During the Eid holiday, I was struck by the reflections of the Chinese philosopher Liang Shuming (1893 – 1988), who, in his book (Eastern and Western Cultures and Their Philosophies, 1921), argues that “heritage is a living organism that thrives on cultural interaction and is renewed through dialogue between cultures.”

In his unique vision, Shuming sees heritage as a growing energy that responds to global challenges and engages in a fruitful dialogue with other civilizations, forging a new, more inclusive, more humane, and more diverse civilization. In this way, heritage transcends the boundaries of geography and time, becoming a kind of “vital material” that shapes the modern world in parallel with the advancements of science and economics.

This idea makes us reflect on how heritage has always been considered an internal matter, preserved within a single culture and passed down through generations with great care, lest it be lost or distorted. But Shuming invites us to view heritage from a different angle: as a dynamic energy that intersects with intellectual currents from other cultures, creating something resembling alchemical transformation—not copying, not dissolving, but rather creative interaction.

In this view, heritage can only survive if it emerges from the isolation of the past and enters the heart of the present. It can only develop if it is exposed to other cultural experiences, including those that are strange, different, and sometimes even opposing. Ultimately, however, it emerges more resilient and broader in its outlook. Liang believes that civilization is built through the interaction of local values ​​with global challenges. He cites profound examples of this from modern history. When Eastern civilizations faced the challenges of colonialism or modernity coming from the West, they did not respond with outright rejection, but rather entered a state of “self-reflection,” through which they re-read their core concepts and values.

Liang Shuming warns us of two major dangers threatening our heritage: stagnation and isolation, or assimilation and loss. To save our heritage from these two fates, we must place it at the heart of a global dialogue that does not negate our particularity, but rather rediscovers it. Every civilization, he says, needs the “other” to see itself anew. It also needs to recognize that moral values ​​are not the monopoly of a nation, but rather a shared human language, expressed by cultures in their various ways.

From here, we can understand the UAE’s long-standing and rich heritage as an ethical and philosophical system that expresses human values ​​such as giving, generosity, tolerance, and respect. From my experience in the social sciences, these values ​​are capable of engaging with the world. Indeed, the UAE has provided a model of how local values ​​can serve as the foundation for global and humanitarian policies. Contemporary Emirati civilization is one of the models that embodies the interaction of local values ​​with global reality through sustainable institutional programs and initiatives. This interaction has never abandoned its roots; rather, it has been employed as pillars for building a resilient and humane future.

Yes, the UAE has chosen to make its moral and social heritage the foundation from which it embarks on its journey towards the world. To complete this path, the development of Emirati civilization can be enhanced through a range of practical and intellectual paths, including expanding contemporary heritage education programs by reincorporating local heritage into educational curricula as a vital area taught through dialogue and linked to contemporary issues such as environmental justice, digitization, and human values.

It also proposes innovative heritage incubators through the establishment of research and artistic centers that combine traditional crafts with modern technology, so that heritage becomes an integral part of innovation and creative economic production. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of expanding partnerships between Emirati and international institutions in areas such as education, arts, and humanitarian work, so that the UAE can export its local values ​​within a framework of mutual respect and cultural interaction. It also emphasizes the need to promote the national narrative in international forums in a contemporary language that highlights the UAE’s success in reconciling authenticity and modernization, and presents a new cultural model to be emulated. Heritage becomes a catalyst for creating meaning, building human beings, and formulating policies. Whenever we face a global challenge, we will be able to return to our roots to draw wisdom and move toward the future with confidence and identity.

What Liang Shuming calls for is a deeper understanding of our heritage, and also to use it as a tool for building a participatory civilization that neither rejects differences nor claims superiority, but rather celebrates diversity and believes that global challenges are not faced by a single civilization, but rather by all civilizations united in confronting them. In this way, heritage becomes a future-oriented project through which we reshape humanity, granting it broader horizons and deeper roots.