Only a hero dares

My daughter's kindergarten/school has a gazette and they asked me to contribute with a text regarding their yearly theme: only a hero dares.

Here is what i wrote:

Heroes come in various forms and colours. My 4 year-old boy believes that heroes usually wear red and blue suits, their name starting with an S (S for Super man and S for Spiderman). They can fly, jump from rooftop to rooftop, kill bad monsters with a single blow, melt ice with their super sight, and create the largest nets to catch the evilest beast. They do not eat, drink or sleep while on mission. Firemen and knights are equally perceived as heroes. They fight huge green dragons, save people, forest and homes from destructive fires and most importantly ride on shining red trucks or shiny black horses.

Although these super heroes live in the imagination of children and do not necessarily make them connect with the real world, they introduce values such as good and bad, courage, strength, hope, and way of life to the extraordinary and enchanted world of the child. They make them believe that monsters can be defeated, the weak can be protected, and peace can be the ultimate goal.

However, real human heroes are the ones that make you feel happy inside, like this little 3-year old boy in Australia who saved his mother’s life because he knew to call the emergencies while she was having an epileptic attack. He acted when it was needed and did the right thing. His mother had taught him how to call the Emergencies should she have an attack. She is the women behind the hero.

Heroes dare to act. They dare to make choices. They dare to help others in need. They dare to be different and do the right thing. It is very difficult to be a hero nowadays, but there is a hero in each one of us, if we dare to believe it.

what is next?

Popularity in Beirut is ephemeral, one day it is extremely popular to eat, drink, shop, party in one area and the next thing you know, a war brakes out, or the government suddenly decides to ban alcohol and loud music in this particular area, or a political party decides to invade the space with tents and squat indefinitely. Your favourite hang out in town is now banned. You need to find an alternative place to have fun. The city lives in cycles. And the people move with its rotation.

“Downtown Beirut” used to be the place to be and get seen. Shopping, strolling, watching people, and playing safely with the little ones (no cars) were possible in DT Beirut. But one sad day, settlers invaded the space, placed hundreds of tents and declared war to the government. Some of us thought that come winter, they would be fleeing to their comfortable homes. But alas, that was underestimating their stamina and who they actually are. People whom have fought the enemy with every once of blood and tears would not be frightened by a bit of cold rain and stormy weathers.

So, people have moved on to other parts of Beirut for their daily fix of entertainment. Gemayzeh became the next best thing. The street of Gemayzeh used to be a ghost street, filled with mines, shattered buildings, and scary neighbours. Today this street is hip. I would like to live next to it (should have thought about that 5 years ago, when the meter price was semi affordable, now up to 3500 usd per sqm). Each night, its fancy and funky bars are filled with a happy crowd. Unfortunately few days ago, its residents being fed up with the late night commotions created by the loud party animals went down to the streets demonstrating in their pajamas! Subsequently, the government chose to shut down the lovely, newly established and full of life bars of Gemayzeh.

Shutting down another part of the city to those who are seeking an island of fun is depressing. Lebanon is entering yet another delirious stage and is slowly becoming a ghost country. I am sure the Lebanese will create a new hob for entertainment, but what bugs me is how easy it is to shut down bars and make people unemployed compared to achieve a political settlement and move on from this muddy periods.