Larger than Life
Ghassan Charbel Al-Hayat 2005/02/15
There are people who are larger than life. Their influence stretches beyond their posts. Their roles are larger than their titles. Their gravitational pull cannot be contained. Their dreams are the size of a nation or earthquake.
It is common for nations to call on the help of such individuals when the crisis persists. They choose them and their destinies and approach them. They assign them tough missions. They assign them deadly missions.
Rafiq Al Hariri was of such rare quality. A man a city leans on. A man a mountain leans on. A man a country leans on. Some men bring out the envy in mountains.
One day, Lebanon called on his help. To salvage Beirut from its rubble. To close the crypts and open the windows. To punish the destruction of the ancient and elegant stones. To bury the war and renovate an equation exhausted by suicidal tendencies and assassination attempts. To thwart the darkness away from the capital. To thwart the injustice away from Lebanon. He had to stop the suicides of the Lebanese Pound, the government, and the logic of meeting half-way. He had to sweep up the rubble, restrain the illusions, and re-launch the dreams. The man was worth the wait, despite the difficulties, waylays, and mines.
His story is unique. He came from a humble home in a humble neighborhood; from Saida, a city haunted by smells of fields and fishermen's disappointments. The little one had to help in the seasonal crop pickings to ease the burden on his parents. One day, a classified ad led him to Saudi Arabia. There, with precision, punctuality, and trust, the young man turned into a moving construction site and an unstoppable success story. He loved Saudi Arabia and it loved him. Until his last breath, he expressed his gratitude and fidelity.
The opportunity alone is not enough. Seizing it is where the diamond in the rough shines. His fortune did not convince him of abandoning his collapsing country. His capabilities strengthened his conviction to put himself at the service of his ambitions regarding his country and his ambitions in it. Thus was born a large project that gives a job opportunity for that, and a learning opportunity for the other, on the road to save the homeland.
In the 1980s, Rafiq Hariri set out to weave a "conspiracy" to save his country. Connections and contacts. A phone that does not rest and a plane that does not sleep. Drills to ease the positions of extremists, and dealing with the ruthless. "I was part of every effort to end the war in the 1980s," this is what he said. His mark is on papers, projects, and drafts that are crystal clear in the Taif Accord.
In 1992, he seemed the inevitable choice. And there he was. From the very first moment, the man seemed larger than a Prime Minister, larger than a leader of the opposition, and larger than a leader of a sect or city. In a time that did not allow polarization, he became an exceptional pillar. Political life revolved around him, and it was bored when he went away for a few days.
His journey between ambushes was not easy. He was priceless. He attracted the spotlight whenever he was around, and the spotlights asked about him when he went away. The Serail grew under his reign, and complained from his ever-presence; but it seems like a widow in his absence and asks about when he would be back the day he leaves. In power, just as in opposition, he took the punches like a great boxer, then goes to the ballot boxes and returns victorious. With the confidence of the strong, he backed down, conceded, and went far in flexibility; considering that defeat is acceptable as long as the losses of the country are limited.
Rafiq Hariri was a city in the city and a fortress in the country. He was the safety valve. The last resort. He learned and trained. He had an idea of Lebanon; he insisted on its rise and existence. His voice used to sneak into people's consciences, his silence was louder.
He did not need to die as a martyr for the history books to open in front of him. He sleeps now as the storm sleeps. His grave silence is louder than his voice. His killers erred. They eliminated him from the country's daily life, but he became a medal on its chest. Poor Lebanon; its assassination attempts have been renewed but this time, the city will not find a man to lean on.
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