Burning Fever

Yesterday Sadr city; before that Amara; tomorrow God knows what place we would look at only to find people in different states of misery, poverty and fear.

It is better - It is better, everyone chants in an effort to strengthen their resolve to live on and not die in despair - And it is.

Not tens upon tens killed every day.

Not stunningly violent as it used to be - but still a long way from reaching square one.

We have a saying in Arabic that goes, "He who comes face to face with death is content to have a burning fever."

We now have a burning fever and people have no choice but to be "happy" not to be dead. Is that really what we can call good?

What are our ambitions? What happened to them? They have become so humble.

Just to stay alive. We are supremely happy just to stay alive.

We talk to people and they are supremely happy just to be alive. We ask them what they think of the quality of their lives and most look incomprehensively in our faces, "We're alive aren't we?"

Nancy, our acting bureau chief announced a pool party today, and a little reluctantly I joined the group at around five. Once in the water, fully clothed though I was, I came face to face with the deprivation we are living. A flashback into our former lives was like a punch in the gut. When will we reach square one - When! The armour around my soul fell and I saw what I was reluctant to see - That I was just as happy with my burning fever, and although I am perfectly aware that the violence was political and that it was to achieve just this result, that we should be happy just to be alive and to hell with everything else - it has actually worked. OMG! The numbness caused by all the violence has born fruit - And our people are happy just to be alive!

This revelation didn't stop me from playing ball in the pool, I'm afraid.


From Inside Iraq Blog