It is often said that war is the normal state of the world, but one must live through it to truly understand what this “normality” entails.
There are no Lebanese capable of envisioning a project for their country — or even within it — without the lingering fear of war in the background, without the insidious thought that something, at any moment, could inevitably destroy it all.
In this context, remarkable are the ones who have chosen to build — amid and at the heart of the bloody conflicts that seem our eternal lot — connections between opposing populations. Those who have created communities of mutual aid, public kitchens, workshops to empower the most vulnerable, especially women, free educational centers and support networks for families forced into exile.
Today, on the brink of a possible turn for the better, only these individuals can cling to their convictions. Good breeds good, and it endures and is passed on, no matter what happens.
For decades, we have lived outside the law, blaming war — which conveniently excuses so much — for our indiscipline, our disregard for public spaces, our lack of civic sense and our reliance on substitutes for the state, whether sectarian parties or zoa’ma [sectarian bosses] with far-reaching influence. In the process, we have forgotten how to live in a normal, orderly country.
Having supported and reinforced — perhaps unwittingly — a corrupt and unequal system, we must now rise to the level of a dream that has always seemed out of reach: a Lebanon where we can find everything we seek elsewhere, willingly abiding by discipline, order, cleanliness, respect, justice and fairness. These virtues, which foster shared prosperity, eliminate the need for favoritism and connections and disarm any impulse to achieve goals through force or to provoke wars to create new faits accomplis.
For now, a seemingly insignificant detail to some: The carcasses of small animals are increasingly littering the sides of our highways.
Once again, we blame war for the recklessness of drivers, ever more deadly. Are these drivers chasing down unfortunate dogs and cats in a cruel game born of their rage?
After Gaza, after the exchanges of bombings between Hezbollah and Israel, and the glaringly disproportionate nature of the war, have they become so consumed by death that they sow it in this seemingly trivial form?
Could the illicit substances, so widespread because of the war and so lethal to the entranced generations they have ensnared — products of our ailing society — also bear responsibility for this silent, unpunished massacre of innocent lives?
When peace and stability come, when Lebanon finally takes shape as a realized project, will we be ready to adapt? Whatever form the emerging government takes, whatever success this promised new era may bring, the constructive will driving it compels us.
We are descendants of bold builders, of men and women who sparked profound cultural and intellectual revolutions in our region and beyond. It is now our duty to clear the horizon, long obstructed by many conflicts that have left us discouraged from taking action.
Let us tear down this curtain, reveal the resilience we are capable of and push back against the paralyzing pessimism that holds us back. We have so much to offer, so much to achieve. And now, so much to lose ‑ but this vulnerability will be our strength.