THE ARGUMENT
"I helped my Government do this"
“Social responsibility is an ethical framework and suggests that an individual has an obligation to work and cooperate with other individuals and organizations for the benefit of society at large.” “Social responsibility is a duty every individual has to perform so as to maintain a balance between the economy and the ecosystems.” That means that each of us is responsible for what is happening around us, in our backyards, neighborhoods or country. Now most would think, how can I influence what is happening in the country or in my community, as I am not a Member of the Parliament or a politician. And still, in a way or another, when it comes to Lebanon, everyone is affiliated to a party, the only different thing, is the level of involvement in that party. Nobody says this is a bad thing, unless we actually consider that most of the people are the “follower” type, the sheep kind. So, when the Leader of the party plays the music, everyone dances the same way, kind of a rehearsed Flash Mob, Lebanese version. Very important fact, in Lebanon, politics and religion are like Siamese Twins. And when you talk about 18 types of religions in a 10.452 km2 surface, and people actually having guns, just to have it, with no authorization or any legislation to stop them, doesn’t that sound like fun? According to the Ministry of Interior, in 2018, the total number of registers in Lebanon was 3,746,483. Even though, the general
elections were postponed since 2013 (don’t ask why, we don’t what to bore anyone with that story), only 49.68% actually voted, which means only 1,861,203 exercised their right. If we were to analyze these numbers deeper, we would understand which party has trained their sheep better and which didn’t. What I meant is that you can see which of these parties are doing their best in order to create a better place for Lebanese to live in. Just because you were one of the 1,861,203 people that voted, it doesn’t mean you have done you social responsibility duty and now your job is done for the next four year. You should go further, follow up with their action, hold them accountable (Accountability is when an individual or department experiences consequences for their performance or actions. Accountability is essential for an organization and for a society. Without it, it is difficult to get people to assume ownership of their own actions because they believe they will not face any consequences) for what they are doing or not doing and be more involved in whatever is happening in your area, including considering your own responsibilities: YES, you do have responsibilities as the citizen of a country, which include voting, volunteering, being transparent, raising your voice (I said voice, not gun), taking care of the areas in which you pass by (which can actually mean just, not leave a trace for people to know what you ate and drank) and so, many other things.
