Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Independence is something that most of us strive towards. Some of us would even pride ourselves on our so-called ‘independent’ nature.
Yet, do our beyond-comfortable lifestyles within this country rob us of real independence? However, I am well aware that no man is an island. Even when he lives on one, therefore to be absolutely independent is impossible and not what I am talking about.
What I am talking about is the over-reliance on others to make our lives easier. We amputate our lives of mundane tasks and leave them to others.
If you cannot drive, or get a taxi: you hire a driver.
Bahrain is one of the few countries in the world where one can say ‘I have a driver’ and not get laughed at, as it is an alien concept in most of the world.
As a teenager, I personally do find it incredibly frustrating that I have to completely rely on other people to take me places, as I am too young to drive, and walking is completely out of the question, for the obvious reason that I would like to survive the walk and not be evaporated.
The following does not apply directly to me personally, but for most my age, we must rely on an intricate system of maids and gardeners to maintain the household around us, a few weeks without their good service and our households would be rendered unrecognisable and start crumbling around us.
It’s the little things, such as packing away your own shopping, pumping your own petrol and doing your own laundry. Yet, can we not do such things and call ourselves independent?
