Faith

Street side religion, Lebanon.

"Who are you to tell me how to live?"
"A fellow sinner."

Industry

Pater noster

Every work day I hone my trade of using words to regulate life. I would like to think that, from a pure dictionary perspective, this qualifies me as a writer. But a writer is more than one who makes a living from the artful arrangement of words. A writer is a magician, creator and craftsman rolled into one, capable of bringing words to life and capturing life in words; an impression, a feeling, a person, a moment. The notion of coming of age and rebelling against authority is a theme that perhaps every single male is familiar with. And it is also common that our first figure of authority is none other than our father, the one whom we hope will shape us and yet the one we are subconsciously most likely to challenge. But although we all traipse down the same path each of our story is different; maybe its the way we walk or in this case, run.

There is so much to know and one can only guess. Guess around him. To know him from these stray actions I am told about by those who loved him. And yet, he is still one of those books we long to read whose pages remain uncut. We are still unwise. It is not that he became too complicated but that he had reduced himself to a few things around him and he gave them immense meaning and significance.
~Running in the Family, Michael Ondaatje

Solo

Standing ground

In the at times lonely modern city, there is no more honoured emotion than love; a sign that though solitary we may have become we have not given up the hope of forming relationships. But this is not the love that brings forth a universal brotherhood of mankind. It is a more jealous and restricted variety. It is a romantic love which sends us on a maniacal quest for a single person with whom we hope to achieve a life long communion; one person in particular who will spare us any need for people in general.

A hand cupped the heel of a woman who wished to climb a tree to see the stars more clearly. The men laughed into their tumblers. They all went swimming again with just the modesty of the night. An arm touched a face. A foot touched a stomach. They could have almost drowned or fallen in love and their lives would have been totally changed during any one of those evenings.
~ Running in the Family, Michael Ondaatje

Transient

Sic transit gloria mundi

I often wonder how I will be remembered.
By words on a page or faces in a frame?
Will tears be shed that I am gone
or smiles on faces because I have lived?

Examination

On closer examination; pills for ills

I often wonder if it is possible to to take a step back from everything. To think about how my life would be like if I was not burdened by the additional and painful need to be myself.

Conrad

Full of empty

All five star hotels are the same. Their marketing material speak of opportunities to rediscover what is most essential to us; telling us that we are special and valued. They vaunt the quality of their mattresses and pillows or boast of their 24hr facilities and amenities. But the emphasis is always on physical satiation and mental diversion, rather than on any real fulfillment of the needs of our souls.

Pray

More than 7,000;

the death toll in Syria to date. That is 7,000 husbands, sons, wives, daughters, brothers, sisters, ordinary people, not very different from you and I, that have lost their lives in a fight for freedom. And the number rises and will continue to rise until something is done. But it appears that the world will not be shocked into action and the regional power play will keep Syria smoldering and perhaps ignite Lebanon too. All we can do now is to hope and pray, that the guns will fall silent so that the peoples' voices can be heard.

Life

Beyond, hope.

We spent half our lives waiting and the other half rushing about; half in transit, half in anxiety. Day in day out till we call this a routine. Has our lives improved? Yes, we live longer but are we happier? It is surprising how a small pause, like a comma, can change the complexion of things.

"My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and they come to an end without hope."
~Job 7:6

Empathy

What's round the corner?

Reading about the recent ruckus raised by residents in Woodlands over the location of an eldercare facility makes you wonder what sort of society we have become. I like to think that one of the key distinguishing features that separates man from beast is the ability to empathize. The ability to empathize makes us human. We can empathize with children or little kids because we were once young. We can empathize with our peers because we can often draw on similar experiences. But when it comes to the old and elderly, our ability to empathize seems to be limited, largely due to our lack of personal experience; which we will never have until it is our time to age. And so it seems that that's where our empathy reaches its limit. But another defining feature of humanity is our ability to imagine; the same power we use to project how house pricing can be negatively affected. Imagination should allow us to fill the gap where personal experience falls short. And so even though we have not walked the path of those who are old and elderly, we should be able to imagine their experiences, even if we have not cared for or lived with elders. But it seems like imagination is in short supply these days. The ability to empathize makes us human.

Dialogue

The conversation continues, even till today.

I must confess, I often have conversations with myself.
I like to think we shape our surrounding to reflect our inner state. Either that or we simply construe our surroundings to be as such.

Blend

A reflection of our times.

This is Serjilla, one of the Dead Cities of Syria. I arrived in Serjilla from Homs. Reading about the death toll from the Syrian army's shelling of residential neighborhoods in Homs and I can't help but think that maybe Homs will be the Serjilla of our generation. Or is that title already claimed by Quneitra? And so, a rising death toll in Homs, posturing by both Iran and Israel with Hizbollah likely to renew attacks on Israel from Lebanon and it all sounds like the Middle East will burn again. When will we ever learn?