Seeing Yemen through foreign eyes [Archives:2005/842/Viewpoint]

Editor
Obtaining an objective point of view about ones country is quite hard especially if day to day life keeps you busy struggling to survive. What's very interesting is to hear opinions about your country and where it is heading from someone who is relatively detached and defiantly not living here. Yemenis abroad are a good source of information especially that they combine between both cultures, as they understand Yemen, and in the same time avail experience from modern systems and progress mechanisms in developed countries. Another good source is foreigners who visit Yemen regularly like once every two or three years and therefore are able to notice the difference.

One common comment I often hear is that Yemeni people have become more frustrated and depressed. That prices have gone up dramatically and that there are many more cars and people than were a few years ago. A very interesting comment that I heard recently was that Yemenis today spend much more time watching TV than they used to.

If only there is some authority whose responsibility to gather those comments, analyze them and study their causes. To predict and forecast future of the generations and take action in advance. This is called planning ahead, something that is not in the vocabulary of the Yemeni people and is defiantly not in the agenda of the authorities. In advanced countries where the governments care for its people, there are certain institutions that nurture talents through carefully selecting youth and training them to take responsibility in the future. Building the second and third lines from the generations to come, because tomorrow has to be prepared for, as tomorrow needs no more of people today. Unfortunately there is no second or third lines in Yemen and the current and future generations are living in worse conditions than their parents'. In fact the youth today have trouble in their identity and in knowing their goals in life. This gives a chance to manipulate their minds by internal politics or external cultures leaving the Yemeni society fragile and vulnerable.

There needs to be an awakening through civil means so as to rescue what could be rescued of the youth. Build their capacities and prepare them for the future and to take charge of the country in the coming phases and to know what they are doing when they take charge. If we don't prepare this nation for what is coming it will take us off guard and it would be very ugly. No one can stop time from progressing but you one be ready when it's time for change.
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