This post was inspired by a comment that was posted in the previous article by a fellow blogger. Omnia wrote: "It makes me laugh to see Syrians making groups like "support Khawla " group.. I mean the little girl needed urgent operations, and what ppl could do here is joining groups.and me myself feel the same stupidity, when I write about anything troubles me in Syr, like the last post I wrote about محمية الفرنلق , while writing the post I felt stipud, I think writing this post didn't help the forest in any mean, maybe renting a car and taking some of the trash out would have helped more!" This little comment hit me like a ton of rocks after what I've seen visiting Syria. Flashbacks of bad scenes rushed through my head and I wanted to bring it to attention.
Cleanliness is next to godliness النظافة من الإيمان. All Syrians know that, and most practice it at home. But when it comes to the outside world, our streets and forests, this rule takes a side step to a new rule; get rid of your trash anywhere. I saw trash being thrown from balconies and cars with no regard to who might be the recepient on the other end. I was standing in my aunt's yard when a kid threw trash from the third floor balcony. This was not just some accident. I heard stories like that constantly. Women fill up their trash bags and throw it from their balconies to the streets. Friday outings which are a Damascene ritual where every family there goes somewhere where there's shade and trees turn our landscape into a dumpster at the end of the day. Take a drive from Damascus to Lattakia, and you'll see plastic bags and trash littered all along the endless highways. Deserts, forests, fields, lakes and all are all littered with trash and plastic bags. Isn't it time we taught our kids this behavior is wrong? Isn't it time we cared about our cities and country in general as much as we care about keeping our houses clean? Isn't it time some volunteers start a campaign to clean up our streets and spread the word around? I dare the Syrian bloggers who live back home to start that, and I promise I'll join and do my part each time I go home. We have a beautiful country, one that Most arabs and foreigners love to visit, and we are destroying it gradually with our own trash. Just like Omnia suggested, actions speak louder than words.
We, Syrians that is, like to blame everything wrong in our cmmunity on the government. The government did this, and the government didn't do that, while we practice طناش carelesness every day of our lives. We also like to blame everyone else for our shortcomings. Am I generalizing? You bet I am. It's what I've seen and experienced, and we all know it's true. As much as I hate sounding like a preacher, I feel this issue is urgent enough to forgive my lecture. It's time we did something and caused a change no matter how small. As a wise man said "Be not afraid of going slowly; be only afraid of standing still"
2 comments:
reminded me of the early Syrian bloggers.they were few in numbers but great in deeds.
they did similar activities, like planting Mount Qassion. but like all the community service groups, their activites didn't last much.
community service is a very important issue , we hear few voices which rise up from time to time shading lights over many community needs, organizing activities, calling for help, the problem is that these voices never last more than 2 or 3 months.they soon die and u never hear about them.
ofcourse i can't blame any, these activites need sponsoring and ppl who are willing to take this as part of their lives.
never the less , there are small groups like in marmarita and Kassab who continously organize such campaigns and they are making a different on their villages.
i felt frusterated when i went to the forst coz , as u might have realized in the photos, this forset has been cleaned by الكشافة and they hanged papers on the trees asking ppl not to leave their trashes on the ground, but just under these papers, u could see trashes everywhere.
a freind of mine in lattakia, has told me that her daughter joined a campagin to clean the sides of the road which take you to kassab and Slenfeh.
she told that just three days later, they went back to find everything like it was, as if they didn't spend a whole day cleaning..!
it's the relationship between the citizen and the government . ppl here belive that since they pay the tax , then they have done their part, but this is not going to work, we are 22 millions here , a 22 million persons needs a 22 million person to clean after.
this idea has occured to me, but as u said i cannot take the preacher role and ask the ppl to move their legs and go clean the forst.
i'm not setteled here.
all i could do is joining my voice to yours , hopfully someone would take the intiation and change the syrian blogsphere community from virtually activism into actual deeds seen on the ground.
Regards
من يومين كنت بالفج تبع معلولا ، اللي بيسمو فج تقلا، وكانت عبارة لاتكتب على الصخور تملئ المكان ولكن كل شوية بتشوف عبارة مكتوبة وذكريات أشكال الوان وكان في شخص حامل بأيدو أداة قديمة ويحاول ازالة الكتابة عن الصخور ولما اقتربت منو وسألتو شو راح تعمل بكل هالكتابات فيك تمحيها كلها؟
رد علي بعبارة" هاد اللي بيسلمو دقنو لغيرو" للصراحة مافهمت شو بيقصد، بس ماعلينا
بنرجع لموضوع شوفينا نعمل؟ أعتقد ان التسمية الصحيحة لهيك نوع من الأعمال يأتي تحت عنوان العمل المدني، والعمل مدني جزئين
الجزء الأول هو تربية المجتمع على مفهوم العمل المدني وهذا مايصعب تطبيقه حاليا في مجتمعنا
والجزء الاخر هو دور الحكو مة في تشجيع العمل المدني،
وهذا الجزء مستحيل لأنه يعارض التوجهات في الحكومة الحالية، وخاصة ان أي عمل مدني يحتاج لموافقة وزيرة الشؤون الاجتماعية والعمل والوزيرة لاتوافق على اي طلبات لأسباب غير معروفة ظاهرياً،
مع العلم إنو لما بدهم يشجعو العمل المدني بظهر فجأة جماعات واشخاص منظمين بشكل جمعيات مدنية وقد لاحظنا هذا مثلا في اثناء حرب تموز قبل 3 سنوات ، حيث تشكلت جمعيات مدنية لمساعدة المهجرين اللبنانين القادمين إلى سوريا،!!!!
بالأخر، حلوها لو فيكم، أو لاتحلوها،
بااااااااااي
Post a Comment