Welcome 2022!

Many people of my age have gotten old and sick. Many around me tell me I'm too old to climb a six-story building, swim for an hour, or even focus while driving. I listen to them, but my mind tells me, “You are stronger than that”, and I see my body responding in harmony with the passion that blazes within me. So, I carry on with determination, patience, and love on my path through life.

I am not immune to some of the ailments that come with age, such as high cholesterol and blood pressure. However, I am able to prevent many of them and keep some of them under control via my efforts and, of course, by following my physicians’ advise.

Some elderly people live on memories, despite the vast experiences I've had over the previous seventy years, from infancy to adolescence to business, I never look back; instead, I constantly look ahead. I'm not frightened of death either; it's a fact of life, and we should all respect death as much as we love life. I believe in after-death resurrection, and I am confident that God Almighty would not forget a believer who speaks with him at all times of his life and approaches him with love rather than fear.

I don't hurt others, steal, or lie because I want to go to Paradise or because I’m terrified of Hell, but because I want to please God Almighty and myself. Faith was not imposed on mankind by God Almighty or Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). I see that the only way to keep our presence on this planet viable is to rebuild it and to provide what is useful to society, the people around us, and humanity as a whole.

I enjoy giving people a chance to be happy and assisting them in whatever way I can. For example, when I provide a job opportunity to an employee at one of my firms, I am overjoyed. At the same time, I’m not “Mother Teresa,” I must say that I have never tolerated those who betray me, steal from me, or lie to me.

I like being in the company of young people and learning a lot from them. Some of them tell me that they learn a lot from me because of my vast and varied life experiences; and because I don't cut corners when it comes to information and guidance. What they don't realize is that I benefit from them more than they benefit from me. I learn from them about what they know about modern lifestyles, as well as from their hobbies, goals, and ways of thinking; from their utilization of YouTube, social media, apps, PlayStation, and Netflix, among other things that undoubtedly benefit me in developing myself and my business. I hope that my words inspire some people, young and old, to reset their outlook on life and to see themselves more positively this year. Many people ask me if 2022 will be a year of expansion, and development or a year of self-reflection, and anticipation. Personally, I dislike making broad generalizations, and I'm not able to predict the future accurately, especially considering changing health, economic, and geopolitical factors.

I can just say that I've always been like a cyclist who must keep pushing forward to avoid losing his balance and falling. He accelerates when the conditions are favorable, slows, when necessary, but never stops. I was constructing, observing, and paying attention even in the darkest days of the epidemic; at the same time, I was ambitious but practical, and what matters here is man's commitment to hope and love of life, and keeping the flame of giving blazing inside him.

Eventually, we get what we expect, so let's open our hearts and minds to 2022 with hope and love.