Today's Edition
Dr Yousif Abdullah Al Obaidli*
The beautiful moments I experienced during my master’s studies at the University of Edinburgh often come back to me. Edinburgh, a city that embodies culture in its fullest sense, distinguished by its museums, theatres, and cultural festivals.
In those days, means of communication were not available as they are today, and the path of academic research was filled with challenges. Sources of knowledge were limited, the internet was still in its early stages, and libraries, despite their richness, adhered to strict working hours.
Research would often come to a forced halt when the library doors closed, as though knowledge itself went dark at the end of the day.
Late one night, I received a call from a friend who said to me, in a cheerful tone: “I have good news for you. Come to the university immediately.”
At the time, I did not understand the reason for the urgency, but I went.
He then took me to a small branch library affiliated with the university; modest in size, yet immense in its impact. It operated around the clock and housed computers connected to the internet, electronic databases, and research resources that had not
previously been available to us outside study hours.
That library was like a precious gift at the time, much like someone today being handed a cutting-edge smart device that opens up horizons they had never imagined.
In that moment, I realised that access to knowledge can shorten vast distances and give a researcher a priceless sense of momentum.
This story goes back many years, yet it carries a direct message to today’s youth, who live in an entirely different era; an era in which three pivotal elements are available: an age defined by advanced communication tools, boundless access to information, and open, diverse sources across countless languages and disciplines.
Today, academic research is no longer confined within walls, nor is knowledge hostage to time or place. Information has become available with the swipe of a
screen, and artificial intelligence tools have become a supportive partner in learning, analysis, and development, provided they are used wisely.
Herein lies the responsibility: these vast opportunities are not for intellectual enrichment alone; they are an invitation to make use of what is available, to build upon it, and to contribute meaningfully to the nation’s development and the shaping of its future.
Have we paused for a moment to reflect on why Arab youth, for the twelfth consecutive year, have chosen the United Arab Emirates as their preferred place to live? The availability of knowledge and resources alone is not enough if young people do not find an environment that embraces and motivates them.
The UAE has built an integrated framework that enables young talent to thrive, attracting leading universities and establishing youth councils, youth centres, and
community institutions that create inspiring spaces for learning and innovation, while also opening opportunities for leadership and decision-making.
Here, the most important question arises: in light of this abundance of possibilities, what role awaits us?
The true role begins with ourselves: to recognise the value of what has been made available to us; to transform knowledge into action, opportunity into achievement, and ambition into impact; let our sense of this cherished nation to drive us to contribute to its renaissance and to take part in shaping its future, standing on the foundations of knowledge, holding firmly to values, and believing that investing in oneself is the sincerest path to serving the nation.
For nations are not built by resources alone, but by the minds of their people, their will, and their capacity to turn knowledge into value, to break new ground, illuminate the path toward discovery and progress, and transform ideas into achievements with an impact that endures for generations to come.
*The writer is an Emirati researcher.
