It hurts to see our politicians ignorant of the history and evolution of this great country that they are supposed to lead. It hurts that because of this ignorance we have lost opportunities. It hurts to remember that in 1973, the first oil boom was about to explode just as Lebanon was beginning its slide into civil war. We would have been the natural beneficiary of this sudden wealth, but instead the money, potential and human capital went elsewhere. It hurts to know that if we had been clever then, no Lebanese today would be starving and Lebanon would be a jewel, not just in the Middle East, but in the world. It hurts to see that instead we are a bankrupt nation, living on our past and paying our way as the cut-price fleshpot of the Middle East. It hurts that we should rely on, and fawn over, tourists
