By Wael Al Sayegh

I am a bare foot traveler on a path whose Devine source of light, is referred to as the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

I am follower of Messenger who teaches us that black skin is just as beautiful as white. That women are just as honorable as a men. That animals have feels and that the poor and helpless have a right in the unused assets of the rich.

I am a child of the UAE and a son of Dubai

Tolerance for us is like sand in the desert,

It’s a given. It’s a natural state of being.

In our country we have Churches, Hindu Temples and Mosques. Each sharing its holy wisdoms openly.

The Churches teach us that our Kingdom is within

The Hindu Temples remind us that the Self is the Self’s Only enemy and that the Self is the Selfs only friend.

The Mosques here, preach love and compassion, regardless of if we pray to Allah with our hands folded, or straight.

Many of us here speak 3 tongues. I am an except to this, I only speak 2.

Our leaders always ask us to aim high and to give and get the very the best. So what’s higher than tolerance?

You see Tolerance is like you passing by the house in your neighborhood whose culture is different to yours. You see their festive lights from a far and you are not concerned. You are neither threatened nor insulted by it in any way.

Compassion on the other hand, is you walking up to the house, knocking on its door and going in to offer your congratulations.

To see your self in others, to feel their love, pain and their struggles, as if it were your own, to tell them, I too have lost a mother, a wife, a husband, a father, a son or daughter, I too know exactly what that feels like and I am here to tell you, nothing will ever be the same again, but I promise you, with time, things will get better.