There were so many nationalities working in Saudi Arabia in the oil construction days—American, European, African, Middle Eastern, Indian, Southeast Asian, Australian, on and on. This multi-cultured setting opened a new set of doors for us all to walk through, exchanging ideas and learning about each other. 

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Because I was a worldwide purchasing agent with a high signature authority on huge construction projects, spending hundreds of millons of the Saudi Kingdom's petro-dollars, I got to know quite a few wealthy people with companies that were trying to get business from Aramco, the main entity to whom I contracted myself.

 

I was also a working musican and formed a few bands overseas, playing at diplomatic events and lavish private parties all over the Kingdom. We occasionally opened shows for big name touring acts that came over from the States to perform for the thousands of Americans working there.

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Working as an expatriate was a real education, broadening my worldview and opening new chambers in my mind I didn’t even know existed. For juicy details on my years living and traveling abroad, check out my BOOKS, 

Stumbling to Enlightenment and The Education of Adam Speaker.  

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A Quick Op. Ed.

 

The United States was at the peak of its power in the mid-late 20th century, the “greatest nation on earth,” which produced an air of superiority in the American zeitgeist that you could sense from abroad. On one level the USA was globally impressive simply due to the large numbers of high-paying jobs our corporate capitalism produced all over the world, including the oil industry I worked in. As a young man in my twenties trying to get ahead, I wasn’t complaining.

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America was also at its peak culturally. Most of the world loved our music, movies, sports, architecture, fashion design, industrial design . . . also our progressive political achievements beginning back in the jazz age and rolling forward into the mid-century.

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But I also began to see that certain tribes in America were ignorant of other nations' cultures and values. Those not in line with their particular points of view were often unfairly judged and ignorantly mistreated. And we all know how many wars US administrations of all stripes have waged, bombing foreign nations, assassinating leaders, and installing dictators in since WWII, based on our self-seeking objectives.

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In other words, our government and corporate leaders haven't performed much differently than other imperial powers who roamed the planet in prior centuries. To be fair, America, particularly through its public service organizations and private NGO's, has educated and trained and helped to lift many people in developing nations out of poverty. That was secondarily a part of my work when I was there, training young Saudis on the job.

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Unfortunately over time, as the leading world hegemon, America began shifting from a balance of business and public service, to economic greed and political power and control.

 

On the bright side, there is always a new generation emerging, so I remain hopeful that future moves will be made in a more intelligent direction. As Winston Churchill offered, "You can always count on the Americans to do the right thing...after they've tried everything else."

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Every human life goes through stages of youth, growth, maturity and passing. The story of a nation should follow the same rhythm, which is competely natural.  With luck and insight, America could evolve into a seasoned multi-culture, done operating as the world's dominant economic and political power. It could shift its attention and find its place as a rich multi-culture for human self-development, cutting edge research, and education in all scientific and humanistic fields.

 

In such a scenario our economy would primarily support the development of local and regional enterprise, companies who serve the community first; the state second; and broader national needs third. The federal government and national corporations in such a scenario would naturally be smaller than they are today. The overall design of such a society would lean towards balanced, long-lasting, mutually beneficial interactions and exchanges among all citizens. The overall goal would be an exceptionally well educated and empathetic population focused on creativity in the arts and sciences, and well trained in self-knowledge and natural health.

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In the end, all we have is each other, so it makes sense to know and support each other better on all continents. We should welcome immigrants from all stripes to our shores, help provide for their education, and behave better when we visit them on their shores. In the meantime, if you want a crash course in multi-culture, go live and work abroad yourself.

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No matter where you hail from, get out of your homeland and travel abroad as much as you can. If you're a tourist, avoid too many destinations on a single trip. Stay in one place for week or two and hang with the locals. If you're a student, do a year overseas. Create a business or become an artist overseas. It will crack open new ways of thinking about our hugely diverse world, and your place in it.

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Though I traveled the all over the world for six years and have tons of photos from many destinations, I chose just to present some pics of Saudi Arabia, Kenya, and the Seychelles Islands, a tiny archipelago a thousand miles of the coast of East Africa in the Indian Ocean. All shot on average quality film cameras.