Sometimes to rise in life, one needs to go deep within, says Wael Al Sayegh.

To rise up in life, you may sometimes need to take a few steps down – into yourself, says Wael Al Sayegh

The Itihad Museum is a modern sand dune-shaped building situated under the giant UAE flagpole at the end of 2nd of December street in Dubai. This is the historic location where Rulers of the Emirates came in 1971 to sign the agreement that would create the federation of what is now the United Arab Emirates.

Once you enter the building and pay the entrance fee, your experience begins with your descent into the earth. This I found awe-inspiring as a storytelling device. The message was clear: as a county, nation and people, you have to travel downwards to connect with your roots.

We often think that life is all about ascent, growth and reaching for the stars. As a modern society, we have become obsessed with the idea of expansion, and rising upwards at all cost. We are fixated on the concept of climbing our own personal mountains, but when we finally reach the summit we are struck by the sight of yet another mountain even higher than the one we are standing on, issuing a further challenge. And off we go again! Perhaps that is why I found the experience of descending into the earth so refreshing.

Museums can sometimes feel old and worn out, but the Itihad Museum is the complete opposite. It has the energy of both a modern art museum and a cinema theatre. The latest touch screen, visual and audio technologies are used to creatively narrate the story of the making of the UAE. However, although the modern gadgets were impressive, actual, physical items were what caught my attention the most. These included tools, uniforms, shoes, old travel documents, stamps, helmets, pens and diaries used before the time we became a country, all perfectly preserved and displayed. Then I came across one item that literally stopped me in my tracks. It pulled me in as though it had woven a spell.

The item was a pair of sunglasses worn by Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the first President of the country. The Carrier black shades were very simple in design but somehow they evoked deep thoughts and feelings inside me. I had no idea why this one item felt so significant. But in matters of the soul, very often logic cannot provide the answer. So I intuitively decided to go within myself for a possible answer to the question of why these sunglasses were calling to me. Just as the pearl divers of old dove into the Gulf for treasure, I dove head first into the “gulf” of my own soul. As I reached the bottom of my imaginary sea bed I started to see many oysters scattered around. This was how many people lived before the federation - scattered, divided and separated. It was a time marked by a great, looming but uncertain change. Tribal feuds had to be placed aside in order for all of us to deal with the very important business of birthing and presenting a nation which was completely new to the outside world.

Change, real significant change, is never smooth nor feels secure. Fear, hesitation, and doubt are in the air and it’s in that specific environment that a hero is called upon, a person who has the imagination, courage and character to pull people together and help elevate them from the bottom of their existence to a place where they can truly be valued and appreciated.

The hero in this story is the owner of the sunglasses, Shaikh Zayed. Creating unity was his genius and like all geniuses, it chooses its subject. The task at hand was not simple, to unite a divided group of tribes into one unified nation without jeopardising their individual souls. At the time, the task was deemed by many experts in the political field to be unlikely to succeed. With the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on one side and the Sultanate of Oman on the other, the pressure to deliver was far greater than most of us could imagine today. I found the sunglasses to be an invitation, a calling, a reminder to live one’s own genius and realise one’s own unique and unlikely success story in life.

Is your soul scattered, full of doubt, just like the Emirates before the federation? What Zayed-like hero in you will answer the call? Which part of you will gather the scattered gems from your sea bed and elevate them upwards, towards unity, peace and prosperity? The chances of success might be slim, but maybe, if we believe in our worth and work smartly enough, we can all be like Shaikh Zayed and stand tall under the giant flag of our accomplishments, with the sun of our achievements shining on to our sunglasses as the Bishet (Arabic Garment) of our souls flaps behind us in the winds of eternity.

Have a heroic Friday everyone.