The tallest tower, the largest mall, the biggest solar power station, the heaviest gold ring, the highest sword toss, the most expensive cocktail, the most nationalities represented in a crowd of people washing their hands simultaneously – let's face it, some of the UAE's accomplishments mean more than others.
The UAE’s citizens and expatriates alike love their superlatives: as The National reported this week, the Guinness Book of World Records has 147 UAE entries, compared to only 380 for the rest of the Middle East; in proportion to population, this in itself may well be a record.
But the whole world can play this game, and does. The book has become the font of authenticity for thousands of quantifiable records for all sorts of feats, major and minor. It has artfully established itself as a focal point for the natural human desire to excel.
Humans are restless and competitive and imaginative: from the Olympic motto “faster, higher, stronger” to the Guinness record for balancing spoons on a person’s face (17), no other species has the intelligence to compete is such stylised ways, and to seek acclaim for success. In that sense there are no silly records; the impulse that pushes people to excel is not limited to practical matters alone.
