You are going to hate me for writing this but my jet lag has kept me up and gave me a taste of some of the nauseating posts and ignorant comments that the recent horrible events have rippled into my facebook feeds. Forgive me for puking a couple of extra thoughts into that disgusting pool of immature and vain finger-pointing that will get us nowhere.
To my friends in Paris, France, and the Western world, I send you my condolences and pray for your peace. You are free to mourn your people as you please, but comparing peoples' lives and tagging them with values as if some mattered more than others, is none of our business and it won't help us attain peace. Be kind to one another and pray for those who suffer today for you never know when this massive complex and unpredictable machinery we live in will turn against you one day and you will be in need of those who are safe and in position of helping you. Do not rush into blaming your government(s) for what happened and for taking the decisions they took for you have no idea what an alternative government you idealise would have done instead. On the contrary, be grateful for all the days of peace we have enjoyed until last week and thank the people putting their lives on the line to protect you. The safety we once knew in Paris has been a valuable commodity, but we had it at a certain price. If you and everyone were to be stopped and searched every hour at every public place or station then you might feel secure but not at peace. That would be ridiculous.
To my friends in Beirut, Lebanon and the neighbouring countries, I send you my condolences and pray for your peace. You have the right to be upset for not getting any media attention or social network coverage. However, think of it that way: Had it not been for Paris getting its coverage, Beirut would have never had the chance of making it to the headlines. I am proud of you for fighting for your rights an making yourself heard once opportunity rang your bell. However, now that your voice is heard and the world is all ears, be careful of what you wish for, of what you say and treat others with kindness. Beirut was Paris of the middle east and they certainly knew where it hurts the most when they hit us. Stay united, be grateful and join your sister, Paris, against terror.
To my friends all over the world, before pointing your fingers at a state, a government or a person, whether it is about your government not protecting you, or about a certain state of belief system threatening you, or about your friend putting a flag in support of a country and not another, or whether someone's comment mentioned some people in their prayers and forgot others, think of how this action will influence the zeitgeist and whether it will eventually buy you and the rest of us peace or not. We are all selfish and insecure to a certain extent, but don't let that hurt others for the sake of some personal security. Now is the time we put all this behind and focus on our more basic survival and existential security because it's at stake. Empathise! Spend time with the ones you love and you still have around you. Will you blame the government if they ever reach out to your family through internet and TV, if they convert your kids and brainwash them while you are busy taking sides and pointing fingers? That's what's happening! That's what has been happening and will keep happening unless you stop it!
I have lived in Lebanon during the war, in the US after 9/11 and I now live in Paris after having been expatriated for about 15 years. I cannot tell you how frustrating that is, especially now that I am close to acquiring a French citizenship (my application is being examined) and finally enjoying human rights that is really a matter of luck based on where you were born. That is heart-breaking, however, I am thankful that my family and friends are safe and that the local government is working hard to protect us and I shall do my best with arts and science, cinema and logic, words and prayers, your help and your imagination to make this nation a safer world. Of course, I will need your help! If you step outside your door and greet a stranger, you are helping me build this place! If you have more money, food or shelter than you need and you know that someone can make use of your kindness then you are helping me build that place. I have created several platforms to show and share this idea ALAgrApHY 1001 faces Pass a smile ... but I will need your help!
I hate getting involved in politics for it's a nasty business but think of who is the final benefiter from all our fights over the silliest and most worthless of things. I hope that my message will echo first and foremost in the minds and hearts of those with doubts about their current governments, those not knowing who to vote for during the elections or those who were just convinced by the current events to vote for an alternative government, those tempted to blame it on a religion or a political party, those unsure about their friends' behaviours on social networks, those who lost someone and those who have not... If you will not discover love, forgiveness and tolerance NOW, in those most tumultuous of times, then you shall never ever know it. Peace to all mankind!
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