Pen Thoughts

Organizational Development was always part of what I do. Many disciplines that I went through during the university years, being a double major student in Accounting/Finance and Software Engineering, developed my abilities to understand organizational structures and dynamics. It allowed me as well to continuously learn and change perspectives about how things work in an organization. The learning years have rewired my brain to understand everything in a structured fashion. Accounting and Software Engineering are two rigidly organized sets of learning that are essential pillars for any organization to do business. My background allowed me to work in positions that profited from all the skills I learned during my study years. Even now, in my current job as an operations manager, the combination of skills and knowledge base gave me an edge, an advanced lookup on the optimistic ways to organize the work and obtain results. However, almost always the project management success remaine...

I was born in Lebanon in 1981. until the day I started to gain consciousness about my surrounding social paradigm, I learned two things. Our reactions as a cultural entity highly depend on emotions. We can be stupid and illogical. A lot of things changed during my 38 years of living in this shit hole. but the abovementioned facts never changed. In fact, it got worse. We believe silly lies. We discuss meaningless subjects. We do useless jobs, though we hate it, we never try to change. We say whatever it comes from our one cell brain without owning any responsibility. We are fearless and full of fears at the same time. Utterly sectorial. Full of empathy and careless at the same time. We have to admit firs that our downfall, the current one more precisely, is a direct implication of our destructive mindset, contradictive and irresponsible behavior. Lebanon, this is what we are, own it

I find it really weird! On the outset of the 17th October uprising, I started a daily ritual of packing a bag and going to Riad El Soleh area. Though the first day of the uprising I was angry because what motivated people to react on unbelievable, shameless actions of the political elite, was mainly the proposition on Whatsup tax. For me, people reaction was more insulting than the proposition itself. Yet, after the fourth day of the uprising, I only got the sensation of hope and beauty in this new strange movement. I even was fearful the whole thing would end at any second. I woke up every day with an urge that took me to the screens hoping to see roads are blocked, people are in the streets shouting angerly, defying and fighting for their most basic rights. I find it weird, finally courageous and hopeful! In its seventy days anniversary, with lots of ups and downs, resistance, perseverance, and commitment, this uprising still breathing. It was reduced, however, no d...

Though it was the worst year of my life, I can still see the positive things that happened to me, on a personal and professional level. This year, I had the chance to take part in wonderful events and traveled twice to western countries, London during August and the USA/Maryland Baltimore during October and November. At work, my team organized countless training, camps, and activities during this year, that gathered people from different sides of the globe. it was exciting for me to witness cultural bridges being shaped, dialogue and friendship in the making between people that have absolutely nothing in common, except humor, love, and humanity. Even now, at the moment I'm writing this blog, my colleagues arranged a workshop for humanitarian workers on conserving wellbeing in the distressful environment. most of the participants are from Syria. for the last two days, I'm having a wonderful time interacting with them. For these little blessings, I'm grateful  ...

It has been a long time since I wrote to this blog. on many occasions, I wanted to write but felt that I have nothing serious to share. The last couple of days, I started reading a book about ancient Chinese wisdom. I got the book while I was in Paris, in a visit arranged by UNESCO. at the same time as the conference, I participated in, there was a Chinese cultural seminar within the UNESCO building. I got the chance to see actual monks and to speak with wise elderlies. one of whom gave me a movie on a USB stick and a bunch of books about religions and wisdom. I shelved the books for a long time before deciding to start reading it. Now I regret every moment I left these books in solitude and didn't get into it sooner! yet I believe that books have their own spirit and from my experience, it calls you to the read. The first book I snatched from the counter, was "The Governing Principles of Ancient China". the book is based on 360 passages excerpted from the origi...

In the 73rd memorial of the Lebanese Independence Day, still, a deep surge of wonder and uncertainty circulate my shallow conception about the country I was born, raised and reborn many times into. A question mark keeps lingering in my head while no definite answer can be reached. Is Lebanon as we know it today, deserve to be an entity inclusive to all its indigenous residents? I was born in 1981, a considerably dangerous year to be alive, or at least to be aware in Lebanon. As it was mentioned on my ID, my residential birth was the nearest hospital possible to the shelter where my parents used to take cover. Up until my 9th birthday, most of my childhood memories were made either in shelters or in a 5 Km radius away from. The crystal clear images in my head remained from the year 1990, when I had my first communion and the battles between the Christian faction “Lebanese Forces” and the Lebanese army. I remember the shelling, I remember death, I remember the voices o...

Regarding the unlawfully Parliamentarian Elie Marouny comment on the role that women play in leading men into rape. A couple of questions should be asked to the parliamentarian, in order to approach the campaign building up against him subjectively: What is the sexual desire that might intrigue him to rape a woman ? If such sexual desire exist in his mind  and he or any other man did the action of rape upon this trigger, shall the rape be justified than ? Wait a minute. This is the "rape" definition in the dictionary:  unlawful sexual intercourse or any other sexual penetration of the vagina, anus, or mouth of another person, with or without force, by a sex organ, other body part, or foreign object, without the consent of the victim. DO WE AGREE ON THE SAME DEFINITION ? I personally consider that Elie Marouny committed a stupid gaff over a crucial issue Lebanese women are fighting for and didn't have enough ...

في الذكرى ال38 لتغييب الإمام موسى الصدر يحكى عن بائع المثلجات المسيحي العتيق في صور، الذي لجأ الى الإمام الصدر بعدما بدأ يعاني من ضائقة مادية، سببها مقاطعة المسلمين له في تلك المنطقة، بعد افتتاح محل لبائع آخر للمثلجات في جواره من الطائفة المسلمة. في احد الأيام، بعد صلاة الجمعة، توجه الامام الصدر مع مرافقيه وعدد من المصلّين الى محلة البائع المسيحي واكلوا المثلجات عنده. لم تكن تلك البادرة تمثيلية تعايش وطني وما شابه الاقاويل التي تلوث اذاننا عن الوحدة والاخوة بين الطوائف في لبنان وشاكلاتها من الأدبيات الخشبية الكاذبة. ارادها الامام رسالة الى اهل بيته والى العالم بأجمعه بأنه اولاً يحب المثلجات، وثانياً يحب الانسان كما خلقه الله وليس كما صبغه المجتمع . عظمة الانسان ليس بالشعر الذي يمدح أعماله ويهديه صفة البطولة عن حق او عن غير حق. عظمة الانسان ليس في تأليه غير مجدي وغير واقعي وملوث بمصالح وغايات. عظمة الانسان هي بالأعمال الصغيرة التي يتحدى بها كل المعايير، حتى ولو انبثقة عن بيئته ومجتمعه . لهذا، كان الإمام الصدر عظيماً !

Amran Picture from the media outlets The whole world was disturbed when Amran picture caught the eyes. Everybody felt heart aching pain for that it is a very excruciating thing to see.  The matter of fact, when I saw Amran picture I was happy, I was happy for him being alive !! Nobody care about war zone atrocities. All of us are busy with our lives and nothing else matter for us. Suddenly we see a picture and we feel deeply disturbed ! Humans are such an Hippocratic creatures

Leonard Cohen Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering There is a crack, a crack in everything That’s how the light gets in.