Hassan Al Kontar was living in Dubai when civil war broke out in his home country of Syria. Unwilling to fight his own people and unable to stay in the United Arab Emirates, he eventually found himself trapped in a Malaysian airport, where he stayed for more than seven months. He survived on the kindness of strangers. And using the power of social media, he attracted attention and support and eventually found refuge in Canada. In his new book, and in this conversation, Al Kontar shares the lessons of his journey: how giving up is a result, not an option; the difference between survivors and fighters; why we don’t own our destiny; how hope is the main motivation in life; how we can manufacture our own luck; and why who you become as you work towards your dream is more important than the dream itself.

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