But Nothing Good is Happening?

While Egypt is in turmoil and 35,000 refugees have fled Syria in less than a week, it is really easy to look at it all and feel discouraged. It is even easier to contemplate giving up on both situations entirely. While it looks like nothing good is happening, I would like to let you know that many good things are happening. Not to say that we should stop paying attention to the bad things, but we should give some of our attention to the good things. They do deserve our attention as well. I love lists, so here’s a list:

1. The revolutions we think are dying today, are more alive than ever.

While everything looks pretty grim, all that has gone on recently shows that these revolutions will not die out easily. 100,000+ Syrians have died, and the Syrian people are still at it. The Egyptian people have endured massacres, moved forward, backward, up, and down, and they are still not giving up on freedom. Our revolutions have not only withstood the test of time, they have persevered through the extreme hardship, death, destruction, and so on. Even more beautiful, our revolutionaries still smile. Despite all that they have seen and experienced, they still have enough hope, joy, and strength to smile.

2. The children of the revolution are not lost.

Of all those who do suffer because of the revolutions, children probably take the biggest hit. Children cannot go back to school, have lost their homes, parents, family members, and their childhood. However, these children have not lost their innocence, hope, and strength. The children of our revolution continue on. They still play together, work together, smile together, have fun with each other, and they still have hopes and dreams for the future. Furthermore, according to statistics, 255 babies are born every minute all over the world. A new generation of gems is coming. What we do today, will be who they are tomorrow. Things may look dim now, but we are not working for the now, we are working for the later. A later that belongs to them.

3. Our revolutions are one of the biggest acts of love ever.

Our revolutions challenge the current world order, not to change today, but to change tomorrow. We all knew the revolution was not going to be easy. The 1982 Hama Massacre, 40 years of oppression, and disappearance of relatives who spoke out against the regimes was a strong indication of that. Yet, we embarked on the revolution anyway. We did so beacause we love our countries, our people, our family, and the new generation, so much so, that we sacrifice our comfort and our entire lives to fight for them and provide freedom for them. Take a minute to think about that type of love, that level of love, and what that love and dedication means. Internalize it.

So while we can focus exclusively on those lost, detained, and tortured, to our own detriment, it would behoove us to pay attention to what we are fighting for, who we are fighting for. While the lack of response from the international community, division of people, and bickering among people is outrageous and discouraging, think about all the people you’ve met because of the revolution, all the good you’ve done since the revolution started, how you’ve changed since the revolution started. I don’t know about you, but I do know that I needed saving, and Syria saved me. Not only did Syria save me, Syria propelled me. Syria made me stronger, better, smarter, wiser, and happier.

Maybe Syria did the same for you. That alone, that personal impact that so many people have experienced, is enough reason to keep going.

Staying positive is hard when you’re surrounded by death, destruction, and devastation with no end in sight. But, remember that when you smile and hold hope, despite all that pain, the revolution lives on. Because the revolution we see today takes place in the countries of Syria, Egypt, and throughout the Middle East, but its heart and soul lives within you.

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