Some people are luckier than others.
And I don’t mean in the context of “In Lebanon, some people are luckier than me”, I mean some people are luckier than the Lebanese.
Imagine growing up in a country where human rights is not a myth, and corruption can be tackled, and when you graduate, the chances of getting employed are very high. Imagine being in a place where you spend money on luxuries without feeling guilty because tomorrow, there is no possibility that you might end up on the streets.
Imagine not worrying about hot water and electricity hours; having proper air conditioning in the summer and central heating in the winter. Imagine not having to worry about all of this at all!
Imagine not understanding politics and not having to. Imagine voting a politician out because of their sexist remarks or their cheeky emails. Having to worry about minor stresses, imagine having the privilege of security.
It baffles me when foreigners decide to live in Lebanon. I understand wanting to visit Lebanon; we have a beautiful country. But living in it? Why bring so much unnecessary instability in your life?
I don’t mean to sound so negative, but I’m honestly so tired. We have to worry about basic human rights and needs, whereas it has become too much of a fact in other places that they don’t even think about any of this.
At work, we’re not even fighting discrimination against persons of color; we are just fighting to end slavery under a messed up system called kafala (sponsorship). Imagine still struggling to convince people that they can’t own people based on their color?
Writing this makes me laugh to myself, as I was always the most positive among a group. I can’t believe that Lebanon has already broken me and that I don’t see hope in everyone and everything anymore.
It should be easier than this. It really should.