Religion.. Politics.. Sports!

I spent the first three decades of my life working as a professional pilot for Kuwait Airways. Most of my flights, which lasted days, weeks, or even months outside Kuwait, were with British colleagues. They are a people of intelligence, shrewdness, and wisdom. I noticed that they never discussed politics, despite the issues at the time in Northern Ireland and their division between the Conservative and Labour parties. They never discussed religion either, even though some were atheists, some Protestants, and others Catholics. Furthermore, they never talked about sports. Thus, I never knew their political leanings, religious or sectarian affiliations, or which sports teams they supported.

I believe the reason for this is their wisdom, intelligence, and shrewdness. They know that discussing such controversial topics leads nowhere and achieves nothing. No one’s religion or creed changes, no matter how long or heated the debate becomes. Similarly, political discussion does not change anyone’s party affiliation, nor does sports debate among fans or ultras shift allegiance from one club to another. Therefore, they believe that friendly gatherings would be ruined and turn hostile, with raised voices, heightened emotions, and increased animosity, without any positive outcome. Consequently, they always discuss three highly useful alternative topics, which you will find in the final paragraph.

The last point: Instead of engaging in argument, disagreement, conflict, and raising voices over doctrines, politics, and sports with no benefit, people usually talk about work-related matters, the latest updates from specialized aviation magazines to which we subscribed and read, or lessons learned from events that occurred during previous flights. The other useful topic is investing money, buying shares, land, or real estate, and the reasons for investing in those fields. The third topic concerns countries visited during vacations and whether they are recommended, as well as places where elderly people intend to buy a home and retire. These three topics avoid disagreement and yield significant benefits. I hope the general Arab culture shifts from controversial topics that do not move anyone from their positions to consensus-building topics that are beneficial and enhance the performance of participants. It is no longer acceptable for an Arab to discuss every issue in the world, no matter how minor or distant, while lacking understanding of the work he performs and earns his livelihood from.