All of this happened in August!

Meaning:

A comprehensive economic and financial collapse, a republic lacking a president, a caretaker government incapable of decision-making, a parliament unable to enact legislation, a central bank without a governor struggling to control the currency market, banks facing severe liquidity issues, armed conflicts erupting in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp, Israeli annexation of the entire Ghajar Lebanese village, the extension of UNIFIL forces with no regard for Lebanon’s interests, utter governmental shortfall, a Lebanese army operation against a drug trafficking group resulting in casualties and injuries, the resurgence of ISIS factions, Beirut airport grappling with sweltering temperatures due to a lack of air conditioning, the suspension of the Beirut port explosion investigation, two fatalities in an armed clash in Kahhaleh, the proliferation of Israeli espionage networks, and an extremist group known as Soldiers of God forcibly shutting down a Beirut bar while security forces observed without intervening.

In short, it is an absolute madness fiesta.

At first glance, one might not find another explanation behind the actions undertaken by the authorities and certain sectors of society aside from sheer and profound insanity. What sort of mindset shifts its attention away from a catastrophe to dedicate its energies to suppressing a marginalized segment of the population? What kind of mindset disregards the implosion of an entire society in favor of claiming to safeguard the family against the perceived encroachment of “foreign” and “unnatural” values? What kind of mindset evades assuming responsibility for the collapse—or, at the very least, managing it—and instead attributes the blame entirely to a “conspiracy”? What mindset perceives laughter as a menacing threat?

In the 1950s, the renowned American psychologist Julian Rotter formulated his well-known theory of Locus of Control, gauging the degree to which individuals believe they can influence the outcomes of events. This Locus of Control can be categorized as either internal (reflecting the belief that one has control over one’s own life) or external (indicating the belief that life is governed by external factors beyond one’s control). According to this theory, numerous psychological studies indicate the following:

The further an individual’s locus of control tilts towards external factors, the more they experience a sense of losing control over their own destiny, which can manifest in symptoms like helplessness, anxiety, tension, and depression. They often tend to attribute blame to others and ascribe their actions to external elements such as fate and luck. Could this perspective help us understand the “Madness Fiesta”? Before delving into this, perhaps we should incorporate a profound contemplation on the concept of shame into the above mentioned theory.

American researcher John Bradshaw says: “Healthy shame is the psychological foundation of humility. Shame as a healthy human emotion can be transformed into shame as a state of being. As a state of being, shame takes over one’s whole identity […] Once shame is transformed into an identity, it becomes toxic and dehumanizing. Toxic shame is unbearable and always necessitates a cover-up, a false self”.

In his research, Bradshaw elucidates, drawing on the contributions of those who preceded him, how toxic shame gives rise to a fabricated persona and how this counterfeit self evolves into a wellspring of psychological disturbances, criminal violence, and political violence. Toxic shame generates itself, requiring no external triggers; it’s an inherent existential condition experienced by humans, imposing an excruciating sense of shame upon themselves. It is an insufferable emotional burden. As Bradshaw contends, one of the mechanisms for concealing this type of shame is to project it onto others and release suppressed anger through acts of violence, oppression, and even murder. This behavior is characterized as neurotic.

What is happening in Lebanon is merely a small-scale illustration of a broader issue plaguing the entire Arab region. In Iraq, for example, the parliament is discussing a law that proposes the death penalty for homosexuals, all while the nation grapples with numerous threats and the scientifically substantiated projections of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers completely drying up by the year 2050.

Based on what we have previously presented in a very brief manner, we assert that people in the Arab region are living in a state of helplessness as a result of the cumulative impact of historical events that have pushed their “Locus of Control” to the extreme end of “external control” (External Locus Of Control) and have caused them to live with a “toxic shame” identity. These two conditions have gradually permeated the individual psyche, evolving into a collective state. It is a society trapped in its subconscious, gripped by a profound sense of powerlessness, accompanied by feelings of anxiety, tension, and depression, in addition to a deep-rooted and longstanding sense of toxic shame, producing uncontrollable anger. It is a society that predominantly seeks external explanations for its failures and resorts to violence as the easiest outlet for its pent-up tension while concealing its unbearable sense of shame.

Is there a vortex more dangerous and ominous than this one?

We stand in unwavering solidarity with Nour Hajjar, Mariam Majdoline Lahham, the LGBTQA+ community, and all the marginalized individuals on this earth.