Sunset Chill at Square – Movenpick (Source: RagMag)
People have been asking me to comment on recent incidents, such as the video showing few army men assaulting an unarmed civilian in Saida, Fadl Shaker bragging about killing army men (or Hezbollah I am not sure) and lately the incident that took place between MP Nadim Gemayel’s bodyguards and the Nasawiya members.
To be honest, I have a lot to say but I haven’t done so because I am disgusted by the way most Lebanese are reacting to every single thing that happened. It feels like everyone’s gone crazy and is ready to start the next civil war. Even the slightest accident is taken out of proportion and turned into a drama. For instance, news reported few days ago that a bus full of Syrians was assaulted by few thugs on its way to a studio in Jisr el Wati; Few minutes later, I started hearing people comparing that bus to the Ain el Remmaneh bus in 1975 that ignited the civil war!
I understand that the situation is critical and things are tense in few areas but we need to exercise some self-control and stop exaggerating and dramatizing everything. Unfortunately, the Lebanese Media is playing a destructive role and adding more fuel to the fire, an issue that I will get back to in a different post.
Some people might argue that people need to know about what’s happening and I agree but we need to do so more responsibly and in a mature way, and more importantly try to listen to everyone’s story and get the whole image before expressing our anger. What saddens me the most is that people refuse to even dialogue lately and end up screaming and yelling and cursing, whether online or on TV shows.
Let’s express our frustration by partying in night clubs and rooftops and try to chill a bit and avoid our country more problems. It doesn’t mean we should forget about other issues but we can tackle them in a more objective and rational way. All this negativity will not help resolve anything but on the contrary make things worse.
I’ve gone through phases in my life where I was upset of everything that’s been happening in Lebanon and I wanted to change things and demonstrate etc .. and I can assure you the way you look at things is very different when you sit back and look at the bigger image. It helps you be more objective and efficient in promoting your thoughts or causes or whatever you are fighting for. It also helps you reach out to a bigger number of people and get your message through more easily.
On a last note, I just want to emphasize again that I am not trying to take things lightly and ignore how bad the situation is, but I am asking everyone to act more calmly and responsibly. As the Lebanese proverb says “Ba33id 3an el char wou ghaneelo”.
PS: This post is not directed at any side or group or individual.