If you conquered the world, where would you make your capital?

I love “What If” questions and answers. Don't you? They make you use your imagination and brainstorm. Someone asked: “What If you conquered the world, where would you make your capital?”

In trying to think of an answer, I immediately thought of all the existing cities where I would NOT make a capital.

Washington, D.C. (Too much bickering over politics.)

Don't get me wrong. The US capital is kind of cool.

• In 1912, the mayor of Tokyo gifted Japanese cherry trees to the city as a gesture of friendship. Today, they hold a National Cherry Blossom Festival annually.
• The National Cathedral features several grotesques and gargoyles, including one of Darth Vader!
• Both Herbert Hoover and John Quincy Adams kept pet alligators in the White House!
• The Library of Congress, the largest library in the world, is in Washington, D.C. DID YOU KNOW? The LOC is the first school for black children in Washington, D.C. It opened in 1807, and three former slaves taught there.

REF: Lehnardt, Karin. “32 Interesting Washington, D.C. Facts.” Fact Retriever, 17 Feb. 2020, https://www.factretriever.com/washington-dc-facts.

Jerusalem. (Too much disagreement over religion.)

There are 3 major world religions all with “valid” reasons for claiming that Jerusalem is theirs.

• Judaism: Jerusalem has been the holiest city in Judaism since the 10th century BCE.
• Christianity: Jerusalem is the site of Jesus Christ's crucifixion, burial, and resurrection.
• Islam: Jerusalem is the third holiest city in Islam, after Mecca and Medina.

Jerusalem holds a deep meaning for so many people because of its history and religious significance. But those people can't seem to agree and make peace with each other.

REF: Register, David. “Jerusalem: Why Three Major Religions Claim It.” Life, Hope & Truth, https://lifehopeandtruth.com/prophecy/middle-east/jerusalem/. Accessed 14 Jan. 2025.

Bejing. (Too many bicycles.)

There are nine million bicycles in Bejing! I'm scared to walk the streets for fear of getting run over by a biker. LOL. 😄

DramaticoMusic. “Katie Melua - Nine Million Bicycles.” YouTube, Video, 4 Dec. 2008, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHQG6-DojVw.

Amsterdam. (Too much dope!)

Amsterdam has lenient drug policies. The Netherlands has a policy of tolerance, known as "gedoogbeleid," which allows for the sale and consumption of certain "soft drugs" like cannabis in designated coffee shops. However, "hard drugs" such as cocaine, heroin, and ecstasy remain strictly illegal.

OK. But legalizing something doesn't make it right and doesn't fix the problem.

• They legalized alcohol in America. Now we have an organization called MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Drivers) Looks like making alcohol legal fixed the problem with the gangsters and created another problem.
• They legalized gambling in America. That just helped the gangsters with their “bizness”. Now they don't have to worry about going to jail. Legal gambling just gave them a legal means to steal money from gamblers. You don't really think that when you go into casinos the odds of winning are in your favor? And so that gamblers don't feel bad for doing something WRONG, the medical community got together and called it “a disease”. Gamblers get screwed either way. They either let the casino owners take their money OR go to a doctor and pay their money out for “treatment”.

(My opinion.)

Istanbul. (Too much uncertainty.)

Does anyone ever know which way the political winds blow in Turkey? At present, the political climate is tense. Even though Istanbul attracts significant domestic and foreign investment, if a country's government isn't stable, neither are anybody's investments.

REF: Kokcu, Ata Ahmet. “What Is on Agenda of Istanbulites? Economic Concerns, Stress Dominate Discussions.” Türkiye Today, 18 Sept. 2024, https://www.turkiyetoday.com/turkiye/what-is-on-agenda-of-istanbulites-economic-concerns-stress-dominate-discussions-54139/.

But you know what my biggest gripe is with Turkey? Jamāl Aḥmad Khāshqujī aka Jamal Khashoggi.

This man was a distinguished Saudi Arabian journalist. But his death and his manner of death really trouble me. Jamal Khashoggi was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 2, 2018.

I was talking to someone about it and they said: “So what if one man's life or death has to be sacrificed in order to maintain an important strategic alliance among nations? He's nobody. Even if he were somebody important it still wouldn't matter.”

So that's what it all boils down to? One human being's life for ________.

You could put the words “strategic alliance” in that blank or … you could put any words in that blank.

In fact, in the place of the name “Khashoggi” you could put anybody's name in the news headlines. My name. Your name. A celebrity's name. The name of a ruthless dictator. The name of a wise and generous monarch. The name of another journalist. The name of a street janitor or the name of a worthless jerk!

What does it matter? It's just one human being who was brutally murdered.

Who is this Khashoggi anyway? A human being who died in Turkey in a place that is supposed to be a “neutral ground” and … who cares?

He was brutally murdered. We have the gory details. So what! You know? SO WHAT!!

Jamal Khashoggi could have been you or me in Turkey.

REF: Jazeera, Al. “Audio Transcripts of Jamal Khashoggi’s Murder Revealed.” Al Jazeera, 10 Sept. 2019, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/9/10/audio-transcripts-of-jamal-khashoggis-murder-revealed.

So where would I make a capital, if I conquered the world?

When it comes to designating an existing city as the capital of the world, my mind drew a complete blank. But a thought did finally came to me. 🤔

I think I would build a brand new city on the top of Mount Ararat

Seems like a good starting point to begin a whole new world. 😊

What's that? Yeah yeah. I know Mount Ararat is in Turkey and it's a mountain, not a city. In fact, it's a dormant volcano.

But DID YOU KNOW?

Auckland in New Zealand is notable city built on a dormant volcano. (Top 10 things to do in Auckland | 100% Pure New Zealand)

Also, there are a lot of cities that were built on mountains: La Paz, Bolivia; Cusco, Peru; Quito, Ecuador; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; and Thimphu, Bhutan.

Plus, Rome is famous for being a city built on seven hills.

🗺️ Anyway! That's my pick! Don't you think my logic is flawless? What's your pick?

Thanks for reading.