What Turmoil?

What the holiday spirit tells us about Lebanon and the Lebanese.

When I left Tripoli to go to Beirut’s RHI Airport, I calculated that my trip will take the usual one hour and a half. I was wrong. I blame my nearly-missed flight (and the terrible prospect of having to wait a month for another available seat) on all the shopping going around; it took me an additional 30 minutes to cross the Dbayyeh highway facing the ABC mall, and an additional 30 minutes in the 500m strip before City mall. 

I’ve driven on this highway for ages, but I’ve never seen so many people. Where did they all come from? 

An article in today’s New York Times can help enlighten us.

…the Lebanese diaspora reverses itself on holidays, as the migrants who sustain the war-shattered Lebanese economy all year return from jobs across the globe to spend time with their families. Nothing will deter them — not bad weather, not interminable flights and certainly not the Grinch-like mood of Lebanon’s endlessly feuding politicians.

In other words, for all the talk of the Lebanese being “politicized”, we couldn’t care less about politics when the time comes for celebrating with our families. As the Ministry of Tourism’s clever ad puts it: The safest place in the world is in the arms of your loved ones.

Paradoxically, the people outside of Lebanon are the most concerned about the Lebanese “situation”. The biggest headaches for those inside on the other hand are finding reservations and parking spots. The politicians can squabble all they want, but they really do think twice before messing with is our “holidays’ inverse Diaspora”