Letter from Beirut...
This is a letter, sent by a person who is living the consequences of how stupid humankind can be, in Beirut-Lebanon...
"Sunday, the 16th of July, 2006 A week ago, my biggest worries were where am I going to spend my summer holiday, and if Sunday was going to be sunny enough for me to start my vacation on the beach or not.
Today the reality of things changed. As I'm writing this, the sounds of terror are haunting the air in Lebanon. It is midnight and I cannot sleep, the only thing that comforts me is to know that I'm not alone. Everybody in Beirut are nailed in front of their TV stations, flipping channels, craving for news that gives them hope but all they see is destruction, shedding of blood, while people abroad are watching from afar with no empathy at all.
I thought I'll never have to live another war again in my life. I thought war was a distant memory. Being born during the war, I lived most of my childhood and teenage years in battles and chaos. Now the ghost of destruction and death is back again. Only this time, for me, it's worse.
I remember being in shelters when I was a child throughout the Syrian-Lebanese war, and the civil war in Lebanon. I was never scared. I guess it all seemed like a game to me. My parents and sister were next to me, I felt secure and invincible. The idea of being hurt never crossed my mind even. I had faith that things will be ok. Sounds of guns, tanks and explosions were nothing but a background music that meant absolutely nothing to me. It only gave adults a reason to tell us, kids, to keep quiet so that they'd listen to the news on the radio. All I cared about was that my parents were close and I was beating the neighbors' kids in a game of cards.
The game has changed now. I am 29 years old craving for a life of freedom, lots of dreams to fulfill. I've always heard the saying ' life is unpredictable', but I never thought it can change completely in one day. It all started like any other vacation with people on the beaches, lots of sun and parties. I don't know what happened. I knew that politically, the situation in the country was not 'good' but I never thought that my life and the lives of all Lebanese people would be in danger.
I haven't slept since 3 days and 3 nights now. Not only because of the sound of rockets that keeps everybody in alert, but also because I worry I don't care about my life much. But I don't want to die for this ridiculous cause. I think life is worth more than that. We feel we are in a 'Risk' game and we're dying for it to end.
I cannot stand another sleepless night, watching the news flash every minutec it has to end. What confuses me is that no one cares; no one is showing any interest in actually stopping the killing and destruction. I watch politicians of the most powerful countries meet on television with a smirk on the their faces, saying their opinion about this and that. They do ask for the killing to stop, but then they go play golf or continue their normal lives with no worries. I guess I do understand the people abroad not to know what it is like or how it feels like. War is not something you can sympathize with, unless you lived through one yourself. It all seems like a movie when I talk about it to others but living the terror, seeing dead bodies of children, and worrying if your house will be destroyed any minute is a different story.
I watch television at night. It is all I can do, I watch CNN, euronews and French televisions passing through the Lebanese news as if it was just 'another' war in the Middle East. They don't know that my people are dying, and entire regions are being abolished. The airport, bridges, ports, and entire villages are being destroyed. It took Lebanon 10 years after the civil war, to be reconstructed and to see a glimpse of hope in its economy. Now we're back to point Zero. Saturday night, southern suburbs of Beirut were being attacked and I couldn't sleep because of the sounds of planes and bombs. I was watching a Lebanese TV channel from 1am till 5am; it had its camera focused on the area from afar. Whenever they throw a rocket, I'd see the light on TV and I'd cover my ears not to hear the loud sound of the explosion. The entire house shakes, the TV set, the computer, the bedc it feels like an earthquake.
That same night at 5am, I was still watching television. My head and legs were hurting from the stress and worries mainly. Smoke is covering Beirut; I couldn't realize that it was morning already until the roosters started announcing the break of dawn. Then it started raining; it never rains in Lebanon during summer time. It just doesn't happen. But it did, that morning. It probably does not mean much. But maybe nature was weeping. After all, Beirut died a few times before throughout history from earthquakes and wars. Only this time, it's a slow and painful death.
I don't know if this means anything. I couldn't sleep and I started writing. Because I don't want to forget what it feels like tonight. If I live to tell the whole story, I will. For the people who don't know what is the real meaning of injustice and cruelty. For all the children who died and did not live to tell their stories. It probably felt unreal to them like a game as it did for me when I was young. But they died, and I hate to think they wasted their lives for nothing.
I will continue to write until this nightmare to end."
- - Speechless - -
"Sunday, the 16th of July, 2006 A week ago, my biggest worries were where am I going to spend my summer holiday, and if Sunday was going to be sunny enough for me to start my vacation on the beach or not.
Today the reality of things changed. As I'm writing this, the sounds of terror are haunting the air in Lebanon. It is midnight and I cannot sleep, the only thing that comforts me is to know that I'm not alone. Everybody in Beirut are nailed in front of their TV stations, flipping channels, craving for news that gives them hope but all they see is destruction, shedding of blood, while people abroad are watching from afar with no empathy at all.
I thought I'll never have to live another war again in my life. I thought war was a distant memory. Being born during the war, I lived most of my childhood and teenage years in battles and chaos. Now the ghost of destruction and death is back again. Only this time, for me, it's worse.
I remember being in shelters when I was a child throughout the Syrian-Lebanese war, and the civil war in Lebanon. I was never scared. I guess it all seemed like a game to me. My parents and sister were next to me, I felt secure and invincible. The idea of being hurt never crossed my mind even. I had faith that things will be ok. Sounds of guns, tanks and explosions were nothing but a background music that meant absolutely nothing to me. It only gave adults a reason to tell us, kids, to keep quiet so that they'd listen to the news on the radio. All I cared about was that my parents were close and I was beating the neighbors' kids in a game of cards.
The game has changed now. I am 29 years old craving for a life of freedom, lots of dreams to fulfill. I've always heard the saying ' life is unpredictable', but I never thought it can change completely in one day. It all started like any other vacation with people on the beaches, lots of sun and parties. I don't know what happened. I knew that politically, the situation in the country was not 'good' but I never thought that my life and the lives of all Lebanese people would be in danger.
I haven't slept since 3 days and 3 nights now. Not only because of the sound of rockets that keeps everybody in alert, but also because I worry I don't care about my life much. But I don't want to die for this ridiculous cause. I think life is worth more than that. We feel we are in a 'Risk' game and we're dying for it to end.
I cannot stand another sleepless night, watching the news flash every minutec it has to end. What confuses me is that no one cares; no one is showing any interest in actually stopping the killing and destruction. I watch politicians of the most powerful countries meet on television with a smirk on the their faces, saying their opinion about this and that. They do ask for the killing to stop, but then they go play golf or continue their normal lives with no worries. I guess I do understand the people abroad not to know what it is like or how it feels like. War is not something you can sympathize with, unless you lived through one yourself. It all seems like a movie when I talk about it to others but living the terror, seeing dead bodies of children, and worrying if your house will be destroyed any minute is a different story.
I watch television at night. It is all I can do, I watch CNN, euronews and French televisions passing through the Lebanese news as if it was just 'another' war in the Middle East. They don't know that my people are dying, and entire regions are being abolished. The airport, bridges, ports, and entire villages are being destroyed. It took Lebanon 10 years after the civil war, to be reconstructed and to see a glimpse of hope in its economy. Now we're back to point Zero. Saturday night, southern suburbs of Beirut were being attacked and I couldn't sleep because of the sounds of planes and bombs. I was watching a Lebanese TV channel from 1am till 5am; it had its camera focused on the area from afar. Whenever they throw a rocket, I'd see the light on TV and I'd cover my ears not to hear the loud sound of the explosion. The entire house shakes, the TV set, the computer, the bedc it feels like an earthquake.
That same night at 5am, I was still watching television. My head and legs were hurting from the stress and worries mainly. Smoke is covering Beirut; I couldn't realize that it was morning already until the roosters started announcing the break of dawn. Then it started raining; it never rains in Lebanon during summer time. It just doesn't happen. But it did, that morning. It probably does not mean much. But maybe nature was weeping. After all, Beirut died a few times before throughout history from earthquakes and wars. Only this time, it's a slow and painful death.
I don't know if this means anything. I couldn't sleep and I started writing. Because I don't want to forget what it feels like tonight. If I live to tell the whole story, I will. For the people who don't know what is the real meaning of injustice and cruelty. For all the children who died and did not live to tell their stories. It probably felt unreal to them like a game as it did for me when I was young. But they died, and I hate to think they wasted their lives for nothing.
I will continue to write until this nightmare to end."
- - Speechless - -
