Last week I had a discussion with a number of European friends about Yemen. They expressedtheir disappointment and concern that officials in Yemen do not easily talk aboutproblems in the country, but they prefer to talk about problems relating to the Middle East and the world.
"We were expecting a heated discussion on the internal problems of Yemen including the water crisis, the population explosion, and other issues." said one of my friends.
I had to reply in an honest manner. I said, "Officials and people alike tend to escape their worries and problems by focusing on other worries, perhaps because they know that they would only open a Pandora’s box if they discuss our country's problems."
But we do need to confront our problems before moving to other less relevant issues. Yemen's future is at stake. Indeed, the water issue may result in a catastrophe if not dealt with now. Security flaws and problems have not been resolved. Our population could double in less than twenty years, and above all that, qat is making us all forget about our problems.
An official once told me, "We should never show that we have problems to foreigners. We should comfort them by saying that everything is okay We must have the courage to show that we are strong and can survive."
But how will we eever solve our problems if we do not confess that they exist. |A 1000-mile journey starts with a step. But the first step is to see the problems, and identify them. We are unfortunately trying to live in an illusion that things will get better. They may get better. But they cannot get better without work and dedication.
Qat 'maqyals' may be helping us live in a trance. We have become submissive to the situation we are in today and would rather sit and chew qat instead of finding solutions. I know people who would sit with their filthy clothes, sick children, and uncertain future and chew qat for hours, leaning on one of the walls or rocks somewhere in the city.
We are trying to forget our miseries and pain by having this drug that is further destroying our lives. We are in a situation where foreigners are surprised that we are so relaxed and unconcerned when there tons of issues to deal with. We want to imagine that everything is ok and they will turn out just fine. We have kept our ostrich head in the sand for far too long and it is about time now to look at where our country is heading.
Courage is not about being unconcerned, and confident telling foreigners that everything will be fine. True courage is to admit that we have problems and never deny that they exist when talking either with foreigners or locals. True courage is to show the world that we are committed to solve our problems by working hard immediately before it becomes too late.