The fair weather continues, and we will have days well above the monthly average in the upcoming week in terms of temperatures. I ran 4.5 kilometers today, and also walked several kilometers. I did not run more as during the week I got a slight distortion of my left ankle, because of my work in the garden. But, running 4.5 km is already a good distance, and few people are able to run such distance without walking. Last Sunday I had run 8 km. And, when I do my jogging, I do not walk in the meanwhile, meaning that I run constantly.
And as I do everyday I've posted some pictures from Amchit along with poetry or short writings on my Bluesky account: https://bsky.app/profile/erik-zakhia.bsky.social and if you follow closely what I write, post, and share there, you will see some novelty, but I will leave the honor to Annelies to speak about it first.
Red-Oak, again, I wish to remind you that what you did was unacceptable, for a whole series of reasons, and could seriously impact your career as an Earl, in a very negative way. The only attitude you can have is that of open humbleness, that of careful listening, in order to find a way to repair the harm you did.
Also, with all the talks of the last days in Europe you have a taste of what we've lived in Lebanon in the past. Fortunately for you, you are at Peace, and those "illuminated" declarations of your politicians wishing to wage "wars" will only remain empty words.
You know that, because of what I lived, because of my trauma, I do not like to read news. But on Bluesky, I follow people and get to read what they post. And my own father also likes to keep me updated.
What I wish to tell you is that wars are meaningless. And it's true that Uk... defended themselves against the Ru.... aggression, but it's also true that after 2, 3 years, continuing to fight over relatively small territories is completely meaningless. People die, are wounded, whole countries stop their development, people live in constant fear, and hate.
So, the Europeans, right now, by wishing the Uk.... to continue their fight are totally wrong, and it's clear that you have not lived wars on your own soil for a long time. Because, if you had been in such painful and dreadful situations, you would understand that a slightly uneven peace is better than a good war.
And anyway we are very far from a good war. There have been abuses, from both sides. And to say the truth, there are no good wars in the 21st century.
So, are you taking lessons from a Lebanese, Red-Oak? You thought us to be violent people who delighted in violence, but you were totally wrong. It is the people like you, who think like you, who fight over the resources of this world, in a cold, compassionless way, and who do not care for little countries that are entirely powerless and the poor civilians who live there.
I am not saying that you personally support war, but I am just saying that a lot of people living in the wealthiest countries of the world (Netherlands is part of those) and who have similar (prejudiced) ways of thinking than you, support or supported war, directly or indirectly, by wishing to have a very high level of living for instance, that implies high consumption of resources (oil, gas, rare metals, that all come from zones of this world that are often the theater of territorial disputes).
Are you now realizing the depth and diversity of your mistakes? Going from lying, from abusing of your power as an Earl, to also committing the moral sin of holding racial prejudices accusing me to harbor cultural traits (of violence, lack of respect, etc.) which do not even exist.
Now, it's a matter of ego for Europeans. You (and when I say you I do not imply all of you, but at least your political leaders, those that rule you) want to show that you still have a weight on the world chessboard. But it's all a hypocrite lie, as, living in the comfort you grew into, you are not capable of doing the kind of sacrifices that war demands. And that's fortunate, as the world really does not need more wars. But it shows you the failure of a certain type of mindset.
And even if we all agree that the Rus.... are bad and often did this kind of things in their history, it is time to get over it, to pardon, forgive, build peace and reconstruct.
It is true the Uk.... were victims, but they now have to get over it, if they want to have a harmonious future.
That is the fundamental of Christianism. Pardoning. Forgiving. Something totally alien to you, Red-Oak.
Yes, a war between nation is like a "war" between a husband and his wife, like a "war" between a father and a mother. It is the same kind of unforgiving "violence" or "coldness" that reigns, even though at different scales.
That is why Annelies considers herself like a "war" victim. Annelies is a deeply fair and harmonious person whom you Forced to live in disharmony for years. You forced her out of her coccoon of happiness, into a harsh, uneven and unfair reality, of trials, of disputes, of cold words and even colder looks, of second wife and second husband, and of being constantly judgemental about her fantasy, dreamy vision of the world.
And you were Wrong.
And you are still Wrong.
And now you are seeing it, not only at your individual scale, but at the scale of an entire continent. Of the model of Western Europe, of the EU, that shows it is failing, and it is based on hypocrisy more than on real values.
And what I am saying is true, and you know it. You are dependent on the Ru..... gas, to warm yourself, to light yourself, etc. Are you ready to live with candles? Not to go to work? Not to go on vacations? Not to turn on your television, etc.? Of course not. So you can't pretend to fight the Ru.... when all your commodities are dependent upon them.
The only solution is to find a way to build peace. And also, in future, to reconsider your way of living, this way of living that all the people of Earth in every country of the world now want to have. It is the Americans and Europeans who made the industrial revolution in the beginning of the 1800s. It's you (or your ancestors) which invented capitalism, etc. and spread it to the entire world. And now we are paying the consequences, because resources are limited, and also because we are facing threats such as global warming. You had 3 consecutive days with the highest temperatures ever recorded in the early part of March, with 18-19 °C over the last days (yes, I also follow Dutch climatology).
The fact of being Lebanese does not mean I am not clever, or even cleverer than most of Dutch people my age. The fact of being Lebanese does not mean I do not care for the Netherlands and for the Earth. Contrarily to many idiots who just think to enrich themselves and live their life of relative luxury, such as those "friends" of Annelies who understood nothing of her and judged me so harshly.
Now, it was almost ironic to read one of your newspaper saying you should get food and provision for three days, in case of a conflict. I know this will fortunately not happen. But do not forget you have a second house and family in Lebanon. You can come to take refuge here in case.
Sorry about my joke about this serious theme, but, after all what happened I had to make this joke. We are at peace with both the USA and the Ru... We are peaceful people. We have become a peaceful country that will become even more peaceful and stable in future.
But you, are dangerous, violent, irresponsible, manipulative Europeans who wish to continue to sell and send weapons to the Uk... continuing to hold a war on the grounds of others!
Again, I'm kind of joking. I'm showing you the contrary of the situation that happened 6 years ago when you judged me so harshly Red-Oak. I am not a person who hold prejudices, but I am also a free spirit, and I am not afraid to say things as they are, or even to express them lyrically, in an intense way, to make my point clear.
In fact, Red-Oak, are you responsible for the mistakes your government makes? No, if you do not vote for them, and peacefully oppose them. Yes, if you vote for them, and think like them.
Choose.
With this reasoning, I was really not responsible for the mistakes a certain party in my country (h....) made as I never voted for them and participated to peaceful demonstrations and marches asking the State to control all weapons and its entire territory. And as I wrote yesterday, it took a war to reach that result. But now it's over. And I was always loyal to my ideals.
And, most importantly, I had nothing to do with the wrong and lieful and slandering image you painted of me, Red-Oak.
I've showed and proved to you that on many levels. And the words and writings and publications of Annelies have come to confirm my words, my version of facts, publicly.
How can those words be public if Annelies does not believe them, and consider them as the final truth?
There is no other possible explanation, Red-Oak. No other possible explanation that I was saying the truth from the start, and that you were fooled by your own prejudices (and your daughter is not responsible for them, for that wrong way of thinking, she many times denounced to me in her writings, calling it the "Dutch pragmatism" and speaking of an "emotional dam"). So the only responsible is you, as you took the decisions you took in all freedom.
And I've showed you on multiple levels how foolish and harmful those decisions were.
Do you know how proud Irish people are, Red-Oak? I have something of them. Do not forget your daughter and I both love Celtic / Irish culture and music, that your daughter used a celtic name before disappearing on fb. I am as proud and as stubborn as Irish people are, in a good, fair, and clever way.
That means I will not give up and find very creative ways (you did not at all expect) to shed light on the truth.
And, I have nothing "Arab" in me, if we consider prejudices about them. In Mediterranean countries (southern cultures) people had the tendency to see me as a Swiss or German, in the sense that, I am punctual, I always delivered my work in time and pretended the same from others, never closing my eyes on their fault, but doing it with respect, firmness and kindness. And that is why I was so succesful in my studies and in my work, and why I left a really good memories in all those who worked with me. Even Annelies was surprised by those organisational qualities I have, when it came to writing together our novels. I am hard-worker, creative, innovative, and I like to think with my own head and follow my own path.
And anyway, Lebanon is not even an Arab country. It has an Arabic facade, but its origin is Phoenician and Christian, and it also has a European facade.
And, as each human being, I am unique. And, on top of that, I am also Italian, French and even Colombian. Those cultural traits are mixed in me, giving something unique, and obviously different, as apart from me, my sister and my brother, I do not think anyone in this world has exactly those 4 different citizenships.
You cannot define me by one of my citizenships, because I am unique, different. And this is why Annelies and I connected so deeply, because she is also unique and different, and certainly did not recognize herself in many aspects of the Dutch culture, and anyways always dreamt to live in a country with mountains.