The Last Straw: A message for Lebanon

Opinion piece by Maria Wehbe, Staff Writer

August 11th, 2020

Lebanon is bleeding and is in pain. 

I am a 20-year old Lebanese woman that has been through things that are deemed unacceptable and horrifying anywhere else in the world. On the 4th of August 2020, at around 6:07 P.M Beirut Time, our lives changed forever: the third worst explosion to ever occur in history happened in Lebanon’s beautiful capital. 

Nobody will ever know to what extent our city got destroyed and is in ruins: the catastrophic event may have led to damages that are beyond repair.

Lebanon is a country that deserves so much better than what it is receiving, time and time again. From a corrupt government, to an economic crisis, to the inflation of the Lebanese Pound, to the wildfires, to the Corona Virus Pandemic: what else can this poor nation still handle? 

We are not okay: we are being thrown in the water and we are drowning, barely being able to breath, gasping for air. We are not supposed to go through all the things we went through in barely a year. If we were to make a timeline with all the events that happened from October 2019 up until now, all countries around the world would be at a loss for words. 

This is a message for my people, for those that have suffered enough as it is, for those that have lost their family members and their loved ones, to those that are still missing: we will no longer remain silent and we are no longer afraid, because this was the last straw, this was the last thing any of us could ever take. 

Lebanese people are the most resilient human beings you will ever meet: since the blast, not one day has gone by without the regions being most affected by the blast being swarmed with people cleaning up, donating food to those in need and so much more. Lebanese people are the type of people that pour their hearts out and give you everything that they have even though they have nothing. They are the type of people that are there for you even when you have betrayed them and hurt them: they always put their differences aside and come in aid to one another. 

This is why donations should keep coming and people should know that we are here to stay and we will no longer accept our fate that everyone has doomed us with: we are going to rise from the ashes and we are not going to give up any time soon. There are many trusted ways that people can help, whether abroad or in Lebanon. So many associations are gathering up goods, money, donations in general and are going to send it all to Lebanon. You can always find a way to contribute and help: there is always hope and nobody should ever lose that. 

This is a warning and this time, it is for real: Beirut will be rebuilt, and this time, it will be the last time, because it has suffered too much and deserves to be taken care of. It is time to make a change, because it is needed to pay our respects and to never forget those that have been lost. They were not martyrs, they were victims: this is no accident and it will not be accepted anymore. Why should the citizens suffer when they are the ones who have to rebuild the city? Even when they are in pain and they are mourning, they are still helping out in every possible way that they can, and this is the type of people that we are.

We never give up and there is always a glimpse of hope left in us, even when all countries around us do not see it anymore. This is our home: it is filled with all of our memories, all of our loved ones, all of the things that we hold closest to our hearts. Like they say, there is no place like home. 

Beirut needs us now more than ever, and we need to help it heal in order for it to not disappear under our wing. 

There are not enough words to describe the anger, the pain and the mourning that is found in each and every single Lebanese citizen today, and no picture will ever show you how damaged and destroyed Beirut truly is. We are resilient. We hold the power. We can do it. 

Beirut will rise again. We will rise again. We will become the beautiful Lebanon that everyone is so fond of again. 

If you need any help in trying to find ways to contribute or donate in regards to the damages of the explosion, you can always contact me and I would gladly be of service. Hand in hand, next to each other, together we have the power and the strength to stand our ground for as long as it takes.