Not everyone has the privilege of being born in a culturally open environment where class, colour, creed and status do not matter as long as you follow the rule of law.

Countries across the globe have lived with the cultural divide conundrum for ages. Wars have been fought over cultural differences and more wars are happening even as we speak.

My first reference to the cultural divide came out of a story I read in Sunday school.

As a university student I spent a lot of my parents’ money not so much for my education but because looking and staying cool with my friends and peers was an expensive affair.

I was always broke; but at the back of my spendthrift head I knew either mum or dad would come through every time I whined I had to have money to be 'normal'.

Until my wise old grandmother took me aside one day and told me horror stories of families in debt and the awful consequences: years behind bars, suicides and even murder.

This was going to be an exciting week. XPRESS reporters were readied to pose as buyers for an exotic animal that was advertised in the local press.

“All papers and documents provided”, said the advertisement. The excitement of sealing the illegal sale reached a crescendo as the team got together to go make a bid for the animal.

Conversations on the telephone with the so-called seller told us that he had had many callers and the highest bidder was a western woman offering up to Dh60,000.The seller however was hoping for more.

Until recently I used to take childish delight in opening any package, from a mysterious gift delivered by the postman to a simple box of chocolates. But now the scenario has changed.

Today, my bumbling manual equipment leaves me completely baffled when I am confronted with objects encased in cellophane tape, red and black tabs suggesting ‘pull’, little dots saying ‘push’ and semi-perforated lines saying ‘open here’. Even birthday presents are becoming less undoable.

The marvel of cellophane is indeed a marvel in eternity. It has no beginning or end. There is a small gesture of consideration for the consumer by way of a tab saying ‘pull‘.