Alone at Hamad International Airport, by Safwan Mahmud

It’s not an airport, it’s a modern Mecca, where here all the pilgrims are swarming in and out through every gate. Each individual is seeking for something, seeking for their own identities. Everyone here is a mere stranger to you, but if you closed your eyes and observe more closely, you will notice that everyone is here for the same reasons you are here.

In the airport, you get to see the heartbroken watching closely the flight information boards, the widow is rushing with his carry-on bag to an uncertain gate number, as if he running away from everything that reminds him of the beautiful moments he had. You get to see the mother who is having a hard time figuring out how the wifi works around here, wishing she would have some time to connect to her family before her connected flight.

Those strangers who you consider only a moving part of the landscape, are actually you. During your life, you will get to experience every emotion, kind of thinking and motivations as the others.

Don’t look for the differences, look for the similarities. You will only find yourself in every human being.