The 7,000-Car Secret: Brunei’s Lost Automotive Empire By Titan007

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 There are car collections… and then there is Brunei. Hidden behind locked gates near the tropical coastline of Southeast Asia sits what may be the most excessive, controversial, and tragic automotive collection ever assembled. Not a museum. Not a curated gallery. But thousands upon thousands of cars—many never driven, some never seen by the public, and a shocking number built specifically for one family that treated the world’s greatest manufacturers like private artisans. This is the story of power, money, obsession—and decay. The Collectors Behind the Curtain At the center of this saga are two men: Prince Jefri Bolkiah , the former Finance Minister of Brunei, and his brother, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah , one of the longest-ruling monarchs in the world. During the oil-fueled boom years, Brunei was drowning in wealth. And Prince Jefri spent it like no one else on Earth. Private jets. Palaces. Art. Yachts. And above all—cars. By the mid-1990s, Prince Jefri had quietly amassed an estim...

How important is truth?

 We can live in denial, but that does not change anything in reality. The truth is what it is. No matter how wide the zone of discomfort, its consequences will spread. Although we are all aware of the reality of situations, we still choose to exist in a slightly shifted dimension where, as a reward - we allow ourselves to be offended by the mere mention of that reality and thus, probably - a little comforted.

When and how did we get to this stage? Were there factors of global influence, or did each lead an individual progression with its own characteristics? Is this an evolutionary process or a passing trend? Has it always existed, and is it gaining importance now because of the mass of new information we face, or is it a product of modern times? Why has our own inability to deal with ourselves grown into a justification against reality? Likely, the answer lies somewhere in the middle of these questions - in the imbalance of things.

In everyday life, where the willingness to be offended borders on neuroticism, this is not a naive topic. One has to ask, how much longer will we endure before we are completely aligned to basic biological needs and communicating through pre-approved templates? Because the inability and refusal to speak openly on delicate topics where we are the object of interest - even more means the failure and reluctance to accept those delicate topics as they are - is an integral part of the whole offending being. So now we all somehow swallow words, smile a little, nod our heads, and even offer support for illusions under the guise of decency. It is scary to point out a flaw where there really is a flaw, it is risky to make a distinction where there is obviously a distinction, it is creepy to have a sense of humor, and it is almost disastrous to express a personal opinion that does not fit in at all the mold of the current trend of sensibility. We create a huge mess trying to reach an unreal utopia of constant pleasure and no fact.


And it is more than clear that it is not uncommon for anyone to care what is true, what is really happening - as long as it means that their own illusion will remain smooth and shiny. Comfortably placed behind the self-appointed rule that no one criticizes us, it is easy to forget individual progress, upgrading one's own personality, basic manners, and honesty. Why change? We are great like this. No one is better than us. But we are not. We do not know why or until when.

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