Lebanon, the Will to Live

Description

LebanonPostcard presents Lebanon, the Will to Live, Ministery of Information – Liban, Vivre et Resister, Ministère de l’information – لبنان إرادة الحياة, وزارة الأعلام – Hardcover book 29×22.5 cm, 79 pages – Book in English, French and Arabic (Used book but still like new from inside).

Lebanon: you are thus and you could not be otherwise. That is how you have risen from the grave each time the world believed you dead and buried, that is why the victory is yours in this vile, hateful war. A war without an enemy, a war for war’s sake…

If Lebanon survives, it is because it is not prepared to wait for deliverance from the eight, the ten-year ordeal to resurrect its ruins. A ray of hope, a single ceasefire are enough to restore its blind faith in life. As if nothing has happened. As if the war was not likely to start again.

Yet the war always does start again and Lebanon emerges even more staunchly determined to defy destiny. The Lebanese never tire of starting over again. The faintest glimmer of hope, the slightest indication of calm will lure them from behind their shattered windows into the street beyond, to remove the traces of war as one who shakes the dust from his clothing after a long walk. Sweeping away the debris, knocking down the barricades and gathering together the threads of life, they scorn those who mistake their confidence for naivety.

But there is more to Lebanon than this, and to understand fully, the paths of history must be explored. In the beginning, there was a dream. And that dream sustains Lebanon today in its war against war. A dream of living together.

Lebanon was born of a map, a constantly changing map that was carved out at the Peace Conference more than half a century ago. This map has since reappeared at many international conferences. And in capitals all around the world, be they great or small, there are still men who would dearly love to redraw that map yet again: coloured pencils in hand they narrow its borders there, or extend them here, assiduously shifting its lines back and forth.

But despite them, Lebanon continues to be Lebanon, obstinately faithful to its own ideals in the face of temptations and threats. Its current “crisis”, a battle between history and geography, a conflict of interests and loyalties, is simultaneous with its growth as a nation, a nation whose borders have been drawn with the blood of its people. And those people have one wish: to be allowed to live freely on their land in harmony and fellowship, sharing a common future.

These people know only too well that is was neither geographical nor historical borders that gave life to their nation. It lives because it has a desperate will to do so, a will born of a community whose very diversity endows it with a unique, intangible destiny, dedicated to liberty, progress and creativity.

Because of their realistic outlook on life, because they are not mired in simplistic theories, the Lebanese have always been willing to experiment, even with partition. They themselves, or at least some of them, have played the map game, only to have their denunciation of war confirmed, and their faith in the ideals of unity, independence and peace restored.

Thus, the Lebanese system of government is the product neither of a constitution nor of a covenant. Its roots are deeper than that, more complex. It is the fruit of life itself, of the uncertainties of war. The bitterness of defeat and the ecstasy of victory have laid its foundations, ensuring a unique environment in which generation after generation continues to thrive. Democracy in Lebanon is therefore not an option but a condition of life, for without it there could be no commonality among Lebanon’s diverse communities.

The distribution of power mirrors a social as much as a political equilibrium, meaning that all may participate in the many. varied decisions that must be decided mutually if a country of Lebanon’s diversity is to survive. Neither dictatorship nor hegemony: Lebanon does not yield to frustration, or allow its independence to be compromised.

Above all, it does not permit one argument or interest to take precedence over another, for if it did so it would cease to exist, as a body succumbs to the death of its limbs and a whole to the disintegration of its parts.

Have not our historical leaders proclaimed this same truth again recently, however different the words or phrases they may have used?

In the same way that the Lebanese diligently undertake the task of reconstruction while the war still rages, the constitutional and ideological debate continues unashamedly. Yet this is an expression of Lebanon’s quest for peace rather than a post-mortem into the quarrels that started the war. And not only on a constitutional and national level, but also internationally…

Lebanon scorns those who would divide its flesh, and upholds its right to fulfill its mission and play its role. Although scarred, it remains loyal to its call.

Rising above the petty jealousies of others, it champions the causes it believes are just, even if the proponents of those very causes have brought it injury. And therein lies its reward, for, defying the laws of convention, in the face of adversity. Lebanon behaves not as a weakling but as one secure in the righteousness of his convictions. If it sometimes plays along in the game of nations, it is only to remind the world that Lebanon is not a pawn to be manipulated, a carcass to be carved up, or a prize to be raffled.

For Lebanon is, in its own way, a historical testimony to peace. That was true in its past, is true for its present, and will relentlessly shape its future.

History has not seen a nation such as Lebanon, whose internal events reflect the upheavals of the world, and particularly those of its neighbours. Indeed, there has never been a nation so small whose destiny has so constantly preoccupied the rest of the world. Its fate is inextricably intertwined with that of the world, and has been sealed by the clash of wills between the Lebanese and the Great Powers. Each successive solution is more original, more enduring than the last.

Thus, not once has Lebanon been harmed with impunity. The world knows that to injure this little country would jeopardise peace throughout the world. And each time Lebanon is wronged, the threat posed to others is greater than the danger to Lebanon itself. When the world wishes to restore peace, it knows it must begin with Lebanon.

This is how you are, Lebanon, and your own virtues will triumph over war. The victory will be yours, and the just ideals towards which you strive will prevail: peace among men and the restoration of human liberty.

Ghassan Tueini

LebanonPostcard will be responsible for sending the book you order, through a fast courier with a tracking number, guaranteeing reception of the package. The souvenirs may take three to five days to arrive, according to the country they are sent to.