Wars are futile. All of them: be it among nations, invasions, occupations or colonialism... There is no dispute that cannot be resolved by other means… that is if we assume that the origins of wars are disputes, which is rarely the case! Of all wars, civil wars are the most aggressive and destructive ones because they occur between groups that supposedly share many things, including the land they live on, i.e. between «siblings». They disrupt the social fabric of existing societies (unlike «external» wars where the sense of «national» unity prevails), which makes hostilities more flagrant and the horrible crimes committed unforgivable and unforgettable without a purposeful and ardent effort.
The scenes of a constructed civil war in Syria are playing out before our eyes. They conjure up in the minds of those who lived through the Lebanese civil war bitter memories, where it is useless to be arrogant and pretend that the Lebanese experienced it «differently». Although the elements are the same despite their density: Can we say to a mother who lost a son that our war was «more merciful»? And to the one who has spent her life looking for a missing one who remains missing to this day, or to the one whose home was destroyed leaving her family on the streets waiting for the Lord’s mercy and people’s charity... And what about those who were raped? Whether ten or a thousand: each violated person is a tragedy, each death is the end of the world for them and sometimes for their family.
The war raging in Syria is spilling over into Lebanon: by virtue of the numbers of displaced arriving to it and which are staggering (a quarter of the country’s population at least), and the lack of international aid and donations leaving Lebanon to do with what it has, but especially because it puts these displaced in conditions not worthy of human beings. The war spills over too in various exploitations of local political conflicts, which often revolve around clout and power and are undertaken by all parties regardless of their bias for the warring Syrian parties and the external parties supporting them.
But what is more hideous than any of that is the fact that wars reveal flaws in concepts and values that are adopted and voiced, whether openly or tacitly (which, even then, are still legible!): the racism manifested in condescension towards those «poor helpless people», the cruelty excreted towards them, the exploitation of their situation under various pretexts.
It is true that forgetting is part of the human nature, but there is something we could describe as a «dissociation from similarities» or of the possibility of comparison in the racism manifested against the displaced: it is a «fear» of one’s own self more than anything else... This fact does not justify at all these positions and feelings but exposes the horror of the Lebanese civil war that has officially ended 25 years ago but which scars have not healed yet in the souls of people, they can be felt and can still fester! For the case of the Lebanese civil war was closed with denial, official amnesia and a folkloric ritual, contrary to other experiences where those involved went into the trouble of working through accountability for themselves and others before a real decision on mutual forgiveness could be taken. The examples, even if not many, do exist and have been documented...
Despite what appears to be a lengthy bloodshed and destruction in Syria without a visible end in sight, it is a war and it will end! And, hopefully, it will be over as soon as possible, to minimize losses, which are already great, and to focus on the more difficult task of healing rifts, which are deep, wide and terrible. This is a process where the Lebanese, or some of them who have thought about it, could help; humbly, and not arrogantly as one «teaching a lesson». This mission is as necessary as taking care of the needs of the displaced, or as providing food, clothing, shelter, safety, medical care or education for their little ones... Which are basic human rights according to all the laws of the earth and heavens. This mission should be designated and «named» from today because itwould allow establishing an ethical system of values where there are no givers and takers, i.e. without an assumed hierarchy. It would gradually create a mutual, common fabric of shared convictions: weren’t slavery and discrimination based on skin color, or the inferiority of women, etc. «acceptable» in a not-so-distant past, and in places where they are now considered crimes and looked upon in condemnation and loathing? This should be the fate of wars!
This ethical mission should be adopted as a global concern so that the issue of asylum is no longer an issue of «instilling fear» and especially in nearby Europe... A fear that sets the stage for other tragedies here and there, and represents a setback for humanity in general.