Worlds apart?

The protests are still ongoing. They erected more sturdy tents, ready to face the harsh weather coming, ready to see this through until one side or the other backs down. Will it be Hezballah? Hezballah that survived a recent war against one of the strongest military powers in the world? Hezballah that saw a surge in popularity during and after last summer? Or, will it be the advocates of the Cedar Revolution, those who withstood assassination attempts and lost some of their own in horrendous murders?

I make my way alongside the protest camps every morning and evening back and forth from work. I want to go there and feel the pulse on the streets myself. The reason I don't is exactly the same reason I wouldn't attend rallies held by the other side: I have no political affiliations anymore. My only affiliation is to my family, but even they have fallen into seperate camps.

It is a tradegy that in the midst of all this, the Lebanese have managed to adapt and are going about their way, trying to make a living. It's ironic how those who bemoan the economic slump are those who are contributing to it most now, during what should be the Festive Season... And, it is also ironic that those who took to the streets last year in a brave outcry against Syrian presence and dominion over Lebanon see no ill in replacing Syria with the States.

The war lords... where do I begin? Sixteen years ago they tried to rip each others' throats out. Now, they have formed alliances with previous enemies, and previous friends are now foes. They are the same, older, some closer to senility, yet they hold on with an iron grip, and the people hold on to their loyalties. Why the mental slumber among us in Lebanon?

It's calm now. For the past week, the news has been anything but. That's eerie in itself.

I have been silent lately, mainly because everything around me has been a cacophony of sound. Ambulances rush past every few minutes. Motorcades cause an already congested jam to completely come to a standstill. And from where I sit, I can see the protestors move around the area, and I can hear their chants... down with the government.. down...
I've kept an eye on our little gathering here, but I have felt far removed from the discussions, maybe because the dread that has descended on the Lebanese is too powerful to allow other thoughts, or other concerns.

Everywhere I go, I encounter demonstrations of sectarianism, even though their are actual demonstrations across the country claiming they want to wipe it out. I can't buy a phone card without the person selling it to me asking if I support the government... or don't.
The fact is, I couldn't give a rat's ass about the politicians who are steering these poor people. I am firmly in the group of those who are watching the events from the sidelines and wondering how it is that such intelligent people can flock to squares and allow adrenaline to rob them of any sense. What really jars is that these politicians are the same war lords who caused countless death among breathren just 16 years ago. How can these people still be popular? Are we that stupid?

Both sides are vehement, and both sides are right. It's a deadlock, with one side lodging its head firmly in the ground in denial, and the other getting more resolute with their demands by the day.
Today, they are commemorating the one-year since Gebran Tueni's assassination. Pro-government groups are making their way to the church in Achrafieh, and they have to pass by the anti-government camps. How long before some idiot decides to fling an insult and anarchy breaks out? I am not being an alarmist. This is the situation in Lebanon.