The end of something means the beginning of something else. Or shall I say the beginning of something comes after the end of something else. Anyway, the same meaning is there.
This first comment has nothing to do with this article’s content. It’s just an idea that haunted me for a second. Maybe in the future it will have a meaning. I might be seeing it now. Still unclear. Still unsure. It might come. If it does? Then this comment will have a meaning. If it doesn’t? It will be one of those many comments you read, think about for a second and then forget for more than few seconds.
Recently, I was lucky enough to visit a shelter. The Mother Theresa shelter for children and elderly people in Lebanon. And what a great experience that was. Touching but definitely worth it. I actually made some friends. Two kids: Ralph and Zouzou.
I met Ralph inside when I was playing with a bunch of kids all excited about the many gifts they had just received. He was holding all his gifts with his two hands. And believe me. He surely needed more than two hands. This is why I kept giving him the ones that were falling. But it was nice to see his joy.
Zouzou called me from a distance. I was leaving the shelter when I heard a gentle voice from behind. I turned and there was a beautiful kid calling me from the other far end: “Hey you!” I turned and walked toward him. Zouzou took me by the hand and pointed at two seats. We sat there and started talking. He was telling me that now there were two Dany’s in the shelter. Me and another Dany (another kid). All that kid wanted was attention. He wanted to chat with someone. He wanted to be treated as a friend. And I hope I did well. Then,
“Dany!”
My friends were calling me. I took Zouzou by the hand and walked toward the exit door where the others were waiting. I asked them if they knew Zouzou. Obviously no one knew him but were more than happy to meet him. After I introduced him to everyone, Zouzou was so excited that he started jumping at me. He was hugging me. I held him and raised him so high above everybody else. Maybe for the first time in his life, Zouzou was so high above others. I’m sure he loved the feeling seeing how much he laughed.
Finally I promised Zouzou that I would be visiting him from time to time and we said goodbye.
This story might sound too normal for most of you, but it was too surreal for me. Especially around Christmas when so many people are unhappy in this world. It gave me the opportunity to appreciate what I have. It made me realize that I too have issues. My life rotates around issues. All I do is solve my issues and move on. And right after I start moving on, another issue pops out. That’s my life story. I wish I could reach a stage where I could say to myself: “I have no issues and it’s time to build”.
I just can’t build on sand. And yes. I don’t see myself stronger than sand. I’m still the person who thinks too much and who analyzes things when those same things only deserve to be thrown away without even looking back at them.
That’s just me!
Living in a large shelter.
Happy New Year to all my OtherEnders!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Monday, December 24, 2007
The Missing Luggage
All I could see were too many dark faces rushing around and talking loudly. It was dark and cold. The whole scene was taking place within a small area. Half of that area was outside under the moonlight and the other half was inside under a dirty roof where smell was almost unbearable.
All I cared about that night was my luggage. It was lost somewhere among hundreds of other bags. Jumping around left and right in search of that small bag. The bad news was that I couldn’t find it. And the later it was getting, the lesser bags were remaining. And the chances that my bag got stolen were rising.
Returning to the set description, I would say I was somewhere in South Asia. I had just landed in an awful airport in some extremely poor city. It was so dark that people sounded just like walking clothes. They were dark people walking in the dark.
There was no sign of any checking control. Just few police guards standing at the ends of the halls. The sounds were loud. Some sounds coming from the planes landing, some others from the planes taking off and mostly the disturbing sounds of a language that was too hard to hear.
The idea of having lost that luggage was tough. Since they were all thrown around the place and stacked above each other, I was running from one end to another bumping into all kinds of people who looked strange like Vampires of Hell.
Yes. Losing that luggage was a problem indeed!
I was so scared to a point where I almost lost my mind. Yes, I was crying and screaming as if my whole life was inside that bag. And I just couldn’t find it.
I got so disturbed that I had finally decided to wake up. I pushed my eyes to open. And they did. I woke up.
I kind of regret it now. It’s like a mystery that might never be solved.
I just wonder what was inside that luggage!
All I cared about that night was my luggage. It was lost somewhere among hundreds of other bags. Jumping around left and right in search of that small bag. The bad news was that I couldn’t find it. And the later it was getting, the lesser bags were remaining. And the chances that my bag got stolen were rising.
Returning to the set description, I would say I was somewhere in South Asia. I had just landed in an awful airport in some extremely poor city. It was so dark that people sounded just like walking clothes. They were dark people walking in the dark.
There was no sign of any checking control. Just few police guards standing at the ends of the halls. The sounds were loud. Some sounds coming from the planes landing, some others from the planes taking off and mostly the disturbing sounds of a language that was too hard to hear.
The idea of having lost that luggage was tough. Since they were all thrown around the place and stacked above each other, I was running from one end to another bumping into all kinds of people who looked strange like Vampires of Hell.
Yes. Losing that luggage was a problem indeed!
I was so scared to a point where I almost lost my mind. Yes, I was crying and screaming as if my whole life was inside that bag. And I just couldn’t find it.
I got so disturbed that I had finally decided to wake up. I pushed my eyes to open. And they did. I woke up.
I kind of regret it now. It’s like a mystery that might never be solved.
I just wonder what was inside that luggage!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Shadow of the Day
Again, we wake up wishing we hadn’t. Again, people die and others live. Again, we comfort ourselves with patience. But people die and we live to see them die. And patience is just another mean of killing the notion of time in favor of death and the killers.
Others say we fight them by standing still and by keeping that walk toward freedom and stability. I wonder how far freedom and stability are.
And what a long walk that is!
We hope and we dream. But mornings like today’s make us lose hope and see things as they are. We can’t close our eyes and imagine birds and trees under a shining sun with clear blue waves hitting the beautiful legs of a gorgeous lady having a tan. All we see are people rushing to wherever they’re rushing, fighting over the way others drive, not even smiling to their Gods and talking nothing except who died.
And what another shadow morning that was!
Haven’t we realized that the strategy is just not working? No we haven’t. Some are still following their leaders on the left and others doing the same on the right. I wonder when I will meet some others in between. Maybe some of you, my OtherEnders, would be interested in joining me on that track which can take us somewhere, who knows where, but surely somewhere. Those others, sticking left and right, will only stick to the border of an extremely steep slope which could only lead down there.
And that’s not where I want to be!
People dream of that higher step which cannot be reached easily. Europeans and others dream of that one-month vacation they will be having next summer. We, Lebanese and some others on this planet, dream of that day where we wake up in the morning and go to sleep in the evening knowing that we had a peaceful normal day.
And that’s what has become of our life ambitions!
I wish to be one of those who raise an issue followed by a solution. I have raised an issue today but how would a solution help if there’s no one to listen? I’m just a young man struggling in his own country instead of struggling in this world on a much larger scale. I’m just some guy marching on a path with no one except me. All others are walking along the borders, either left or right, and waiting for their fall. If it doesn’t come today, it will come another day because we will be seeing yet another shadow.
“And the shadow of the day,
Will embrace the world in gray
--Linkin Park
Others say we fight them by standing still and by keeping that walk toward freedom and stability. I wonder how far freedom and stability are.
And what a long walk that is!
We hope and we dream. But mornings like today’s make us lose hope and see things as they are. We can’t close our eyes and imagine birds and trees under a shining sun with clear blue waves hitting the beautiful legs of a gorgeous lady having a tan. All we see are people rushing to wherever they’re rushing, fighting over the way others drive, not even smiling to their Gods and talking nothing except who died.
And what another shadow morning that was!
Haven’t we realized that the strategy is just not working? No we haven’t. Some are still following their leaders on the left and others doing the same on the right. I wonder when I will meet some others in between. Maybe some of you, my OtherEnders, would be interested in joining me on that track which can take us somewhere, who knows where, but surely somewhere. Those others, sticking left and right, will only stick to the border of an extremely steep slope which could only lead down there.
And that’s not where I want to be!
People dream of that higher step which cannot be reached easily. Europeans and others dream of that one-month vacation they will be having next summer. We, Lebanese and some others on this planet, dream of that day where we wake up in the morning and go to sleep in the evening knowing that we had a peaceful normal day.
And that’s what has become of our life ambitions!
I wish to be one of those who raise an issue followed by a solution. I have raised an issue today but how would a solution help if there’s no one to listen? I’m just a young man struggling in his own country instead of struggling in this world on a much larger scale. I’m just some guy marching on a path with no one except me. All others are walking along the borders, either left or right, and waiting for their fall. If it doesn’t come today, it will come another day because we will be seeing yet another shadow.
“And the shadow of the day,
Will embrace the world in gray
--Linkin Park
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