After Years of Icy Stillness
I had an idea that Kuwaitis in the seventies were more outspoken, educated & called for justice, but then in the eighties there was a huge hush, an icy stillness that swept the years, the people were so silent & resigned to the way things were, it even seemed sometimes that they liked it that way! And maybe that was just the point, maybe they became programmed that way. Subdued by riches & the good life, under the wing of a father figure of a prince they loved to death, what more could they ask for!! And so life went on in this hush, people lived, content with a mere shake of the head at the news of corruption that were gradually getting worse & worse. And for years I was one of those head shaking people. So flan stole a whopping sum of money from the ministry of so & so .. tsk tsk .. what a shame, someone should do something about it! Head shake .. life goes on. So people of high & mighty families were set free & not condemned for their crimes .. tsk tsk .. head shake .. life goes on. So a little boy was denied admittance into a squash club, though he’d been playing for years & he was good, but he was an expatriate, tsk tsk .. what a shame.. head shake .. life goes on. So scores of our kids were dieing in car accidents, would they be dieing if the rules were given more respect? Or if that ambulance hadn’t arrived more than an hour late while their precious life blood trickled away? Tsk tsk .. what a shame .. head shake .. life goes on. More & more the news kept coming in till my head wouldn’t shake no more & I resigned myself to blocking the news so I can find it in me to let life go on. And so it did. Until ..
Until one day I heard that people were listening .. & they weren’t just shaking their heads anymore! .. Instead .. they were standing fast .. and demanding that something be done about it!! Demanding that life be respected before it can go on .. Now I have to admit, when I first heard the news .. I was skeptical .. and I said so what! I’ve heard that kind of talk before . but I still don’t see anything done about it .. talk talk talk .. that’s what it is. I still went to the gatherings of these people in front of majlis el omma but my reasons were quit different from theirs at first. See my mom was very into it, she wouldn’t miss the opportunity to speak her mind for the world & she would do anything for this cause, she was so adamant that the corruption stop & though I felt there was little hope, I couldn’t find it in me to see her do this on her own, without the support of her family & of all people I know how crazy & bold she can be, and so the simple reason why I went was to watch over her, keep her company & make sure she came back home in one piece. That was the reason behind it, and so it was until the moment I stepped out of the car. And from then on I was swept with the zest of the crowds, with that cry for freedom, for the right to govern our country’s future & make sure of its smooth sailing. That hope I felt was lacking was all around me, I could smell it the air & in the scent of the mingling people, I could hear it in the vibration of their shouting voices. The fluttering of Kuwait’s flag took on a special meaning again. At that moment I loved them more than ever & instead of disappointment, for once I was filled with pride. The more so when I heard the officials speak to the crowd & give thanks for giving them the strength to follow this cause & to fight. This time my people were on the right side, “This is what makes a people great” I thought, “this is what gives them the right to pride, not riches & not status, but that magnificent power in them that makes them stand & say this is not right, this has to change”. My pride kept mounting & became so overflowing, I had to take myself away to sit under a palm tree & shed a couple of tears for the love of these people & the ground we all stood on.
I am truly sorry for not believing in you before. What I saw you do in these past few days, what I’ve heard you say, has restored my faith in our future. I can never be as happy again, as I was that first time I heard you speak. Because in the long run & in the bigger story of life, I know that first word uttered was the true moment of liberation. I am proud of you my fathers, my mothers, my brothers, my sisters, my sons & my daughters. I am proud of you all & I am behind you every step of the way. Thank you for loving her, & thank you more for showing it, Baba Jabir is very proud of us all right now, I know he is ;)
And mom, I am so damn proud of you ;)
* Pictures curtsey of Ayya of the Unlimited blog.
posted by Peach @ 6:51 AM
3 Comments:
thanks sweetie, we are all proud of you as well :*
Ayya, Mowaaa7
J,
I knowwww .. she's so cute isn't she ;))))
Thanks sweeite .. they are curtesy of Ayya ;)
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