“Morocco, the lack of safety was an energizing force, but at the same time it was a constant concern. I had seen more accidents than I could count: car wrecks with people half dead lying on the ground, building sites where workmen had tumbled from scaffolding, children maimed by fireworks on a Sunday afternoon. For the first time in my life I became completely alert. In the West, you can drift from day to day in the knowledge that the society will protect you and your children.”
Coupled with the excitement of living in an Eastern society, Shah soon remembers how dangerous a place like Morocco can be. He remains on-guard as he prepares for his wife's delivery, knowing that they will need to be alert parents in this sort of environment. For Shah, however, this is a pleasant change. He had grown tired of the apathetic nature of England.
“As the man was bundled into an armoured police van, he turned and shouted: ‘Don’t waste your life following others! Be individual! Live your dreams!’
I stood there thinking. He was right. Ours is a society of followers, trapped by an island mentality.”
As if Shah needed one more reason to move! He accepts this poor man's urging and determines that he will move to Morocco. Before this moment he had been considering the warnings of his friends and family, but no he is convinced. He wants to do what he considers best for him and his family.
“In the West we are driven by an extreme form of guilt -- if you are not seen to be working like a dog, you're perceived as being slothful.”
Shah appreciates the freedom he's found in the Middle East. More in line with his own thinking and his family's traditions, Morocco is a country which values rest. They are a spiritual people who believe in routine meditation and solitude. Contrast this with Shah's life in England where everyone silently judges their neighbor for taking a day off every now and then. Capitalism is the dominant force of the West.
“The backstreet cafe in Casablanca was for me a place of mystery, a place with a soul, a place with danger. There was a sense that the safety nets had been cut away, that each citizen walked upon the high wire of this, the real world. I longed not merely to travel through it, but to live in such a city.”
Visiting Morocco all those years, Shah has fantasized about living in such a place. He considers Casablanca a mysterious place, a sort of Eastern wonderland. He's an adventurous type who is eager to prove himself to the world.
