The sum of us

A few weeks ago, there was an article in the local newspapers
about a three-digit numberplate, E 15, which cost Dhs 3.12 million.

You could say that it was a noble thing for a son to give his
father this numberplate as a thank you gift. You could also look
around Dubai and start adding up the sum of people's lives.
Most of who seem not to add up to very much at all.

A fine example would be the mostly Indian and Pakistani
labourers who are quite literally building Dubai. Yet, they get
paid a meagre wage of approximately Dhs600 - 700 a month.
Most of which is sent home to their families. How DO they survive,
we wonder, as we sip at our Starbucks Skinny Latte Cappucino.

There are people in Asia who survive on less than one US Dollar
a day. Africa - same desperate story.

I always have to wonder if some people's lives are worth more
than others? We can only look to President Bush to see that he
thought the people who were involved in the 9/11 attacks,
were worth more than the people who lived down South, after
Hurricane Katrina devastated their lives.

Robert Mugabe has single-handedly ruined so many people's
lives in Zimbabwe. Yet, the world sits back and watches. After all,
there's nothing of real value in Zimbabwe. Now Iraq, there's a
different story. They have oil, don't they?

It seems that this is life though. We live in a consumer-driven
society, where more is better and the simple things in life are simply
not free anymore. And if you happen to have a magic three-digit
number, well, you should thank your lucky stars, and count your
riches once again.

As for myself? I try to remember that every person, no matter
how poor, has a wealth of family history and unique stories to tell.
And isn't that true sum of us?