True fact. If you haven’t left the comforts of your front or back porch and spend every waking minute bitching about this amazing country, you actually don’t get to have an opinion! I’m curious how you are able to make a commentary on what other countries should be doing if your only source of information is “Larry” your buddy from High School who goes to Vegas once a year?

I’ve had the benefit of travelling for work Internationally since 2012 and have visited over 50 countries in that time. It’s not bragging, its just fact. I chose to have a job that takes me around the world and in doing so GET to have an opinion. I’m not saying that your personal choice to live a life at home and in your town or country is a bad thing (To each their own!). In fact there are times when I DO wish life was a little less frantic and always admire anyone who found their calling in life early. They generally are more financially stable then us dreamers and are very much on their way to comfortable retirement!

What’s driving me nuts though is the water cooler asshats that think THEY have the answer to all the worlds problems yet haven’t ventured out to actually see any of the worlds problems in person. For example, I recently had a tour that took me to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, India, Cape Town and Johannesburg South Africa. I had my reservations about certain parts of this journey as anyone would who has paid attention to the news (using this term loosely) and witnessed the riots in South Africa, the population insanity of India and the Saudi Arabian strict laws throughout the country.

What I witnessed was further from the truth. I felt safer in all of these countries than anyone would have felt in Washington, DC or Ottawa, Ontario in Jan and February of last year. In fact, I’d wager your average stroll through South Chicago, Scarborough or anywhere in Indiana on any given day would yield much more violent results.

No, what I witnessed are peaceful people taking their kids to the park, picking out produce at the market, getting their cars fixed at the local repair shop, lovers holding hands through the mall (yes even in Saudi Arabia), kids playing at the park, grownups having a drink at the local watering hole (whether that be bar, a makeshift shanty bar set up in the slums or someones patio at their house), people enjoying sports and overall just living their life! You know what they didn’t as for? Western Influence.

I’m not sure why the Western side of the world feel’s the need to stick their nose into every goddamn thing imaginable. Do I agree with the anti LGBTQ stance in Saudi Arabia? Absolutely not. However, not visiting these countries as they move forward and away from the old way in my opinion just puts the needle backwards. If the Saudi’s don’t accept that community the only way to move it forward is by visiting it over and over and immersing yourself into the culture to try and understand why. Already I’ve witness public displays of affection, live events with both male and female attendees sitting together, LGBTQ fans embracing each other at a Korean Pop concert and truthfully felt more welcomed than most of the countries I’ve been to.

Let’s also not forgot that the reason a lot of Western influence is making it’s way to that part of the world is that a great deal of delegates, teachers, doctors and other professionals have gone to school in North America or UK and have been able to bring back certain positive things from this part of the world that they deem necessary to move their countries forward. Are they going to throw their religious books and values out the door after a pub visit in Blackpool, England? Not likely. They may however take some influence back to help shape the future as the “Old Regime” begins to retire and the younger generation begin to move into positions of power.

we are all really the same at the core just living through different perspectives of this journey we call life

— eyon (@eyonzyy) January 28, 2023

We are all alike in regards to emotions. We all feel the same things and go through the same shit just in different places.

— dark wahlberg💀 (@inDEEDGEnous) February 2, 2023

We are all the same (save religious and culture belief systems) and we all want the same things. We in the end just want to be happy, provide for our families and live our best life. You may not like to hear that you share the same wants and needs as a father of 4 from Saudi Arabia but it’s probably fact. It might be behind the times and you may have a problem with that. It’s not your job to police that though. It’s your job to live YOUR best life and perhaps cheer on change as it happens from time to time. I’m not here to give a “Rah Rah” speech on Saudi Arabia. I’m here to give a “Rah Rah” speech on living YOUR best life and accepting the fact that it’s likely identical to someone else around the world that doesn’t get their info and world beliefs from their buddy “Larry.”

Saudi Islamic Scholar Muhammad Bin Abdul Karim Issa: There Is No Place for Political Islam in France or Anywhere Else; People Must Respect the Laws and Values of Their Country or Leave pic.twitter.com/pd2nGLUzNR

— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) March 8, 2020

Now, if we can just get everyone on board to do away with soccer and make hockey the most popular sport in the world….