The Lebanese Spirit, A Dream Or A Nightmare ?

Raja, From The Lebanese Bloggers, had an interesting post about the difference between what he calls "the American Psyche" and the "Lebanese Psyche".

Raja's findings are mainly empirical and are based on a keen sense of observation. He used to live in Lebanon; he now studies and lives in the US. He realized that a typical American sees himself largely in terms of what he does, whereas a typical Lebanese sees himself as an extension of a previously established order, whether social, religious, or familial.

He concludes in a mixture of hope and helplessness:

"Some major behavioral changes need to take place if we are ever to overcome some of the animosity that currently exists between us. Politicians can always change the rules of the game, but in my opinion the problem exists within the people at large; and can only be remedied by them."

Raja's comments mirror the typical conversations twenty-something educated and secularized Lebanese have. They look with despair at the societal construct of their motherland, while envying the efficient kinetics of other countries, especially the US.

Are Raja's conclusions correct? Does the Lebanese society really have to transform itself to be more harmonious and productive? Are the ingredients for what he calls "The American Psyche" missing from Lebanon? Is it quintessentially Lebanese to be tribal? Is it, as Raja puts it "embedded in our Psyche?"

I know exactly what Raja is talking about, after all, I know that it’s easier for me to remain single till the age of 40 than to tell my parents that I’ll get married to a girl who is not Muslim, Sunnite and from Tripoli.

But still, The Beirut Spring, in this piece, is going to argue the exact opposite of Raja’s conclusion, [while maintaining the strong bonds of friendship between the two blogs]

In many ways, the Lebanese and the American spirit are made of the same “raw material”. The difference is simply where we are in the “development process”.

To better understand where the American spirit comes from, it is Essential to read two books: the classic Democracy in America, by Alexis De Toquevile, and On Paradise Drive, by David Brooks. To summarize, the prescient De Toqueville (a Frenchman) observed long ago that America is Unique because it was the only country in the world that was founded on ideas and principles, not on race or established orders. Immigrants Came from all over the world, escaping prosecution and looking for a better life, warred among themselves, then agreed to build a common future that was based on equal rights for all. David Brooks also attributes the American optimism, self- reliance, can-do attitude and entrepreneurship to that particular history.

An article by Fouad Ajami in the Wall Street Journal (Thanks Tony), had this to say about Lebanon:

Lebanon had been, in the past, a land of relative freedom--a freedom born of the multiplicity of its religious communities, of the anarchic nature of its people and their exposure to commerce and the sea. [...] A country that had once been a refuge for minorities and dissidents and a break from the autocracies of the other Arab states.

Scholarly blogs like Across the Bay like to call this: “the virtue of consociationalism”, which in English means more or less this: people from different ethnic and religious groups come to realize that they have to live together, so they create a secular system based on fairness that will guarantee a prosperous common future for all. The process might be lengthy, bloody and complicated, but sooner or later, all the parties will realize that it’s the only way to go forward.

The Lebanese still define themselves by where they were born instead of by what they do, but eventually, this will fade away. It is helpful to remember that at one time, black Americans had their own schools and were treated differently. But that’s the beauty of a dynamic system that, although unstable and sometimes dangerous, always corrects itself for the better. (Our Arab neighbors like to remind us constantly that we are unstable)

To me, the person that most embodies the real Lebanese spirit was Rafik al Hariri (R.I.P). He came from a relatively unknown poor family, but by his sheer hard work, enthusiasm, open mindedness, optimism and belief in Lebanon, he helped create a better future for us all.

We followed him because we knew deep down inside that he was one of us, a true Lebanese.