‘Need to change for better’
many have been praying, for centuries to keep their living conditions as they are because they are convinced of what they are in and because they believe that they are in the best condition, unaware that our situation today would not have been as it is in terms of development, prosperity, and comfort if the situation remained unchanged, and this is, of course, a general statement, and it does not mean that it applies to all peoples and countries.
there are a few societies whose condition has become much worse than it was a few decades ago. note that we may be living in welfare but in fact, we are from backward societies.
a hundred years ago, the average human lifespan was nearly half of what it is now, and this average has increased in all countries of the world now to over seventy, with very few exceptions, thanks to change and the progress of medical sciences, raising awareness of hygiene and sterilization, and giving newborn children the three necessary vaccinations before sending them to their families.
a hundred years ago, bathrooms in homes were nothing more than a hole in the ground, dirty, hot, and full of flies. we had no vehicles, no engines of any kind, no air conditioners, not even fans or chairs.
a hundred years ago, we had in all of kuwait one or two doctors affiliated with the american mission hospital, with the help of a pharmacist and a nurse.
the houses were built either from mud with a mixture of straw, or from sea rocks. the first concrete building, perhaps in the whole of arabia, dates back to 1912.
a hundred years ago, water reached homes in leather sacks made from the intestines of livestock, or in metal plates. it was transported from wells or pits in which rainwater was collected or from the tanks of sailing ships that brought water from the shatt al-arab.
also, there was not a single university graduate, and the study was in the katatib, with some of them joining the al-mubarakiya private school.
in 1920 it was almost impossible for anyone to accept vaccinations against epidemics and it is still the case with many after 100 years have passed. hundred years ago, all babies were born at home, and now 100% of them are born in hospitals.
in the 1920s, a majority did not know what sugar was except rarely. also, coffee was not known, in its current form, but tea drinking was the norm. likewise, the economically weak families, even the middle class, used to wash their clothes in the salty seawater, especially those who lived near the coast. it was almost impossible for women to have a full shower more than once a week. soap was primitive and scarce and shampoo was not known of.
the death rate was also high as a result of anemia, influenza, and tuberculosis, especially among the desert residents, in addition to persistent diarrhea, due to malnutrition and the lack of awareness of the importance of hygiene. the causes of death were often not important or documented, for whoever dies.
the population of the urban area, close to the coast, did not exceed one hundred thousand people. unlike the ruling class and the merchant class ship owners and pearl merchants, the majority worked in modest occupations, with a middle class of little size and power.
