Dubai

For being such a hot place, Dubai’s pretty cool ;-) Everywhere you go the air conditioning is brutally cold and you have to go outside to warm up ;-) But seriously, what the United Arab Emirates has built out of a pile of sand is quite remarkable. I’ve heard the political system here called a “benevolent dictatorship” which is a fascinating thought. Being used to participatory democracies, I’m not sure I like the idea of a benevolent dictatorship. I would rather ‘participate.’ Not that I’m very involved in what the government of Canada does with the money it collects from its citizens, but I do like the idea that we have such great social programs and provide assistance for people who need it. I’m quite proud of that. I don’t think I’d like the idea of a few men (or as in some other countries with 1.3 billion people – a lot of men) deciding how the country is run and what is done with the money that the government has to spend. I realize that our political system is far from perfect, but I like the idea that I can vote for or against men or women who hold certain perspectives on the world and who will represent me in matters of government. Dubai is a nice place to visit and I hope to be back to teach another emotional intelligence course, but I wouldn’t want to live here – too cold ;-)  Oh, Canada!