Why do humans do terrible things to each other? This is a question I asked my parents when I was a child trapped in a shelter, afraid of the bombs, the snipers and the breaking news gloomy sounds. A question I ask myself every day following the massacres taking place throughout the Southwestern Asian region… A question I ask tonight…

Beirut is bleeding, again! A pair of suicide bombings killed at least 45 people and wounded over 200. Many blame the religious indoctrination of young ignorant and damaged individuals who are promised eternal pleasures in heaven. Some would say humans are inherently evil or would compare modern day murderers to primitive barbarous humans. Others would blame it on the quest for survival, for power, or believe that we become enthused zealots who want to destroy the evil that threatens our groups, the people we love, who share our genes, our religious beliefs, our political affinities, our social-economic background… We fight because we are insane, we do the same thing over and over again and expect different results – quoting Einstein –, because we claim absolute authority and want to impose our own beliefs on what we consider as nonbelievers and dissidents alike, or because it simply feels good!

Tonight, I am filled with horror at images of people torn to shreds by those who turned themselves into incendiary devices. I am filled with sadness as I think of all the victims and their families. I still cannot find a satisfying answer to THE question. And blaming each other of religious fanaticism, impiety or incorrect faith won’t help.

The current situation in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Palestine, the ancient Land of Canaan with its rich history and its major achievements from the invention of the writing system and the alphabet to outstanding developments in sciences, philosophy and arts, promises nothing more than the road to hell.

Tonight, we mourn the loss of so many lives. Tomorrow, we go out, spirits lifted again, to make this country a better place for us and our children.