Sunday, May 14, 2006

How can we love Jordan?

Jordanians like any nation do their best to display their love and loyality to their country especially at times of trouble. The sad fact is that much of what what appears to be acts of loyality is nothing but showing off.


I've heard Mrs. Lina Qopti complaining of the lack of support to SOS children. It takes only 60 JDs a year to support a kid in the SOS program. Most kids in private universities can afford to donate this amount of money without having their social lives affected.

How about the rich? How much are they donating to univerisites which are killing their students with their tuition fees, or to public schools which are deficient in everything except students?

How many of them are donating to public hospitals where people die, really die, because of the lack of medical equipment and skilled staff and medications?

After the November attacks when thosuands of people were demonstrating in the streets day after another, the blood banks were empty just calling out for people to pleeeeeeeeease we need your blood, but they stayed empty, and if you go check them now they'll be empty.

Abstaining from helping other Jordanians is a scandalous lack of patriosm. You can't go wave the flag in the street and sing Hashmi Hashmi and then think "ok i'm done with my patriotic duty for today let me go sleep in peace". Your country doesn't need your ugly voice, it needs your action.

Many Jordanians immigrate outside Jordan to study and work, and unfortunately the majority does not come back. They get offered good jobs and they carried away and even most of those who come back do it for personal reasons. I believe that if most of those who left the country decided to return back Jordan would have been a much better place than it is now. The education and experience those people carry are invaluable.

Bottom line, those who can help the country most are the rich and the educated, and the more money you have and the better education you've got the more likely you can help your country. It doesn't matter if you're born in Kerak or Ramallah, your loyality to Jordan depends on how much are you willing to help the people. And here's the sad news: you shouldn't expect anything in reutrn! Just like parents take care of their children and give offer them all they can, that's what we should do to our country without expecting anything back. If we're not helping ourselves we shouldn't expect others to help us.

13 comments:

Madi said...

Well said 7areega, 3an jad I love you :*

Anonymous said...

This is a good call for all of us to make better choices when it comes to Jordan!

One gets so consumed in his/her own personal problems and daily agonies that he/she overlooks or forgets that they can help out by doing minimal actions and committing to doing it out of love to the country and not seeking recognition or anything in return!

It is really sad that some of foreigners living in Jordan conduct charity work towards our people and we just stand still doing nothing ... I guess it is time to take a first step towards contributing to the people and the country

Thank you 7areega ...

Anonymous said...

I wish i can feel this way to Jordan :S
which i dont, and i dont care about it!!
sorry

Dar said...

I gss eno we need someone to remind us about that from time to time , Thanks Mr Fire !
CheeerZ!

الخليج العربي Arabian Gulf said...

its ok wedad , no one aske u to care about jordan, and be sure that jordan ALso dont care about u,cause its still have other 5 milon care about it .
:S

Omar said...

well said, absolutely inside the core.

wearing a red hatta and posting pictures is so easy, but when it comes to real efforts, everything takes another turn, we need to revise our values and the way we act.

Anonymous said...

This touches on a very sensitive topic I think,the fact that Jordanians who go out to study and work stay out.I know that about doctors in specific.Many of us are thinking of specializing in the US(no crime committed),but some r never coming back,and when asked why?!they will start telling you how bad the situation in Jordan is and how awful their medical school years were...I think that while no system is perfect,our education system is pretty good..it accepted us and taught us and made us the 'oh so great docs' we are now..the moral of the story:Go out and learn more..even stay abroad but hey At Least give ur country the credit u owe it!

Anonymous said...

Hey, nice blogger, you raise an issue that troubles daily my mind, coz i deal with promising young people, talented, with good characters and some kind of hospitality that strikes my attention. I live in Jordan for several years now and I care about it, not in a romantic way, but considering as part of my life, part of an important period of my life... I believe that there is something strangely missing in your education: the young people are not proud for the things that they know about their country. Because they know very few things. Everything starts around the 1920s, if not later. They are not taught how to appreciate their deep roots, they cannot relate to any "historical grandfathers" back to the nabateans, back to the hellenistic kingdoms, the roman and byzantine period, the medieval history, before and after islam. So the loyalty to the country becomes something simply emotional and shallow, built not on pride but on hatred form the one hand, and individual aspirations about the West. I keep telling them: give 80% to your individual happiness and success, ok, but keep please 20% for this nice country. Do it as a commission. They look at me, in hesitation, not knowing how to define me: an orientalist, a mad guy or a romantic geek? And I believe that none of the above describes my motivation and feeling.

Ziad said...

Many of us do plan to come back ya Hareega. But I know that I'll be a much greater asset to Jordan if I return in 10 years rather than tomorrow (although the heart longs to return tomorrow!).

Anonymous said...

You hit the nail right on the head! Thanks, it made me wonder ...

I do plan to come back, but I have to leave first, no? :P

carole, education in Jordan SUCKS (for lack of a better word)! And I personally think I don't owe anything to anyone, it's my personal choice to contribute and help make things better. I would start that in Jordan 'cause that's where I happened to be born and live, nothing more, nothing less. And I would extend that to Palestine, 'cause it's a fair cause, and one that I've been painfully aware of, being in Jordan. Not because I'm told that I am of Palestinian origins because my father is a Palestinian (although this also contributed to my awareness). And then again, I sure am going to try helping out in other countries, especially where I'd reside after I leave. I believe in a one human nation after all ...

Anonymous said...

You are right Sir, words are not enough, and we should love our country without asking for anything back… all well said…

I am in Saudi Arabia, I stayed in Jordan for 4 years working and trying to build a future their, call me lazy, call me unlucky… but things didn’t work out for me in Jordan, I mean when it comes to build a future for myself… and yes, everyone lives to have a life that he dreams of, but when you see that your paycheck is not growing and it will cause your whole life to slow down, you got leave at your first chance.

But believe me, I think of my sweet country everyday, and I wish one day I can come back and contribute in building it.. when we both are ready for it; My beloved country and I

lubna said...

I personally know at least a 100 person who did donate blood at that time, the blood bank didn't lack blood! and i am sure of that.. you probably heard the rumors wrong... the whole issue is an open-ended question,,, i suggest that each one worries about his/her personal contribution, then worry about others' actions, then we can all build a better Jordan

Anonymous said...

hassan, beleive me rafa3tili ma3nawiati :D