There is a big difference between being a “pessimist” or a “realist” , to clarify this confusion I checked the dictionary  . A pessimist by definition is “a person who tends to see the worst aspect of things or believe that the worst will happen” .On the other hand , a realist is “a person with a  grip on reality and can see things for what they are, not for what he/she is told they are”.

Now that the confusion has been cleared as far as the definitions are concerned , my article today is about a land in this world which is called Lebanon. Lebanon , was a country, converted to a farm and it finally took shape as a corral (زريبه) .I have been seeking the help of my friends and family to guide me in finding the perspective which reflects the glass being half-full but, I am still struggling , actually I am in limbo.

I will wear my realist hat and try to summarize how I see Lebanon .I will summarize my vision in bullet points to avoid getting drowned in the details .I had to limit myself to 10 points only  because I can write a book about the crap in this so called Lebanon .

1. People die everyday for no reason whatsoever  just because some “creatures” have guns in their backyards or car trunks. Ok , this happens everywhere so why are you whining about it? In Lebanon the legal framework is so elastic that it can accommodate a lot of exceptions. So the exceptions become the rules and the rules are exceptions. The legal system in this land is sick to say the least , well very sick .
2. Around $90 billion of debt without any infrastructure advancement that can take Lebanon to the next level of development as a country (did I say country?). Whenever you spend money in life , you would see the results of your spending somewhere, right? Well in Lebanon you don’t. Add to this that none has been taken to jail or even held accountable for the spending madness up until this article has been written . What a joke!
3. For past 30 years subsequent Lebanese governments had one item on their agenda : fight each other at any cost to get a bigger part of the pie even if that means destroying the country and sacrificing the people without hesitation. Sounds romantic!?
4. The cost of living has doubled in  the second quarter of 2020 and not even one single person has been officially held responsible or summoned for “serious” investigation related to this disaster . Currency devaluation is probably not that important anyway right ? It happened in many countries and they survived it ! Well it is good to know that the Lebanese political elite always managed plans that paralyzed manufacturing , agriculture and everything that might create an economical business sense , so it is serious!  no?
5. A banking system built on the idea of ripping off its depositors without any legal action being taken against them . This same system deprives depositors from sending money to their children who are trying to get an education abroad because they have lended our money to the government . Well so what? the government will pay back , no? Apparently the government ,  decided not to pay back without even spending a single penny to develop the country. What? Is this serious? So what happened to the money then? They have spent it developing their pockets and external bank accounts. How cute 🙂 .
6. Influential people who have managed to smuggle their money in foreign currency out of the country to avoid the devaluation and its consequences , just because they are well-connected . And no , I do not mean only politicians , you have influential business people like bankers , warlords  , clergymen (sorry guys , it is very obvious now ) , public figures , TV anchors etc….. the list is huge.
7. If you ask two Lebanese inhabitants (the word citizens will be out of context if I use it here)  who are five minutes away by car from each other about their vision for Lebanon , you will be <<SHOCKED>> by the polarized answers .It is as if  you are asking 2 people from 2 different countries who speak 2 different languages and are a million mile away from each other about their living habits, way of life , culture , and…. country !
8. As of May 2020, 60% of the population in Lebanon are officially unemployed with more than 60% of them living below the poverty line .
9. You pay 2 bills related to electricity and water consumption and they are the highest in the world ( Wow!! world record) . Do not think that this will secure electricity and water 24/7 . You would still find yourself in the dark or not being able to shower from time to time .
10. You might get killed , prosecuted ,ripped-off or asked to work only to pay your bills in the name of almighty “GOD” . No this is not Europe in the middle ages , but rather Lebanon for the past 10 years at least.

The above is only a summary of a very bad joke .Now I will take off my realist hat and put on the pessimist hat. I will only mention 3 points , so that the article will not be branded as a pessimistic one.

1. This country has never been stable for the past half a century and with the efforts now being done by all its inhabitants (or I would rather call them creatures) , we have secured another 50 years of instability and probably , total destruction of this land .We have managed to mutate Lebanon from being a country  , to a farm and finally to an amazing corral .
2. Corruption has become built-in the Lebanese DNA . Resecting it requires a technology which does not exist yet  and even when it exists , the chance of the patient surviving is nearly non-existent at its best case scenario .
3. With the existing financial collapse in 2020 and nearly no infrastructure , warlords governing the country , in addition to the political tension reaching record heights which can ignite a civil war at any moment , I would only say one thing to all Lebanese (including myself) : GOOD LUCK living in this corral (زريبه) .

 

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