It’s our fault

This article is about the explosion that took place in Beirut, Lebanon on 4 August 2020, and was written for Lebanese readers. 

The explosion that rocked Beirut on the 4th of August has left me unable to say anything for the last three weeks. What was there to say that hasn’t already been said? It was senseless, unjustified death, pain and destruction. I felt hopeless. I had nothing good to say, so I decided to remain silent.

But I’ve chosen not to remain silent anymore. I wish to share my thoughts with you as someone who spent most of my childhood and adult life outside Lebanon (except for 8 years between 1994 and 2002), and as someone who has no political affiliations other than the belief that the country, and not any political ideology, should come first.

Lebanon needs to change, and I believe that this change is the responsibility of every Lebanese.

One of the fundamental beliefs that my coaching clients need to have before change can take place is the belief that what is happening to them is of their own making. Most clients come to me with stories of how their employees are underperforming, how market conditions are challenging, or how their competitors are playing dirty. While all these might be true, no change can take place until they believe that their situation is not a result of what’s happening around them, but of how they are acting in this challenging environment.

You cannot create change using blame, and all I’ve seen and read since the explosion took place has been blame. Blame for corrupt politicians, treasonous political parties, and incompetent management. And while that blame might be justified, it does not help make things better.

Blame means change can only happen when someone else changes.

Blame helps you deal with your anxiety, but not with the problem.

Blame gives you an excuse, but not a solution.

Blame disempowers you, it gives your power away to the people you are blaming because it means change can only happen when they decide.

The truth is, what’s happening in Lebanon is our fault. 

Yes, ours.

We didn’t light the fire that destroyed a large part of Beirut. We didn’t place those explosive chemicals there and we might not have supported those corrupt politicians.

But we created an environment where corruption and mismanagement can exist and flourish. 

We did this...

...every time we paid a few dollars to speed up a transaction

...every time we defended a friend who was in the wrong

...every time we stayed silent for fear of offending someone

...every time we turned a blind eye to racism

...every time we crossed a red traffic light because no one was looking

...every time we defended corruption by one politician because we liked him, or because we believed he was “less corrupt” than the others (as if corruption has degrees)

...every time we looked up to the corrupt wealthy, when we know how they made their money

...every time we told a “white” lie

...every time we did something wrong even if it was small and insignificant

It was significant. All these millions of small “wrongs” added up to a country that is fertile ground for corruption, fraud, political scheming and lack of respect for the most basic of human dignities.

The first requirement, then, is believing we are the cause of our current situation.

The second, equally important, requirement, is for us to want to change. By us I mean you, my dear reader, and me. I don’t mean some collective “us” that actually means “them”.

The country will not change until we change. We can choose change. It is in our power.

We must choose to follow the law even when no one is looking and even when it won’t make a difference

We must choose to tell the truth even if it means we won’t get what we want

We must choose to speak out against wrongdoing even if we upset people we love

We must choose to hold ourselves to the same standards we teach our kids. We don’t get to play the parent card anymore

We must stop doing business with people we suspect of being corrupt, even if they pay well

We must stop praising people who use wit and aggression rather than facts to win a debate

Doing this require courage and humility. The courage to admit to ourselves when we are wrong, and the humility to admit it to others.

If enough of us make this choice, we will create an environment where a different kind of Lebanon can flourish. Only when we hold ourselves to a higher standard can we hold our leaders to this standard.

In life we get not what we desire, but what we tolerate. And we’ve been tolerating this situation for too long.

In the movie “The Two Popes”, Pope Francis says: “when no one is to blame, everyone is to blame.”

We are to blame...

...and that’s why we are our only hope.