"Leave this country"

I am telling you, I'm not leaving.

Leave this country

           "Leave the country," they said. They told me to pack my things, take my high school certificate and my passport and just leave. They told me that none will be able to heal Lebanon and that big dreams will lead me no where. "Hope is not the key", they said. "It is an excuse." To all the people who advised me to give up, to each one of you who tried to convince me and other young citizens that leaving the country is the solution, I have few things to tell you.

          You might be older than us, wiser and more experienced. You probably have lived the civil war and suffered the Israeli invasion. You have lost relatives, your houses, and sometimes, even yourselves. But there is one thing that you are wrong about. The problem in this country is not its people. We are not the problem. In fact, we are the only solution and this is why we should stay. Young souls like us can fight corruption. Young souls like us can fight oppression, sectarianism and violence. Young educated souls like us can make a change. So why send us away when we can create a better country? Why let the rest of the world benefit from our knowledge, culture and capacities? Why would we give away our nation to those who destroyed it? When you send us away, you are sending the only hope there is left. You are sending the strongest weapon you have to give a better image of the Arab world. You are sending what makes Lebanon beautiful.

When I told them that young people like me can actually be the change, their reply was "we have tried to fix the country and it didn't work." From what they said, I understood that they gave up because they didn't succeed, but isn't giving up the biggest failure of all? I am aware that words without actions cannot save the country, but I also know that if we lose hope and stop dreaming, then the actions won't happen in the first place. Forbidding the youth to dream is the biggest crime of all. See, what's the purpose of getting into universities and working hard if you do not have a goal to reach? What's the point of living if all you do is breathe? What's the motive of being brought to this world, if you won't add anything to it?

The problem in Lebanon is not the different political parties. The United States of America has different parties. France and Hungary have as well. Canada has different parties and the list goes on. Having a democracy, political affiliations and elections was never a problem. We, the youth, shouldn't be worrying about the running of the country, on the contrary we should trust the government. The problem in Lebanon is that the older generations convince us that we cannot fix what was broken, that they don't even try to motivate us and that they are pushing us to avoid the situation instead of dealing with it.

After being part of three leadership programs and connecting with students all around Lebanon, I came to a conclusion. We should stay. We shouldn't leave the country to those who manipulate it. Instead, we should start where we are, use what we have and do what we can. It is truly sad that most of you do not know how talented and motivated our youth is. It is incredible what great leaders we can become with our potential. Our role is not to fix the government, to worry about the President or to supervise the work of the ministers. Our role is to prove that we are not like you. Our role is to dream. You are never too young to make a change. In fact, you are older and you didn't make any.

           I refuse. I refuse to give up like you did. I refuse to tell my kids, 20 years from now "I am sorry mom, I couldn't do anything," because I can and I will. I won't ask for your help because I know it is impossible to fix broken men, but I am not alone. I have thousands of youngsters who want the same things that I do: serenity and safety. I might travel the world, but it is only to get knowledge and experience in order to apply it here. I am not a failure like most of you. I am not a victim. I am a warrior, and I am not leaving.