When a friend told me past midnight to check the news about Paris, I had no idea that I would be looking at a map of a city I love, delineating locations undergoing terrorist attacks simultaneously. I zoomed in on that map closer; one of the locations was right to where I had stayed when I was there in 2013, down that same boulevard.
The more I read, the higher the number of fatalities went. It was horrible; it was dehumanizing; it was utterly and irrevocably hopeless: 2015 was ending the way it started – with terrorists attacks occuring in Lebanon and France almost at the same time, in the same context of demented creatures spreading hate and fear and death wherever they went.
I woke up this morning to two broken cities. My friends in Paris who only yesterday were asking what was happening in Beirut were now on the opposite side of the line. Both our capitals were broken and scarred, old news to us perhaps but foreign territory to them.
Today, 128 innocent civilians in Paris are no longer with us. Yesterday, 45 innocent civilians in Beirut were no longer with us. The death tolls keep rising, but we never seem to learn.
Amid the chaos and tragedy of it all, one nagging thought wouldn’t leave my head. It’s the same thought that echoes inside my skull at every single one of these events, which are becoming sadly very recurrent: we don’t really matter.
When my people were blown to pieces on the streets of Beirut on November 12th, the headlines read: explosion in Hezbollah stronghold, as if delineating the political background of a heavily urban area somehow placed the terrorism in context.
When my people died on the streets of Beirut on November 12th, world leaders did not rise in condemnation. There were no statements expressing sympathy with the Lebanese people. There was no global outrage that innocent people whose only fault was being somewhere at the wrong place and time should never have to go that way or that their families should never be broken that way or that someone’s sect or political background should never be a hyphen before feeling horrified at how their corpses burned on cement. Obama did not issue a statement about how their death was a crime against humanity; after all what is humanity but a subjective term delineating the worth of the human being meant by it?
What happened instead was an American senator wannabe proclaiming how happy he was that my people died, that my country’s capital was being shattered, that innocents were losing their lives and that the casualties included people of all kinds of kinds.
When my people died, no country bothered to lit up its landmarks in the colors of their flag. Even Facebook didn’t bother with making sure my people were marked safe, trivial as it may be. So here’s your Facebook safety check: we’ve, as of now, survived all of Beirut’s terrorist attacks.
When my people died, they did not send the world in mourning. Their death was but an irrelevant fleck along the international news cycle, something that happens in those parts of the world.
And you know what, I’m fine with all of it. Over the past year or so, I’ve come to terms with being one of those whose lives don’t matter. I’ve come to accept it and live with it.
Expect the next few days to exhibit yet another rise of Islamophobia around the world. Expect pieces about how extremism has no religion and about how the members of ISIS are not true Muslims, and they sure are not, because no person with any inkling of morality would do such things. ISIS plans for Islamophobic backlashes so it can use the backlash to point its hellish finger and tell any susceptible mind that listens: look, they hate you.
And few are those who are able to rise above.
Expect the next few days to have Europe try and cope with a growing popular backlash against the refugees flowing into its lands, pointing its fingers at them and accusing them of causing the night of November 13th in Paris. If only Europe knew, though, that the night of November 13 in Paris has been every single night of the life of those refugees for the past two years. But sleepless nights only matter when your country can get the whole world to light up in its flag color.
The more horrifying part of the reaction to the Paris terrorist attacks, however, is that some Arabs and Lebanese were more saddened by what was taking place there than what took place yesterday or the day before in their own backyards. Even among my people, there is a sense that we are not as important, that our lives are not as worthy and that, even as little as it may be, we do not deserve to have our dead collectively mourned and prayed for.
It makes sense, perhaps, in the grand sense of a Lebanese population that’s more likely to visit Paris than Dahyeh to care more about the former than about the latter, but many of the people I know who are utterly devastated by the Parisian mayhem couldn’t give a rat’s ass about what took place at a location 15 minutes away from where they lived, to people they probably encountered one day as they walked down familiar streets.
We can ask for the world to think Beirut is as important as Paris, or for Facebook to add a “safety check” button for us to use daily, or for people to care about us. But the truth of the matter is, we are a people that doesn’t care about itself to begin. We call it habituation, but it’s really not. We call it the new normal, but if this normality then let it go to hell.
In the world that doesn’t care about Arab lives, Arabs lead the front lines.
A Separate State of Mind | A Blog by Elie Fares 
I’m sorry that those are the feelings you and your people are having. It is not fair by any means! I hope one day we all can join together in peace without judgement. Stay strong!!! You all matter! ❤
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We as Lebanese are no longer giving importance to the bombings. Look around you! People get killed in an attack, we write fb statuses the same day and we continue with our lives as if nothing happened. No mourning, no manifestation NOTHING!!! People go out and party hours after the blood bath. If this is the image we are giving out to the world then why do we expect the world to treat us any different??!!!!
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Exactly. This is what everyone is talking about. You are numbed to it as a people, and you carry on not because you want to, but because you have to. Lead by example, but I must say – it’s shocking to see so many people making an issue about a button on social media when their cities (and them as civilians who desire freedom and peace ) have MUCH bigger problems they could be focusing on.
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Being a westerner, living in Beirut, I mourned for both cities equally. While you have a valid point, Beirut did make some news stations. The fact of the matter is that approximately three times as many people died in Paris as were killed in Beirut. So keep it in perspective. Arab lives matter.
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Also consider the fact “Western” countries have bombed places in Africa, Middle East and Asia and felt no sympathy for the people killed.
They’ve been bombing Iraq since 1991 and almost daily since 2001.
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Hm.. and even more people died in the recent crash of Russian airplane. It’s basically proven that there was an IS bomb. But who cares about Russians? There were not many condolences, let alone Russian flags on Facebook. If we truly care about people’s lives, we should not express our grief according to the number of injured people or where these people are from.
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Well said Anna….shame on the world.
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People’s lives matter. Stop. Arab or French. The rest of the world, the ordinary people, mourn all senseless loss of lives and condemn all despicable acts of violence, heedless. But the ordinary man is helpless. If only world leaders work for the good of its citizens, the world will indeed cease to stop pitting one against another, be it by race or religion or political inclination.
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I am a United States citizen, and I want you and whoever else reads this article to know that there are people from all over who care about any and all innocent lives lost. I don’t care about race, religion, or where you come from. Your life matters. And I’m sorry for those who ever get lumped into a group with the people who are doing all of the destruction and murder. I don’t think it’s right, I don’t think it’s fair, and my heart breaks for all who have to suffer.
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For sure innocent lives and all lives matter no matter the race or religious beliefs… I feel for all those who have been wronged in their lives or others we need to come together as people or we are all doomed to fail
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Sympathy and empathy for Muslims are in short order and for good reason. Look at England or the ghettos in France to see the future for North America. I refuse to fall victim to this typical white Liberal song and dance about how we all should feel sorry for these people and blame ourselves for their suffering. Our compassion and blindness to what’s coming will destroy us all.
Those Muslim’s leaving in the West despise our culture which is why they are so disconnected with our society. That breeds terrorism or at least sympathy/empathy with terrorists. I feel sorry for us here as the only people who have it right is Israel. I hope you all are ready for more flags to be posted over your profile pic on Facebook because sooner or later these savages will be in your backyard
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“ISRAEL ISRAEL ISRAEL HURRR DURRR THE ONLY DEMOCRACY IN THE MIDDLE EAST DURR HURR HURRR’
Get the fuck off here sir.
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Ha,ha you tell him @screw you. FFS. 😦
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Or maybe they are just people trying to live there lives and then they get completely dehumanised, lumped together as terrorists and hated for the way they look and that might bread a little hate back and yet most people who aren’t from the “west” live peacefully and except this white lives matter more idea.
We are but a small and almost insignificant speck in the universe and we are far more alike then different, instead of focusing on the things that make us “so” different how about instead we see what makes us similar. like the want to live and enjoy life, to be with friends, and to miss loved ones and to mourn when something horrible happens.
If we start at that level then we can create a dialogue and through this acceptance understanding can be cultivated.
To isolate, fear and demonise will only cause more and more hate, just for where they were born on a tiny globe with made up borders.
This is what will lead to the more “flags on Facebook” you fear and even more flags that never make it as they aren’t as important.
So I leave you with this, what world do you want for the future, how does your mind in vision peace?
Take care,
Andrew
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I can guess your sex and race just by the amount of neckbeard bullshit you wrote. You are the epitome of the problem. Get bent.
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I’m pretty sure you don’t even know those Muslims living in the West that you’re so willing to speak for. You’re an ignorant bigot who doesn’t even realize that conditions are different in different parts of the world. You don’t see the future for the US (I’m assuming that’s what you mean by “North America”) — what you see is your own irrational fears.
You’re actually the primitive savage here, believing bigoted nonsense because you’re too afraid of real knowledge to actually seek it out. Pathetic.
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I’m the son of immigrants who have worked their whole lives and are thankful for what the West has given them. They are not people who are fed by, paid by and nurtured by the West who then spit in its face by putting down its ideals and who wish to do it harm. That is what I have seen, grown up around and see more of the more I travel
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“Those Muslims” took the hoards of European refugees into North Africa during between WWI and WWII. Now that the tables have turned, Europe seems to have a convenient case of amnesia.
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Michael….so true sir….
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You took the words out of my head! There will be always 2measures in weighing lives, as long as we live in a country where people are more concerned by their differences instead of searching for points of unity; where a disastrous situation as being with no president doesn’t make them blink, where a national failure as the garbage crisis doesn’t move them in mass. As long as our leaders are stronger than our values, I see no hope in that people… why should others?
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Should the media be more thorough, and present people with more varied news? Yes. Should we assume that facebook pictures are the foundation of our value? No. Half the people putting the French flag on their profile pic are jumping on a bandwagon, and don’t really care. They will make a few comments about how sad it all is, sniffle a bit, donate nothing, do nothing, and change their pic back to a clear selfie in two weeks. Yes, France won over Lebanon in a facebook popularity contest. That doesn’t have much to say about whose lives the West prioritizes. If anything it says more about the nature of news. You have to factor in shock value. Shock value always gets the eyeballs. And, sadly, mass death in many eastern countries is not shocking. Sad? Yes. Shocking? No. In Paris it is shocking.
That doesn’t mean people care more for Parisiens than those in Lebanon. It just means the news is there to make money, and they show what will get the eyeballs and the ads.
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Well said, Mark! It is the media that is largely at fault, and the media doesn’t reflect the feelings or beliefs of the public, and in most cases the public are ignorant about what is actually going on in the world – and maybe, if the public was better educated and informed about what is going on in the world, things would be different, and then maybe, people won’t feel like they are forgotten, or that their lives are worth less than someone else’s. Sadly though, the media is about ‘shock value’ and making money, and rarely covers news fairly.
In the past 6 weeks alone there has been ISIS terrorist attacks, mostly on innocent civilians, in Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Yemen, Turkey, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, France and Saudi Arabia, that’s more than 1 country/ terrorist attack a week. I told this to a couple of people last night and they could hardly believe it.
We are all in this together. The only way we can beat this ISIS is to come together and fight it together. Unfortunately, this seems easier said than done.
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Well said !
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That’s very well said. A lot of people on Facebook are going by the herd mentality. They will deny it, but they want to be seen as “in on the news” and “trendy” by their peers. And then they all talk about it over beers and go on with their lives.
On the other hand, we can also argue that people who put the French flag as their profile pictures are not in a position to do anything except express their sadness this way. Most do not even know that they can donate.
It’s also a silent show of support, like a silent “We hear you and we are so sorry this happened.”
Anyway, in conclusion, if anyone wants to actually do something useful, here are the organisations you can donate to: http://pix11.com/2015/11/13/pray-for-paris-how-you-can-support-the-people-of-paris-in-wake-of-attacks/
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Pingback: Thoughts on Paris... - Nils von KalmNils von Kalm
Reblogged this on Ruby Pratka – Year of No Fear and commented:
An eye-opening article about Paris and Beirut that I just had to share. I’m ashamed to say I know very little about Beirut or Lebanon. One human life is worth another, isn’t it? Doesn’t look that way.
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Cow never know use of them tail before butcher cut it off
http://ncase.me/polygons/
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My heart is saddened by the tragic deaths of all the people in Beirut in the most recent bombing.
i am mortified, humiliated and ashamed that I am representative of the rest of the world that was not even aware of or concerned by the horrific events. I beg forgiveness, and in my own very small way I want to offer prayers and blessings.
You do matter, your light is just as important as every other light of this earth. I will work in whatever capacity I can to help bring peace because that’s the only way we can get out of the chaos and begin to love each other
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In the western world, responsible Media is afraid of a backlash against adherents of Islam if every, almost daily, bloodbath perpretated in the name of Islam were to be reported. It is not a racist conspiricy but, on the contrary, an effort to prevent social tension between more or less informed old populations and their new Muslim fellow citizens.
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Reblogged this on neymar5292 and commented:
Stop Discrimination people !! We are all humans !!!
#terrorists_are_not_Muslims
#pray_for_lebanon_paris
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From the past to present Beirut is always in the Media! The world never did give up! Its just this chaos there will never stop! As for Paris this is NEW and I do know FRANCE will push HARD against those who try to change it!
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It is indeed despicable that media put more empahsis on westerners’ lives than arabs’ ones. It is however important to put things in context to understand this seemingly double standard in the value put on lives of arabs versus westerners.
First there is the effect of numbers and statistics. We have been hearing and reading every day in the news about terrorists attacks across the Middle East for ten years or so. These attacks have unfortunately become so common, that they do not shock us as much as the first time we heard about them. It’s a bit like murders in the US. Who is really shocked and sadened when they hear about it in the news? It is not to say that because these attacks are so common, lives are gradually losing their worth, but just that our minds adjust to the pain and anger.
Secondly, we are less shocked when hearing about these attacks in the Middle East because some of these parts have been instable if not at war for more than ten years. Again, it’s not to say that a life lost at ‘war’ loses it’s worth compared to a non-war situation, but again our minds get used to the idea of death.
Thirdly, westerners will not surprisingly show unprecedented levels of concerns when terrorists attacks occur in their backyards, because these attacks are rare (so far) and because they can more easily relate to them. I am not french, but am a native french speaker who has french friends and who has visisted Paris many times and I have walked the streets where the massacre happened. I therefore relate a lot to these attacks as I share a lot in terms of culture with them. So even though lots of arabs show sympathy and share the sadness with what just happened in Paris, it would not be surprising if a large majority of say Iranians (to take a random example) were less sensitive to westerners deaths than they are to Jordanians dying in a terrorists attack, simply because they share parts of their culture with them.
Finally, these terrorists attacks are of a much different kind. They did not occur in a war-torn zone but in a country at peace and they were not led to gain new territory (at least for now). These attacks were sending a clear signal that terrorists can now attack westerners in their homes. Moreover, these attacks are very symbolic as they were aiming at pagan symbols (people having fun at a rock concert in a popular area or at a soccer game). Much like the Charlie Hebdo attack were aiming at weakening if not anihilating our freedom of speech, a central value in our culture.
It is indeed disheartening that the media seem to ignore tragedies in the Middle East, as we are of course aware that people are fighting everyday for their freedom and are also silently longing for social rights, freedom of speech and thought. It is also outrageous that people need to see the corpse of a dead kid on the beach, to finally become aware of the tragedy of refugees. But I feel that putting things in context can help understand why this bias in reporting occurs, rather than blaming westerners of eurocentrism like a lot of people do among the liberals.
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Unfortunately we in the US tend to paint the whole area with the same brush and, right or wrong, interpret that as Muslims killing Muslims. When a Paris happens we are told its Muslims killing innocent bystanders. We don’t educate ourselves enough to know what religions are where. It’s not right but we get very little news coverage when things like Beruit happen. I’m an atheist and I’m so saddened that religions are so intolerant that they feel the need to attack others. Your lives DO matter and my thoughts are with you as well as those affected in Paris, the many who die in the US every day due to gun violence, those displaced in Syria and any other country, all those lives matter!
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The only responsible of this situation are lebanese people. NO ONE ELSE. Not Facebook, not the rest of the world.
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I am a proud indigenous australian i really dont understand why you had to write this article my whole life i have grown up with war and terror and instead of fighting within ourself why dont we fight against the terror.
Terror is everywhere from Australia to Lebanon to paris i agree with paris i feel my country australia should not let asylum seekers from any country become citizens of Australia they shouldn’t let them in i just think you need to earn it and these days australia just gives them my aunt is from Canada and she waited 26 years to become a citizen of Australia but i see african and muslim and Indians only having to wait months to become a citizen cause the have had a hard life. There is one memory that come to hand and that is the time i watched a country burn the American flag after 911 and you say it is only a group of people what about the lives that were lost there and muslims were partying on the street like they were happy to see 3000 people dead
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I read this and despair at the fact that we are being manipulated by media, where a political and financial interest allows us and directs us to dehumanize a group of people so when a government needs to lower not only it’s population but its fuel price by starting a war in the middle east there will be no up roar because they b are terrorist or extremists not people, Britain did out during ww1 by calling them “huns” and ww2 buy calling them nazis…… The only way to change is to make all governments answerable for there actions ……. As we all no communism didn’t work……
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Pingback: The Politics of War (with an add-on of a rant) | HumCore
Arabs’ lives matter less, that is correct: “you” (Middle Eastern Arabs) have proven yourselves incapable of political cohesion; building societies based on the rule of law (you still love your tribal and sectarian affiliations); humane treatment of your citizenry. You’ve even accepted the borders drawn for you by colonial powers – and you’re lucky for that. You contribute nothing to the world but insanity, grief, tears, blood, death – murder – and NOTHING but excuses why it’s not your fault.
You – Arabs – are the source of nearly 100% of the terrorist attacks from the Middle East and throughout Europe. Proud?
Yes, Arabs’ lives matter less. And when western societies wake up to the facts – that they have put themselves at risk with the notion that they can co-inhabit – their OWN countries where they DO take responsibility for themselves (it’s called voting and representative government) – with you, you’ll wish you never saw the end of colonial rule.
I’m so ready for the west to unite against you mother fuckers: first kicking you shits out of our countries, and then next incinerating you in your own homes if you dare try to “migrate” because you won’t fight for your own futures.
Fuck all of you.
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Hatemongerer.
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You’re a sick piece of shit and you should burn in hell.
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I agree his post is hateful but responding in kind is hardly productive!
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See below
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Pingback: Why do people care more about Paris than Beirut? | linhtropy
I’m from Israel and very much understand how you feel. People are people everywhere. When such horrors happen abroad, innocent people killed by terrorists to make their point and make people hate and fear each other , whether it is in Paris or Beirut, of course I feel solidarity with the victims, their families, and what the nations going through, wishing for people who were wounded to get better. But, similar to what you describe , there is also a sense, that often when there are terrorist attacks are against innocent people here,in Israel, against Jews, there is not similar sense of solidarity in return, from abroad. Many see is as a routine and normal by this point. Many do no care. Many even cheer it, like this American senator cheering for terrorists attacks in Beirut.
People are people, Jews , Arabs or French, their lives matter.
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It’s like the Joker said in The Dark Knight. It’s not that people don’t care about Arabic-speakers. It’s that… when a bomb goes off in Beirut or Baghdad or even Tel Aviv… it’s “all part of the plan.” It happens so routinely “in that part of the world” that people are numb to it. 250 people could die in an airstrike in Syria tomorrow and nobody would really care or notice because they’ve accepted this as commonplace. Similarly, a helicopter full of “White” Christian American troops could be shot down in Afghanistan tomorrow, and nobody would change their Facebook profile picture in mourning. Paris shakes people up because it’s supposed to be safe, the people there are supposed to be safe, and the people posting about it on social media see themselves as being in danger when they see a disturbance in the “plan.”
It’s not so much that certain lives don’t matter… that’s only a small part of it. It’s more to do with what is accepted as normal and what’s not.
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100% agreed……..
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I’m from Israel and very much understand how you feel. People are people everywhere. When such horrors happen abroad, innocent people killed by terrorists to make their point and make people hate and fear each other , whether it is in Paris or Beirut, of course I feel solidarity with the victims, their families, and what the nations going through, wishing for people who were wounded to get better. But, similar to what you describe , there is also a sense, that often when there are terrorist attacks are against innocent people here,in Israel, against Jews, there is not similar sense of solidarity in return, from abroad. Many see is as a routine and normal by this point. Many do no care. Many even cheer it, like this American senator cheering for terrorists attacks in Beirut.
People are people, Jews , Arabs or French, their lives matter.
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What can you do when some of our own people were celebrating the attacks that took place.
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People n politicians who are being pathetically offensive about the blasts in Lebanon n the Lebanese casualties n deaths keep forgetting that when the “beast” rises it doesn’t discriminate, it has no loyalty to the people that raises him nor could be kept under control as its evil grows! And it’s most probably that hits back the hardest on those created him…
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Firstly, thank you for your article – very powerful and I will certainly share it.
You wrote: “ISIS plans for Islamophobic backlashes so it can use the backlash to point its hellish finger and tell any susceptible mind that listens: look, they hate you.” – and it got me thinking – maybe the attacks in Lebanon and Paris were planned in such a way as to highlight the disproportionate response from the Western media, thus telling not just susceptible minds, but all: “they hate you/they don’t care about you”?
Please know, we DO care. I refuse to change a colour of a Facebook profile for one country, when so, so many others – across the world, are effected by terrorist attacks.
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I understand your perspective, but the Facebook statuses and lighting of monuments, trivial as a lot of it may be, is not because no one cares about the abhorrent actions of ISIS and other terrorist networks across the globe in countries like Lebannon, Afghanistan, Syria or anywhere else. Part of the reason people are supporting Paris is precisely because this shouldn’t be an everyday occurrence, but is one that seems to becoming more common! If everyone were to post statuses and light up monuments for every act of terror in countries that are under constant bombardment, not only would it become completely trivial, but it would be happening for a different or even several such areas every day.
Despite your opinion that no one cares, there are campaigns running all the time to combat terrorism and support the victims and those affected and displaced! Pointing out that American political zealots like Everett A Stern tweet some disgraceful opinions is no more an accurate reflection of world sentiment, than the fallacy of saying ISIS are not true Muslims because anyone with an inkling of morality wouldn’t do such things. As if religion and morality are liked in any way.
This us and them mentality does nothing but poison the dialogue and inhibit progress, creating further division. As you pointed out this is exactly what ISIS, al-Shabab, Boko Haram, Hamas, Hezbollah and the many other terror groups are counting on!
Let’s fight the murderers not each other!
All lives matter!
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Sorry, but Beirut is no Paris.
More than any other city, Paris represents romance and love. The city stands for liberty, equality, fraternity. Values which origin in the French Revolution. Values described and discussed by great philosophers. Paris is the symbol for enlightment, for the possibily of the absence of a god; but also the possibily to peacefully worship any god. It is a city where people meet for music, performances in theaters, for art, for archicture, for fine restaurants. It is also the city where last century philosophers publicly discussed in cafés about life (f.e. existentialism). Where there is room for opposings views. In the end, Paris stands more than any other city for being human. That is why I care less about Beirut. Beirut just isn’t Paris (and neither are Washington, New York, Madrid, Londen, Jerusalem, Baghdad, Mecca, Kabul and Utøya/Oslo like Paris).
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I 100% agree Europe n America r considered as world but the rest really r in hell just because of these ppl alqaida n isis r hurting our loved ones do they care no they dont we r street rats for them n they need to get rud of us n this is the best n easy way.
When i get hurt i need a doctor take me to hospital n when u get hurt heres a bandit tht is enough for u they r tht kind of ppl
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Pingback: An American's Perspective on Beirut and Paris - mallaidh.org
With this article you feed the anger of the Muslims , it looks that the non believers don’t care about Muslims and that’s not true. This is exactly what Isis wants, the non Muslims against the Muslims. If Europeans start to turn against Muslims in Europa Isis will win this battle. It is a dangerous article that will drive a bigger space between non Muslims and Muslims. Stupid, we need to stand together in stead of trying to accuse the other ones of not caring… I care for all humans but not for Isis or hezbollah!!
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It saddens me that in these days of fear and attacks from terrorists that some, like yourself, are made to feel unimportant as though your lives don’t matter to the world.
Please know that there are those who stand in solidarity with you, there are those that do care very much, for all lives.
In this time, the world needs to lookout for one another. All lives matter.
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Every person killed out of hate is one person too many regardless of etnicity, country of origin or number of Facebook likes. Stop spreading the hate and start understanding each other.
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Pingback: Kuinka paljon Pariisin pitää kestää? | PISARA MERESSÄ
Nearly everyone agree. We need a change.
QUESTION 1
What can we do to become more understanding, compassionate and to be able to take action?
We have seen that rules like “you should be loving, kind” etc. does not work.
I have tried retreats like Vipassana, Enlightenment Intensive and therapies like Rosen Method that seems to work. Do you have experience of developing yourself in this direction that worked for you? Please share them with me and others.
QUESTION 2
Research shows that people with Post Traumatic Stress often get more violent, reactive etc. How can we do, I do, to get less violence in the society and help people out of their negative circle?
Some people suggest drugs even if drugs has tremendous negative effects such as depression, numbness, meaninglessness etc. How can I get more understanding around this?
I am just in the process of reading “The Body Keeps the Score”. It helps me to get understanding and compassion for the people that act out those type of crimes. It is a fantastic book. Please read it. Do you have any recommendation of any other book?
Be kind to yourself
Kjell
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Hello,
I want to answer, today, with all my pain and fear about what happened to my city, to my neighbourhood, yesterday.
You know, for occidental people, it’s not very simple to be aware about what happens in the world today. Because media don’t really show it, because politics don’t think it’s an important point. However, the humanity is empathic, it’s a fact. We suffer to see other people suffering.
You know, actually, when I finally understood that Paris was attacked and that 18 people was dead, my first fear was for Syria. I didn’t really know why, but I was certain that, one way or another, this was going to be a very fucking awful problem for a Muslim country. I cried. Because we already so many problems. They have already so many problems. And the entire world have already so many problems. And then I saw the numbers increased. It’s just…indescribable. And I know that this is what some people in this world live every single day of their life.
This is just horrible. Why the world has to be like this? Why people have to suffer? Why innocent people have to die, all over the world?
I don’t understand. I can’t.
You know, I don’t care about colors on buildings. It’s nice from the countries which did this, but it will not take the pain away. I don’t even care about flags, it doesn’t mean anything to me. I’m a citizen of the world and there’s no difference for me. We all have the same blood. We’re all brothers and sisters. I bleed if you bleed. I cry if you cry.
I wanted to say this, just to be able to explain that, even if many people here don’t even have any idea that Beirut was living the same thing, it doesn’t mean that they don’t care. It’s complicated to be informed. And politics is…well…politics.
I’m so sorry to what happened to Beirut. And I sware, if I was able to light the entire Eiffel Tower with Lebanaon colors, I would do this without any hesitation.
I’m listening to your pain, I can hear you. And I cry with you. You’re not alone.
From Paris, with love.
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You are right in all ways but I would be remiss if I did not point out one important factor you did not mention. This is a Muslim faction/cult that is committing these crimes and never once has a Muslim republic condemned a terrorist attack or came out to openly speak out against it. Whether it is this incident in France, in Nigeria, in Kenya, in Egypt, In Lebanon, Somalia etc. Your leaders do and say nothing!!! Hence making it appear as if they also secretly don’t care or support it. It is sad that the world doesn’t seem to care about Arab countries. But when people want to keep fighting among themselves as a nation for endless years, there’s little that outsiders can do about that. In the end you just let people be and live how they want to. The reason other Western and African countries get overwhelming sympathy is because the terrorist attacks are exported from OUTSIDE their borders. Which I might add is very very unfair. Most of these terrorists or extremists unravel their own countries, seek refuge in these other countries and then end up carrying out attacks in these very countries that let them in and gave them shelter and peace. How now do you not expect Islamophobia to grow if the entry of refugees increases the chances of terrorist attacks? Furthermore, these terrorists have brothers, relatives and friends who know prior of their intentions and do nothing to warn the authorities about their kin’s plans. Case in point the identified terrorist in France whose relatives have been arrested. We don’t choose where we are born, I get that and I’m sorry for your situation. But you as an Arab nation and several other Arab nations SHOULD speak out every time an attack happens, whether on your land or on other lands. So should your leaders too! Everyone one of you should openly condemn these extremists. Via whatever means. Especially through social media as it is a very powerful worldwide tool. That way, you will show the world that it is not okay and that you don’t sympathize or support these so called ‘Muslims’ and their ideology. And I can assure you that once the world gets that, they will be able to discern between Muslims/Muslim nations which condemn any form of terrorism to those who secretly/silently support it. Remember, a lack of reaction can be interpreted to mean very many things and has been interpreted as such.. Your silence unfortunately is to blame for the lackthereof of sympathy or attention.
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I’m ashamed to admit I did not feel any sorrow for the lives lost in Beirut. The reason being I did not know and I guess that is the point of the article.
I saw nothing on Facebook or the news. I was unaware. The Paris attacks were everywhere – couldn’t be missed.
Had I known I would have mourned equally for the innocent lives lost. It truly is a shame the media have become desensitised to Arab loss. It doesn’t matter to me that Paris lost a larger number of lives. If only 20 had died they still would have had more media coverage.
Our world is going crazy 😢
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This article came up on my Facebook page and I was really interested to read it. I lost heart, however, and am now deleting this from my page. What a huge assumption you make and how much unwarranted blame you throw on the ‘world’ with regard to your point of view. Do you really think that the value of a life can be measured by lights on a building or colours on a page? Most Western people are trying so hard to help and doing the best that they can to help refugees and migrants in Europe. Despite getting very little thanks. Westerners are also trying to make their culture more inclusive e.g. look at the reduction of the word Christmas around 25th December. But no matter what, all we see is whinging articles like this – blaming, blaming, blaming. Westerners CANNOT sort out religious differences or corruption in the Middle East any more than Beirut could sort out the religious problems in Northern Ireland. It just is not possible. ALL HUMAN LIFE IS SACRED – we, in the West totally get this but there is a limit to what we can do in Beirut. Terrorists from Paris or the UK don’t go out to Beirut and kill your innocent people watching football matches as happened in Paris on Friday night. Putting these kind of ill-informed and silly articles on the net is only adding to the problem. Let Paris mourn and honour it’s dead in peace and with dignity and stop whining and begrudging the respect that is being shown to them. Beirut’s problem is ongoing and entrenched. Paris was an innocent, peaceful and welcoming city and it is shameful that outsiders came in and attacked it.
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I used the top picture as my facebook profile picture, hope that’s okay.
It’s horrible that other incidents don’t get as much attention, but the media in the west knows that people tend to care more about what is happening closest to them. I think that’s why they focused on the Paris attacks. However, that is no excuse. People trust the media to be neutral and cover what’s important. Instead they cover 1 out of several attacks this week. My thoughts are with you and everyone else in grief and dispair. (Sorry if there are misspellings, english is not my first language)
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This article turned up on my Facebook page and I was very interested to read it. Halfway in, I lost heart and am deleting it. What huge assumptions you make and how quick you are to blame the ‘world’ for your angst. Europe can no more sort out the religious issues in Beirut any more that Beirut could sort out the religious issues in Northern Ireland. The average person in Europe has really tried to help – with refugees and migrants, with aid, and see how much reduced the word Christmas is on 25th December. What do we get in return but blame, whinging and moaning? Articles like this are part of the problem. Are you that shallow that thinks that the measure or a human life is a colour on Facebook or Sydney Opera House? I think this article was written by a very naïve, ill informed and ultimately dangerous person. There has been tragedy in Paris. People from Paris normally don’t go out bombing other states. They were completely innocent young people going to watch a concert and were just murdered. So the world pays respects and even before the dead are named, I see this bitter, envious piece of whining on Facebook. May all the dead of the past few days rest in peace and please, please can we be spared from rabble rousing like this on Facebook for a few days?
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Fact is, that the western World identifies itself easier with a western city. As a friend said ‘or can you imagine yourself living in Iraq or Lebanon?’ People think that I’m Lebanon all women are wearing the Hijab and it’s a dangerous place (well, it’s not THAT dangerous at least, apart from the traffic, garbage crisis and occasional bombs).
People don’t have an identification, not even a picture of Lebanon. And the frequent bombings and the situation surrounding this beautiful country (home of my heart) doesn’t particularly help in creating empathy. Even if babies and parents are killed and injured. A baby lost its parents while sitting in the front seat with his mom. This culture is so far away from the western one, not knowing that this is not all.
Yet, I don’t understand why politicians here and there cannot see the important role Lebanon could play.
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Stop making excuses and blaming others. The people of the Middle East need to rise up and fight the religious wackos that are dominating their countries. Stand up against Muslim extremism, or sit down and shut up. The World is sick and tired of what is happening in the Middle East. Pick a side. In the West there are many apologists and appeasers who say “It is their culture”, but it is not the culture- it is the religion, so solve it amongst yourselves, or prepare to have it solved by others in a very definitive way.
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That’s why i for one , do not join the media of facebook . I believe in pray and hope that one day this world could come to peace . There is always more suffering somewhere else , in someone elses life , with that i am sorry to hear what’s happening in yours . I naive and blind by media , and all i can say i hope the killing stops a day to come .
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I can’t stress enough for the loss you have everyday off your lives.please know that my prayers are with your people .God bless. May peace come soon to you
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And kenya?
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