First, please allow me to insert a small Forward/ Disclaimer/ Clarification before reading the content of my first actual Lebanese Thought. Although I might regret it someday in the future that I hadn’t gave it much thought about the subject of my first post, I intend this blog to be as such: a simple flow of Lebanese thoughts that express the ideas of a moment, a day, or even a state of mind.
The ‘Satur Day’ Night Life of a Lebanese
It is actually Saturday night so what a better night to talk about this particular subject. Few hours before heading out to Beirut from the suburbs where I currently reside, I came to think about how important going out and partying is for our current generation of hapless youth. While the norm would be to wait for Friday and Saturday nights to head out and enjoy the weekend, Lebanon and Lebanese break this trend more than often. Nightclubs, pubs, restaurants and cafes with different sizes and themes all seek to attract this customer whose age could range from 16 to 60.
As interesting it might be for non-Lebanese with little knowledge about Lebanon’s night life to read about it, this is not the subject of this post. It is about what goes on the mind of the portion of Lebanese who, after graduation, find themselves not finding much to look forward to except this Saturday night where they go with their friends and spend the night partying and drinking themselves to a next-day hangover. This might seem a normal trend seen in all countries and in different societies. However, the new trend ‘proudly’ launched by us Lebanese, is that every day is a ‘Satur’ day.
Looking from the outside, one might appreciate the scene of vibrant and life-loving young generation that likes to have fun, party and enjoy the moment. However, taking a deeper look into the mindset of this segment of Lebanese people, one wonders what actually lies behind those laughs, those cheers, even tears sometimes. After spending a respective fortune to attain a college degree that might and might not help them earn a living, they find themselves spending whatever little they earn on going out and the required apparel for that. The bigger problem is if you find yourself dating a loving girl friend that wants to enjoy the ‘Satur Days’ with you, without sharing the cost of such ‘quality’ time.
Though I don’t go out every single day, I sure do feel like it and feel as if I’m fighting a constant urge to go out and drink. Oh yea… most of our outings are usually defined by excessive drinking and smoking. Usually, the constant presence of plans and things to do is an indication of a healthy social life. However, in our case, is it a case of a deteriorating life? You rarely find a Lebanese that doesn’t think he is the best at what he does and that the future holds all the riches that he dreams of. This probably gives them the excuse that they need to go on this guilt-less path of pleasures, whether in Hamra, gemaizeh or any other ‘happening’ place in Lebanon. They do so forgetting that tomorrow they will wake up to the same issues they had the day before. Weirdly enough, all that alcohol poured into their digestive system did not help erase all their problems.
Not to be a hypocrite, I’m going out to party in a bit (it is Saturday night after all). However, my going out is not an escape from the troubles of a long week or the worries of what lies in my future…. At least I hope so. We face lots of problems rooted in our Lebanese society which need to be addressed and solved in a practical manner, if any practicality is possible. While our ‘Saturday’ night life style might be a legal sedative against such problems, self-consciousness of these would be a start. This obvious epiphany makes me at ease towards going out. However, a collective recognition and action is of utmost importance. We’re getting there. We will…
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Anyways, a Lebanese Thought…
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