The recent threats to life as we Jordanians know it have
left many somewhat overwhelmed with uncertainty and fear that our way of life
might be disturbed: an economic crisis that is choking our livelihoods —
deepened by a persistent pandemic — and this week’s shocking revelation of a
short-lived plot against the country’s security and stability.
اضافة اعلان
I saw people’s faces turning pale and heard so many
unanswerable questions.
However, for someone belonging to a generation like
mine, which has nearly seen it all, all such qualms and fears are baseless. The
generation that was born in the 1960s and earlier still distinctly recalls more
serious events that qualify as truly threatening to our existence: epidemics,
plots, conspiracies, armies mobilizing at our borders, and wars. Some by
supposed partners and even “brothers”.
All of it is history, and behind us now, and we emerged
more resilient and stronger for it.
Further, our ability to dream of a better tomorrow
remains entirely intact.
A bunch of social media pseudo-heroes, psychopaths, evil
plotters, and conspiracy theorists cannot scare a country as firmly-rooted and
confident as Jordan. The term “external opposition” used these days is
laughable, especially since we have heard it so many times before, in
connection with both hollow and real threats, and have seen it amount to
nothing.
One is talking here about not just thugs or factions but
even stronger states.
A couple of hollow men with an internet connection,
leeching off host countries and speaking from the safety and luxury of a
voluntary exile cannot scare us. It’s much ado about nothing.
The “secret” of the recipe to our survival and
perseverance, despite so many challenges, is not really a secret. It is the
institution of the Throne; an institution that is more than ten centuries old,
whose style of governance is based on an unbreakable bond between the ruler and
the ruled, a system of governance that embraces all.
The aforementioned security issue is already behind us,
so will COVID-19 be in a matter of months. We still stand tall, and what we
need to do is to keep moving forward. We know precisely what it takes to build
a better future for our children: To believe in ourselves first and then roll up
our sleeves and support our leadership in efforts to reach the endgame,
starting with genuine political and administrative reform, uprooting corruption
that is more dangerous than a plague, self-reliance, giving a voice to the
voiceless, ensuring that the innovative youth have a chance to succeed and
excel, supporting productive sectors, producing our own food, and, above all,
revisiting our education system to make certain that it yields better-quality
school and college graduates. We have so much on our plate, but, after all, the
journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step.
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