God created people different from each other in voice, shape and ambition. That is one of the mercies that we want to celebrate because we always try to shape our lives in line with our daily aspirations. Humans in their nature are not satisfied with what they had planned for yesterday. They change their plans every morning according to the mood they wake up in. This is not only because God created humans as the most complicated creatures, but also this human lives in Lebanon/in North Lebanon to be exact. I’m a resident of North Lebanon where people in my neighbourhood have different lives, each of us living according to our own plans, responsibilities and priorities.
We used to have in common the principle of "After the day that passes, a similar day will come”. However, a global crisis hit the universe and changed the course of events, and now everyone is equal. Isolation, fear and confusion prevailed in all areas in Lebanon. Most sectors have been suspended. The rich and poor have the same concern and thus became equal. All are equal and the lord is one. I started feeling that I belong to a homeland where all residents are treated the same in matters related to work and ambitions, since in quarantine all people are afraid of the future just as we do. People globally were affected on the financial, social, health and educational levels. However, the impact in Lebanon was severe since we are suffering from a crisis in our belonging, rights and trust in our homeland.
I’m an architecture graduate and I live in Tripoli, the second capital of Lebanon. I completed my diploma degree in summer of 2019. I live in a city whose residents are simple people who live on daily earnings, colloquially known as “daily workers”. Tripoli has a great history and was called the city of science and scholars. It had the largest libraries in the Arab world but they were burnt by people who were jealous of its purity, science and good religion. Its houses and alleys present the mixture of the ancient Islamic and modern architecture and reflect that it witnessed two eras in complete harmony.
If I want to describe one day of the quarantine, I would say that I start my day at 5:30 am after I finish my spiritual prayer. I thank God for the new day that he has granted me and for being healthy. Then I sit on my balcony and meditate for 30 mins. Before I didn’t care about meditation, but I recently realized its impact on the spirit. Later, I dive into architectural plans and designs which take me away from routine and bring me to a space full of hope and imagination. I intermittently complete my work-related responsibilities. Some of these tasks require group work, so I communicate via the exhausting internet because direct communication became dangerous for people during this new pandemic.
Today, the educational sector in Lebanon, especially schools are witnessing disruption while following distance learning. Until now, the public schools, in particular, could not fill the gap and indemnify students for the loss in their education. Even if online learning is available, electricity cuts are the bigger problem in the purposefully forgotten parts of the country. The educational sector remains under the burden of systematic hatred, especially in Akkar. Although, Akkar is an important governorate in terms of its area and population. However, it is known as a poor area deprived of all these supplies. Even if supplies reach it, the infrastructure cannot achieve the goal. Therefore, we eventually cannot treat all students equally when infrastructure is not sufficient like in this case.
During quarantine, many universities and workshops began a very beneficial initiative which is offering free courses which people can register for based on their interests. So to not get bored, I registered in free courses provided by leading universities like Harvard. I signed up for three courses on architecture, and thus I started my learning journey from my room.
Everything surrounding us is depressing. However, these resilient people have good, religious and ambitious hearts, allowing them to get through the crisis. You can see all people laughing despite their miseries, giving although they do not have much, and creating opportunities out of nothing. They take advantage of these opportunities to stay alive.
I only find rest near my mother whom I’m spending a lot of time with after the homeland dismissed his sons, including my brothers. Now, I sit with her more than before. One of the benefits of COVID19 is that we overcame all obstacles that stand up firm against customs and traditions. So we opened all pathways and destroyed all those walls to build conversations between two different generations. Conversations which tackle war which leads to poverty, greed, theft and racism between sects and areas. May God forbid its recurring.
My mother sits with a scorched heart to call my brothers who left her because of the sectarianism and favouritism. So she rests by watching their photos over the phone and does not cry. But she tries to focus on this sentence “If they were here, they would be unemployed. Indeed, they are far away, but they are building themselves.” I secretly say “they are building themselves, but they spend only a few useless minutes next to you when they come every year. They spend a long time in traffic while coming and going to the airport which could take more than 2 and a half hours. Although, there is an airport nearby that can operate but is closed because of political reasons. Like governmental universities and hospitals which do not cure diseases until people die.”
Here is the beginning of the week and the committee at my building started to gather donations for the most needy. My building has 10 floors and each floor consists of 10 apartments and the woman in charge is kind and has experience in the poor areas and neighbourhoods nearby. During this Ramadan, the building’s committee suggested sharing our meals with the poor under the condition of keeping it simple and without any extra costs to ensure sustainable provision. This way, we can also realize our needs because we are helping ourselves by helping others.
Finally, I would like to quote a question related to North Lebanon and asked by one of my friends who participated in this initiative this Ramadan “Where do you find these people?”. I replied by saying that they are everywhere and if we want to help them, we can find them in front of our eyes. In my opinion, helping others does not only help them, but it also helps us. We need to thank God for his many blessings and return his help by helping people. Each one of us was created for a reason and was prepared to share his goal and riches with others… because giving is food for the soul and discipline to the self.
Alaa Merehby, Architect, Lebanese living in Tripoli, North Lebanon
Photo by Masjid Pogung Dalangan on Unsplash