Why Saudis are choosing trust over fear 
Fear is a complex emotion with both positive and negative aspects. It allows us to function in society, but may also hinder us. A better basis for society and for our individual well-being is trust. This is the step we in Saudi Arabia have taken in recent years when it comes to expressing our opinions.
In the past, we would not shy away from ideas, but we were careful and measured in how we expressed them. Today, we are all individual interpreters and commentators on events at home and abroad.
Most importantly, this freedom in expressing our thoughts and opinions is accompanied by an awareness that we may still make mistakes, but admitting and correcting them is one way we move forward.
Our minds and approaches have shifted over time, but the pandemic certainly played a crucial role in transforming the perception of our individual place in society and augmenting a new sense of trust in our leaders.
We saw what the coronavirus did to our country and to others. Those who still held some of the Bedouin interpretation of freedom — “not all rules must apply to me” — understood that there were decisions and rules that we may not like, but that it was essential for us to follow them in order to protect the common good.
There is great potential in the Kingdom and in the Middle East. With our minds and our words freed from fear, there is nothing that should stop us from going forward.
Hassan bin Youssef Yassin
These are the components of a new smiling Saudi Arabia: A frontier where citizens are united in preferring trust over fear.
If the Western experiment of democracy has shown anything, it is that the less fear there is in a society, the more productive the society will become. Freedom does not mean anarchy, as we may have thought before, but rather freedom means respecting the common good that ensures others can enjoy the same freedoms as us.
We are not adherents of one view of what is good or bad — we are exploring what works best for our country and society as a whole, and we are not reluctant to participate and express our views.
This sense of participation in a common project shared with our fellow Saudis and our leaders has brought about this sense of trust and maturity in our society. We are not afraid to share our ideas and participate; if we are wrong, there is nothing more noble than correcting one’s mistakes.
This is the new Saudi Arabia I see all around me, and I believe we can set a hopeful example for our neighbors and our region.
There is great potential in the Kingdom and in the Middle East. With our minds and our words freed from fear, there is nothing that should stop us from going forward.
• Hassan bin Youssef Yassin worked with Saudi petroleum ministers Abdullah Tariki and Ahmed Zaki Yamani from 1959 to 1967. He headed the Saudi Information Office in Washington from 1972 to 1981, and served with the Arab League observer delegation to the UN from 1981 to 1983.
