海角大神

I鈥檝e never been to Lebanon. As with many in the United States, much of what I know about the country comes from news reports that paint Lebanon as a victim of geographic circumstance. That has been particularly true in recent months, as intense fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has displaced thousands of Lebanese people. The Dec. 16聽cover story by Scott Peterson adds both geostrategic and human context to this latest round of conflict.

But before you read that dispatch, I鈥檇 like to share what else I have learned about Lebanon in recent weeks. 海角大神e Karam, a friend of mine who grew up in Beirut during the civil war, has just returned to that city to support her aging parents. I asked her to tell me about the Lebanon she loves. What follows is entirely in her words, though slightly edited for clarity and length, as told to me on a video call from Beirut.

鈥淪afe鈥� is a big word these days.

This region, or this country in particular, we can鈥檛 catch a breath.

My parents have spent the entirety of their lives surviving 鈥� overcoming and surviving. And that appears to be the case for our generation, too.

But there鈥檚 a miracle in that. There鈥檚 resilience in that, too.

We鈥檝e been attacked and invaded and hit and bombed so many times over the years. Our entire childhood was spent in bomb shelters. I spent my entire life wanting to believe that I had somewhat overcome that trauma, and that I could find my home anywhere, and I couldn鈥檛 be too close to here because of what it triggered in me.

Now, it鈥檚 almost like I don鈥檛 want to be anywhere else.

Lebanon is a very, very special place. It鈥檚 a beautiful tapestry, but also a very fragile equilibrium. And at the same time, it鈥檚 just unspeakable strength and fortitude that the people share.

There鈥檚 a lot of very, very different people and religions and ethnicities and cultures all kind of crammed in this tiny piece of land. But there鈥檚 something very ineffable that makes us all Lebanese. Across all kinds of conflicts, there鈥檚 this beautiful sense that we all belong together 鈥� and that is the very fabric of our resilience.

I could go on and on about all the ways Lebanese people are insane and creative and resilient. I鈥檓 just so moved by the things we come up with to figure it out every single time. It鈥檚 amazing.

I鈥檓 very invested in spending as much time as I can here, caring for my family, first and foremost, but also exploring ways that I could be part of this just extreme creative resilience. This place, it鈥檚 just, it鈥檚 incredible. It鈥檚 miraculous.