Behind the veil

A friend who recently came back for holidays from her work assignment overseas in Kuwait told me an interesting story.

What captured my attention and the purpose for this post is her account of the interactions between men and women, those who are starting on their journey to become lifelong partners.

It is wildly known and observed in North America that Arab culture is built on particular customs.  Just as any other example much of what is not understood in our world is often treated with hostility and anger.

So, my friend told me a story: she told me a story of women who spend their life hidden from the world.  She told me about what happens behind the curtains, in the mind of women that are on the verge of being married to the men that will become their lifelong partners.

My friend made a reference to a simple fact that for the first time in her life a woman would be able to show a man her hair.  That’s right, this simple act, this little insignificant little gesture.

Turns out, it’s not simple at all, it’s not trivial, but rather it is extremely important.  Women spend hours worrying about their hair.  Even men find themselves asking silly questions like: how dos it look, how do you cut it, where do you cut it, and what colour is it?

It’s such a simple thing and at the same time through tradition a moment between a man and a woman seeing each other for the first time is elevated to un-imaginable scales.

The point that I am trying to make here dear reader is simple.  Imagine how much we take for granted, imagine what we’re missing out on.  Understand that our world is filled with wonders and beauty.  Finally, consider that there’s even beauty in the things that we don’t understand.

I invite you to be open, to listen to others, listen to their tales and their stories, connect, rejoice and celebrate life.

Your’s truly,

Max