The March 14 Myth

The Lebanese should get over March 14 and realize that it takes time and effort to build a new country.


Faced with an election where a great deal of squabbling is expected to take place, the Lebanese commentariat has renewed its talk about “the death” or “the end” of March 14. How could people who marched hand in hand like brothers only a few months ago, their argument goes, be fighting each other over some lousy parliamentary seats on Sunday?

Their frustration is understandable and to a degree, legitimate. But to credit March 14 with anything more than just symbolism is naïve. A collective act of defiance against an external threat is hardly a significant turning point or a change in national character.

We all know how September 11 united all Americans in defiance. Even non-Americans pitched in: the French newspaper Le Monde, declared: “We are all Americans”, but still, before the presidential elections in November, you’d think that a war has broken out between the Americans, with a lot of newspapers declaring, with no shortage of drama, the “death” of the post-September 11 unity.

Politicians are also using March 14 for their own electoral ends (usually to stress the diversity of their lists), but if Jonny, Samir and Fatima held hands on March 14, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they should all vote for the same list on Sunday. The seats are limited and choisir, c’est laisser tomber.

March 14 will surely go down as a great day in Lebanese history, but as far as the present is concerned, it is just a glimpse of the future, a magic wand that we all dream of but don't possess.

So let’s wake up and roll up our sleeves. Only the slow buildup of hard work, sacrifice and compromise can achieve the real and sustainable March 14.

(painting by Mustapha Farroukh)