The World We Share
We live in a world that tolerates genocide, that normalizes war crimes, that dehumanizes and defaces those deemed unworthy.
No, this is not news. It is not a sudden revelation of the horrifying past year or the result of recent turmoil. This understanding has been well ingrained in my consciousness for as long as I can remember.
If you're still living under a rock, then I urge you—start reading. Read Mahmoud Darwich’s poetry that carries the weight of exile; read Edward Said’s words that give voice to the displaced; read Gibran Khalil Gibran and Etel Adnan, who sing of the human condition with mystic grace; read Rashid Khalidi, who unravels the complexities of our history. I guarantee you will find nothing more beautiful, because despite what you’ve been told, we Arabs are dreamers, lovers, poets and jesters. Maneyek.
Now, allow me to offer not an answer, but a thought. A musing, if you will. A vision that may be simplistic, even unrealistic. But to me, it makes sense:
"I am not a politician, nor am I an expert in politics. I am not religious, nor am I in search of faith. I am a citizen, but not just of a land. I, like you, am a citizen of a world greater than us, our choices, our politics, our beliefs.
Human arrogance has divided us, separated us, weakened us. Human arrogance has deceived us with illusions of power beyond our grasp. Human arrogance has made us pay the price of nature's wrath.
But this world is bigger than us.
Think of atoms and outer space. Think of all that is being studied and discovered, of the answers that will come to us in the future. Think beyond the borders and limits we have placed on ourselves.
What would happen if we acted as a united human nation, driven by discovery, science and curiosity? Wouldn’t each person have a role to play, no matter how small? Wouldn’t we all be finally truly connected?
When we think this way, what purpose do wars serve? What value does boundless consumption have?"
If you're still living under a rock, then I urge you—start reading. Read Mahmoud Darwich’s poetry that carries the weight of exile; read Edward Said’s words that give voice to the displaced; read Gibran Khalil Gibran and Etel Adnan, who sing of the human condition with mystic grace; read Rashid Khalidi, who unravels the complexities of our history. I guarantee you will find nothing more beautiful, because despite what you’ve been told, we Arabs are dreamers, lovers, poets and jesters. Maneyek.
Now, allow me to offer not an answer, but a thought. A musing, if you will. A vision that may be simplistic, even unrealistic. But to me, it makes sense:
This poster features the below text in its original Arabic.
"I am not a politician, nor am I an expert in politics. I am not religious, nor am I in search of faith. I am a citizen, but not just of a land. I, like you, am a citizen of a world greater than us, our choices, our politics, our beliefs.
Human arrogance has divided us, separated us, weakened us. Human arrogance has deceived us with illusions of power beyond our grasp. Human arrogance has made us pay the price of nature's wrath.
But this world is bigger than us.
Think of atoms and outer space. Think of all that is being studied and discovered, of the answers that will come to us in the future. Think beyond the borders and limits we have placed on ourselves.
What would happen if we acted as a united human nation, driven by discovery, science and curiosity? Wouldn’t each person have a role to play, no matter how small? Wouldn’t we all be finally truly connected?
When we think this way, what purpose do wars serve? What value does boundless consumption have?"