The weather, the ocean, and the sound of the waves brought a unique and sweet relaxation.
Dinner followed and was a real treat. The Dover sole was magnificent, and the five-layered chocolate dessert made me feel overjoyed.
Signing the bill, I felt good, and I left a generous tip as the service was impeccable, with true attention and a smile.
As I headed to my room to prepare for tomorrow, I decided to stop by the Monkey Bar.
It was busy and crowded, very different from when I stopped by there before dinner where it was quiet and serene.
Now it was a zoo, one that reminded me of the world we find ourselves in today.
On one side, a group of approximately fifteen individuals were shouting rather than speaking. All the men on one side were drinking heavily, as one beer came after the other like a train. On the other end, women were gossiping and competing to control the narrative, irritating the tables next to them. The manager of the bar came to ask them to lower their voices, to no avail.
It reminded me of the UN Secretary-General demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and getting nowhere.
Two men entered and were setting up their musical instruments, struggling to bypass the busy tables. At one, four ladies were actually screaming, in some form of weird laughter. They were joined by a mother with a child who must have been no older than two.
The noise was so loud that the baby’s eyes were bulging.
With the exception of one quiet table of three, the other six tables and the patrons at the bar were competing in shouting matches and acting like fools. One person at the bar started shoving another, and the manager panicked and moved toward them.
When they saw him approaching, they smiled and started clapping.
I witnessed those poor musicians, who had successfully set up their instruments, as they tried very hard to shout their lyrics – a tough competition with the noise in the background.
I wondered and watched – it was just like the world of today.
The violence was transposed into screaming as three women were louder than even the singer’s voice, directing their gestures and voices towards a drinking man who smiled, as if he could decipher what was being said.
Wine was being poured left and right as patrons started to show signs of drunkenness.
The singers reminded me of the Russian-Ukraine war and the genocide in Gaza as they sang, “…Because we are living in a world of fools, breaking us down.”
The other tables were loud, and the singers were attempting to calm the audience to no avail.
The noise was stunning to me but not to everyone in the room, including the singers and other patrons. It reminded me of the massacres in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa without any serious leadership batting an eye.
In the movie “Planet of the Apes,” Caesar says, “Ape not kill ape,” yet we humans continue to watch as we kill each other and do nothing.
There was some soft clapping by a table of four that made the singers crack a small smile, but the screamers were winning hands down.
The words of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Sounds of Silence” were drowned in a total world of noise. Saddened, I felt.
But why should I be surprised? That was the state of this leaderless world. I spoke to the server and asked why patrons would come to the Monkey Bar to scream, laugh like maniacs, and compete in shouting at each other instead of listening to the beautiful songs and great words.
He looked at me and said, “You are right, but this is the Monkey Bar, and all those here are monkeys; you are the odd person out.”
I left the Monkey Bar and walked slowly to my room to prepare for tomorrow, saddened at the state of the world.
About the author
M. Shafik Gabr is a renowned leader in international business, innovation, investment and one of the world’s premier collectors of Orientalist art, and an accomplished philanthropist.
During his career, Gabr established over 25 companies plus three investment holding companies including ARTOC Group for Investment and Development which, established in 1971, is a multi-disciplined investment holding company with businesses in infrastructure, automotive, engineering, construction and real estate, over the past three years focusing on investment in technology and artificial intelligence.
Gabr is the Chairman and a founding member of Egypt’s International Economic Forum, a member of the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum, a Board Member of Stanhope Capital, an International Chairman of the Sadat Congressional Gold Medal Committee, and a Member of the Parliamentary Intelligence Security Forum. Gabr is a Member of the Metropolitan Museum’s International Council and serves on the Advisory Board of the Center for Financial Stability, the Advisory Board of The Middle East Institute, and the Global Advisory Council of the Mayo Clinic.
Through the Shafik Gabr Social Development Foundation, Gabr is helping to improve elementary-school education in Egypt, introducing students to arts and culture and promoting sports and physical fitness for youth. The Foundation has its first Medical and Social Development Center in Mokattam, Cairo, offering free medical and health services. In 2012 Gabr established in the US the Shafik Gabr Foundation which supports educational and medical initiatives plus launched in November 2012 the ‘East-West: The Art of Dialogue initiative promoting exchanges between the US and Egypt with the purpose of cultural dialogue and bridge-building.
Gabr holds a BA in Economics and Management from the American University in Cairo and an MA in Economics from the University of London.
