Things that are helping me
This post was supposed to be about proverbs that are helping me overcome this "impasse" that I find myself stuck in.. However some things are not meant to be, as I sat down several times to start but only went as far as the title...This is the second time this week that my meetings have been disrupted by a phone-call, or the sound of a blast... and there would be havoc... wrecking innocent people's lives and sources of livelihood.
A cousin who visited last month appropriately dubbed my country as "Leba bomb".
Ironic. Sad. and True.
If only it weren't becoming a fact of life...
If only we weren't drenched in fear...
If only we could guarantee our safety... and that of our loved ones..
NO PLACE IS IMMUNE.
The: Car / Road / Home /Workplace / School / Movie theater / Shopping Mall / Beach Resort /University are ALL targets... some have already been hit...
NO ONE IS IMMUNE.
As ordinary citizens, we are doomed...
My friend "p" is expecting to deliver anytime this month... and what kind of world is she bringing her child into? Will the sound of a lullaby silence the blasts? Will the strength of her embrace protect him? Will the safety of the womb ever be regained? Today it seems that every act of life is accomplished with great courage... and bravery... and just a touch of madness.
And while we are busy rebuilding and creating activities that will help the young people in our care to grow into decent human beings that care about one another and who believe in making a difference, we find that even these innocent moments are overshadowed by concerns over safety. And it is becoming harder to instill hope and a sense of belonging among these young people and indeed among ourselves because there isn't a ray of hope that isn't being squashed. It's as if there is a permanent eclipse of the sun... we know it's there, but it just isn't showing...
Finally the quotes originally the content of this post are:
" All the art of living lies in a fine mingling… between holding on and letting go..."
"Both in love and war, it is impossible to foresee everything" Paolo Coelho
"Most of the pain of change comes from our resistance to it"
posted by hopeful beirut @ 10:04
4 Comments:
I don't know what to say. Please know that my heart is with you.
Pearls, not bombs. It's true. I lived with the insecurity of bombs in Northern Ireland, and never believed that the carnage would cease. It did...eventually. But where there's life, there's hope - even to a country that invites such monikers as "leba bomb". Cross cultural exchange, for a start, is a grass roots attempt at reconstructing lives. I and others are involved in NGO work to help rebuild Beirut. Things can and will change. Your narratives alone are but an ingredient of those changes. I would very much like to make contact re. possible projects. Do you have an email address? L.
Hi, I'm a musician visiting beirut this weekend, playing downtown. I was looking for some words about the situation in your city and found our blog. As I don't know anybody in your town and I was impressed with your strong and very personal description, I wandered if you could help me te get to know your life and town from "the inside"? I'm only staying a few days and performing this saturday. Thanks, Cyrille (info@cyrille.eu, www.cyrille.eu)
Great work.
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