A Living Witness

Have you ever seen a country and all is institutions crumble? I’m the son of refugees from the Lebanese civil war that lasted from 1975-1989 (depending on who you read). My parents bore witness to the internal strife that erupted into war that ultimately decimated the country, and from which it is still rebuilding. It’s been almost three decades.

I live in the United States, and while I can see many of the grievances people have with the institutions here, I do not conform to the constant attack on them often at their root. Frankly, this is because I am living proof what happens when a country is dismantled internally.

Rather I find myself searching for the work that needs to be done in order that the institutions that do exist can find their rightful place again. That their continual consolidation of power may be halted. That we ultimately may find less and less need for them.

Otherwise what good is the use of my parent’s witness? They’ve seen their home country dismantled. I’ve seen how that has affected them. I wouldn’t wish that particular pain on anyone. So I get to work. But not for any particular policy, but rather for foundations of trust, resilient communities, and a shared value set that actually is based on love.