So if people have taken to budget carriers and cheaper holiday options, there are also those who continue to fly first class and travel to high-end spa resorts located at the other end of the world. 

There are others who packed their bags and left for home before they could be asked by their employee to do so. Some even left behind a car on a four-year lease, or a house whose loan was unpaid, or a home still filled with their belongings. Many of those who are still here are literally scrambling to keep their jobs, even if that means working on weekends and public holidays. Most of these are from the middle-income group, for they have much to lose if things go wrong. They live each day in fear, for their redundancy in the office might be on the cards.

So yes, they are consulting with people and even forming a savings plan and making contingency preparations.

Those who are slightly better off, and that means their annual contracts have been renewed quite recently, are even planning vacations. But this time on stringent budgets and using budget carriers, even if that means driving to another emirate to catch a flight. And no, that does not mean they are being stingy. In fact, that is the smart way of living at any given time – saving every penny that you can. But while some count their pennies to send their kids to school or even have a decent meal on their tables everyday, others are using their money to buy themselves happiness of sorts. After all, carefree spending can be very rewarding if there is no guilt attached therein.

So if people have taken to budget carriers and cheaper holiday options, there are also those who continue to fly first class and travel to high-end spa resorts located at the other end of the world.

For them, this recession has been no impediment to the fulfillment of their desire to spend because they have little to fear. Their bank balance will easily get them through this recession, no matter how long it lasts, or what happens to people around them.

And that is why shopping malls tell a different, quite contrary story. It is a story of consumerism—blind to say the least. Malls in Dubai, and the UAE, are packed with eager shoppers. The garb of some suggests that they are tourists but you can’t deny that most of them are actually residents of the country rather than visitors.

Whatever might be the case, the fact is that people are buying stuff. Clothes, shoes, bags, mobiles, cameras – they are all being sold. And proof of this are the tell-tale shopping bags with designer labels printed on them. I see so many shoppers walking out of malls with not one or two but a handful of those in their hands all the time. Add to that a smug smile which can only accompany a truly satisfying buying spree.

And while this is making you wonder whose back this recession is really breaking, let me tell you about an article a journalist friend wrote in a monthly magazine in Pakistan. The headline of her write-up asks the same question that I have at the beginning of my piece.

Who, after all, is actually facing the brunt that is a result of this global recession? Not the rich and mighty if shop-owners are not lying.

High-end boutiques are doing roaring business in Pakistan, and society women continue to rant and rave about the dresses they spent thousands on, to be worn at a wedding before they are given away to the household help. New restaurants and especially foreign chains confirm that there has been little change in their clientele. And shopping malls are definitely filled with people come festive seasons such as Eid and weddings, even though they have that extra terrorism threat hanging on their heads, along with that of recession.

But this is not about a few cities or countries of this world. It is a similar story the world over because for time immemorial the wealthy have had little concern for how the poor survive. Wouldn’t poverty alleviation have been a firs at all global forums if the case 
was otherwise?

This is not a sign of resilience, as some might argue. People are not fighting back recession by spending (read over spending). It is that of an indifferent people who, come what might, will continue to splurge their wealth just because they have the resources to do so. In the hard times of others are apparent lessons for us all if only we are willing to learn. The most important one is to thank the Almighty for His countless blessings, and that includes the paycheck that comes in every month.

We might deny that money counts for anything in our lives. But the truth is money is what gets food on the table everyday and pays our utility bills on time. We must be humble enough to lend a helping hand to those who have fallen on difficult times. If we don’t have the resources to do so, we can at least find ways of generating assistance, perhaps by connecting them to the right people, or job web sites.

And finally, the importance of saving cannot be emphasised enough. When keeping pace with societal standards, saving money does take a back seat. It is far more trendy to spend more than you have, thanks to these easy-to get 
credit cards.

So kudos to all those who have reached that point in life where they have a savings account in place, even if it is thanks to the recession (read lay-off) scare. This might be the road less travelled but it is the only path that will lead to inner peace and satisfaction. You now have a future that is much 
better secured.


*Published in the UAE's KHALEEJ TIMES on Nov. 16.