Lebanon’s Harsh Demotion of Happiness

The year 2020 has not been the most pleasant year for Lebanon; along with the outburst of COVID-19, came the economic crisis and of course, the “October 17” revolution. However, to many’s dismay, the Lebanese people’s discomfort was long before the horrific year of 2020.

According to Gallup’s happiness index, an international institution that studies and displays world polls, Lebanon has set a world record with an increase from 30% to 48% of its negative indicators from the year 2018 to the year 2019.

An important aspect to keep in mind here is that this ranking was issued in the year 2019, before the ongoing pandemic and the economical crisis. “At the time the situation was perceived as the worst that it could ever be,” said Ahmad Oueiny, a psychology professor at the Lebanese American University (LAU). “A lot of the promises that were made by the politicians during the elections of 2018 were not kept, which triggered the rise of tension and exasperation.”

In fact, the percentage of Lebanese who felt anger doubled from 23% to 43%, and the stress rate has increased by 15% with a rate of 46% in 2018 and 61% in 2019. “I have always felt anger towards these ignorants,” said Venus Mehchi, a mother of two, referring to Lebanese politicians.

“I’m so used to unkept promises and empty words that I don’t care to vote anymore.”

“I thought I would be living a better life here, instead, I went from bad to worse,” said Violette Maalouf, a grandmother who came from Syria to Lebanon in 1970. “It’s such a shame what the politicians have done to this country. No wonder everyone is cranky all the time.”

According to the Global Economy, Lebanon ranked 89 in the world happiness index in 2019 and ranked 110 in 2020. “This year has taken a toll on the entire world but the situation here is unbearable,” said David Dabaghi, a third-year Political Science and International Affairs student at the Lebanese American University (LAU), “I just want to leave.”

Gallup world poll disclosed that the Lebanese population was the most population that experienced emotional trauma between the years 2018 and 2019. “In 2019 we were boycotted by the entire Arab world,” claimed Dr.Ahmad, “we didn’t have tourists, which created a chain reaction; no tourism means fewer job opportunities, which means no income. From here comes that sense of despair.”

As mentioned by Dr.Ahmad “it all starts and ends with economy”. The Lebanese struggles have proceeded from 2019 until now. As bad as it was in the year 2019, no one was prepared for what was going to happen in the year 2020.

Many events have contributed to the economy’s collapse; the banks have closed for weeks, the Lebanese pound’s value has tremendously depreciated, and people were deprived of their own salaries and even their life savings. “This has never been witnessed before in the history of Lebanon, so clearly people were not anticipating it; they were not ready nor prepared,” commented Dr.Ahmad, “they didn’t know how to handle it.”

As the beginning of the downhill started to descend, the Beirut port was bombed resulting in over a hundred deaths and several missing people. Although the port was a crucial element in the Lebanese economy, it wasn’t what triggered the people’s outrage; however, it was the fact that the politicians in high positions of power were not taking accountability for the matter. “August 4th was a devastating, frustrating event that ruined our hopes in this country,” claimed David, “my life savings, education, and family are at risk of being endangered. We can’t think of the future, we can’t think of our future since we don’t know what’s going to happen next.”

Most Lebanese are in a state of constant worry, as the worry level has increased by 25% between 2018 and 2019 to reach 65%. As some worry about the economy, others are more worried about the constant political instability but still refuse to leave. “I’ve lived through both the Syrian war and the civil war,” said Venus, “I’m not leaving. This is my country and I have always loved it. There is no way I’m fleeing it because of these boorish people who call themselves rulers.” Others are on the edge of leaving, “I can’t wait for the soonest opportunity I have to travel,” said David.

“To me, once you hit rock bottom, the only way to go is up,” said Venus. “Lebanon is like a powder keg ready to explode,” concluded David.

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ThirRay, J. (2020, November 25). Political, Economic Strife Takes Emotional Toll on Lebanese. Retrieved December 05, 2020, from https://news.gallup.com/poll/325715/political-economic-strife-takes-emotional-toll-lebanese.aspx

Happiness index by country, around the world. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05, 2020, from https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/rankings/happiness/