking to Malaysia for lessons. Singapore is becoming more like a normal country (with social justice programs).
There is however one similarity. In each of these Asian cities, I meet people with a real aspiration to advance. The genie is out of the bottle. This desire for a better life has fired optimism and imagination. It's mankind's best fuel for progress.
But we know some fuels pollute. So what of this optimistic aspirations I have witnessed? Beyond economic growth, are we ready for its second order effects.
And here, I found an inspiration from an unlikely source. In Riyadh, I met Sami - a driver of Pakistani-Afghan descent, and firstly a Pashtun: an ancient tribe with a culture of hospitality that is unequalled amongst other cultures I am familiar with. He described what pashtunwali means and esp. how they treat their guests and neighbours.
In fact, the world will need a bit, no a lot more of that; ambitious economic progress needs a dose of cultured hospitality so we can all do well together.
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