A man came to the Middle East in the 1990s and created a model that convinced all of us in the region that we could achieve more. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid raised the bar, and we want to raise it as well in Saudi Arabia. We want everyone to compete in pushing boundaries,” said Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on October 24, 2018, at the Future Investment Initiative Forum in Riyadh.
We cannot deny reality, which dictates where we stand today. The present shapes the future step by step. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’s experience in Dubai is not suited for limited minds because it surpasses them. At the beginning of the millennium, the ambitious Palm Jumeirah artificial island project began. The idea was initially mocked by some—how could the sea be cultivated and built upon? “Harith Al-Bahar” (The Sea Cultivator)—what kind of imaginary titles were these? Yet, in early October 2007, the project was internationally recognized as one of the largest artificial islands in the world. Such an extraordinary mindset does not emerge from ordinary thought but from brilliant vision.
“When I was young, playing on the beach with my friends, they built houses and sandcastles on the shore while I tried to build in the sea. They laughed, and now I often take them to see the Palm project and the buildings in the sea,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid once said. To create an unparalleled experience, one without replication, is to make the future limitless, with boundless horizons for both urban development and humanity.
Today, a similar scene is unfolding in Saudi Arabia, with new, unique experiences. History sometimes repeats itself. The Line project is seen by many as an impossible dream, something so visionary that people believe it is mere fantasy. But time will tell.
“We have not yet reached our destination, so we cannot rest on our successes.” This is a quote from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’s book My Vision, published in 2006. Successful mindsets must connect and inspire others to create a better future. Expo Dubai 2020 bore the slogan Connecting Minds, Creating the Future, and after its success, support was announced for Riyadh’s Expo 2030 bid. The convergence of experiences and expertise aligns goals and benefits, fostering competitiveness that drives nations toward better development.
“We do not dwell on what we have lost or may lose yesterday or today; we must always look forward.” This quote by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman highlights the importance of forward-thinking. Looking beyond the Arabian Peninsula to the American experience, we see that competitiveness is a means of sustaining progress. American author Arthur C. Brooks spoke about the significance of competitiveness in American ideology, emphasizing that it fuels goal achievement, growth, and development. This counters the prevailing belief that competition has negative consequences on societies. In reality, restricting human potential is what depletes energy, whereas competition benefits everyone.
The English philosopher John Stuart Mill once said, “All restraints on free competition are absolute evils, and all encouragements to free competition are great goods.”
Creating a new experience in the Middle East has now become a tangible story, with clear milestones for all to see. It is a model for the continuous enhancement of quality of life, a vision possessed only by leaders with foresight. Under their leadership, transformation is driven, not dictated.
From Mohammed to Mohammed, bridges of continuous vision connect, maintaining a fierce balance of strength. They uphold shared intellectual messages, shaping a promising future without limits, in a region where progress is inevitable