Pink Jinn was founded on the belief that learning about and engaging with different cultures makes the world a safer, happier and more prosperous place. In this post, we explain why we feel so strongly about cross-cultural engagement and how we believe it can change the world…
Sharing our knowledge and experiences makes the world safer.
We’re living in scary times. Humanity today faces a complex set of security challenges that threaten our very existence, from raging conflicts to climate change, from cybercrime to global terrorism.
These problems are not specific to any one community, country or group of people – they have potentially devastating effects for every single one of us:
- A war on one continent can create a global refugee crisis, putting social and economic pressures on communities elsewhere in the world…
- A hacker in a basement on one side of the world has the potential to shut down the infrastructure of a country on the other…
- Excessive burning of fossil fuels in industrialised nations creates environmental changes across the entire planet…
The list goes on… No one national government or identity group can solve these global challenges alone. Instead, we must come up with global solutions. This means engaging and working with people from different cultural backgrounds.
If we combine our collective knowledge and historical experiences, we can better prepare ourselves to face these complex issues and make the world a safer place for future generations. By increasing our understanding of people who are different to us, we can also reduce the likelihood of conflict and develop more innovative solutions to the challenges facing humanity today.
Experiencing other cultures makes us happier
According to science, travel makes you happier (and who are we to argue with science!?). But let’s break down exactly why…
“Travel makes us different people,” says Taleb Rifai, secretary general of the World Tourism Organization. “It opens our hearts, opens our minds and we see the world differently. The world will be a better place when we travel.”
When we travel, we are exposed to new cultures; we open our minds to different ideas and ways of living. We find joy and fulfilment in experiencing new cultures and from getting to know people with different backgrounds, beliefs and insights. This can shape the way we see ourselves and the world, often causing us to feel more grateful for what we have and happier with our lives.
But we can also achieve this without travelling far and wide (not that we’re trying to dissuade you from booking that round-the-world plane ticket…); Wherever we are in the world, we can still reach out to others in our communities from different cultural backgrounds who will challenge our perceptions and open our minds to new possibilities.
Cross-cultural interaction creates opportunity and prosperity
By breaking down cultural barriers, we can expand our horizons and open ourselves up to new opportunities.
When people with different cultural experiences work together, they come up with powerful new ideas with the potential to impact more people. This is when the great scientific discoveries and technological advances are made.
From a business perspective, too, learning about and engaging with other cultures can be hugely beneficial. When businesses expand their vision beyond their own communities, they find infinite potential for new products, strategies, and even new markets.
Cross-cultural engagement creates innovation and exciting new opportunities for growth and development.
This is why Pink Jinn exists.
This is why we’re so passionate about encouraging engagement with the Middle East and North Africa – a region so often misunderstood by those who have not had the opportunity to experience its rich and beautiful cultures.
We’re here to build a community of likeminded people who see the value in learning about and engaging with other cultures. We’re here to introduce our community to new ideas and stories from the region because we believe that by increasing our understanding of those who are different to us, we can ALL make the world a safer, happier and more prosperous place.
If this resonated with you, you might also enjoy:
5 Instagram accounts that capture the culture of the Middle East
13 essential podcasts to help you understand the Middle East