 A dozen years had passed since Kuwait's independence from the British, and there would be another 12 years to come till the end of what all consider to this day as the golden age of Kuwait, a time when a simple people took on the selfless challenge of building a modern nation. The time was 1973, and in this year a renowned Hungarian photographer Paul Schiffer brought his team to this fledgling nation for an unprecedented modeling photoshoot. The shoot itself is not the topic of our discussion, it is the strategic foresight and the selection of the shoot's locations that accurately represents the cornerstones of the country's era of prosperity. Balance, harmony, and mutual respect overwhelmed the national sentiment at this time. All were driven with a sense of nationalism that put the interests of the country ahead of any jockeying for power or individualistic selfishness. The Muslim faith had always been a foundation for the people, yet this faith at the time was never imbued with any extremism or judgment. People were free to practice as they saw fit and left to their own convictions. Building for the future was about putting down systems that would transcend the day, and during this era Kuwait's institutions comprehensively became leading regional beacons of service and enterprise to its residents. The sea and the desert were both held in high regard by all Kuwaitis. The sea in the past had been the provider for its seafaring people. Now it was the desert's turn and driving the nation's surge towards the modern age. More of a family than a society, the typical strata of societal classes dematerialized as citizens aspired to achieve advancement and growth in life. Foreigners as well felt the mutual belonging towards the nation, its people, and its identity. This Kuwait is now long gone. Gone for almost four decades. Gone is the prosperity and gone is the benevolence. Gone because it has been abandoned by its people. Abandoned through an ideology that being Kuwaiti equates to privilege. A privilege that is unfortunately all too consuming.