Pupil Dilatation

A few days ago, while I was walking on the street I was approached by a teenager with a green peace t-shirt. He asked me if he could take a few minutes of my times to talk to me about the Lebanese environment. As he started reciting what he obviously had been spoon-fed by one of the big fish of this organization, he showed me a picture of a beach they cleaned recently. Then, he asked me the amount of the donation I was about to give. I respectfully declined to be a part of this organization simply because I think that there is no hope for this country to achieve environmental friendliness, I mean let’s have a look at the fumes that come out of the electricity company in zouk and all the trash they are throwing in the sea; from oil, to random industrial waste. And this pollution isn’t restricted to this company, for all the Lebanese people take part in this action as they consider the sea to be their own trash can; a few years ago, there were reports of some cow heads floating somewhere along the Lebanese sea line. This young optimist activist then asked me that if I had a child who had cancer would I not try every medicine, go through every doctor in the world and spend every penny I had to try and find him a cure. I responded:” of course I would only if my child wanted to, but if for a random reason my child doesn't want to be cured then he will refuse to take the medicine, he won’t go to any doctor appointment I set up and all the money I spend will be wasted because this attitude that he is having is going to kill him and there is nothing I can do. 

What I am aiming for is not to change you, nor to make you take action but just to open your eyes every time a taxi driver throws a bag out of his car window, every time a smoker keeps his cigarette on the floor, etc… and let you see that this is your country they are littering, this is your country they are polluting, and it doesn't matter how much money you will donate because every time you clean, someone will come and mess up behind you. And I asked this kid if he went back to that beach he cleaned and took a look at it and saw the waste piled up near the oil tarnished water. I was wrong, I thought for years that the problem with our country was our leaders but the actual parasite that is eating this country up is its people and their non-caring way of thinking; that they have the privilege to mess up because someone will come and clean after them.

 That also applies in fields such as the Lebanese way to drive; the Lebanese driver considers that every car is going to move along and let his majesty pass.  Politically this explains a lot, because the power is supposedly in the hands of the people who are uncaring and will elect more uncaring leaders to sit in these gold crested chairs and not give a fuck about this country. And that is the sad truth that I came across today, for this country to get better we have to start by the basics and teach the ignorants how to preserve what I consider the most beautiful country in the world. I will get my mallet and my chisel and start sculpting the Lebanon that I dreamed of for many nights.