In the last two days, Lebanon and its people experienced three diverse, perhaps conflicting experiences. These experiences might not be directly related, but their occurrence at this particular time brings to the forefront a serious awareness of the great potentials of Lebanon as well as the unaddressed challenges that it faces at this moment.

First, the cabinet that took 10 months of ongoing deliberations amid intensive “bargaining” to be formed brought to the surface significant flaws of Lebanon’s political sectarian system.

Second, as an antidote to the delay and procrastination forming a cabinet, on Feb. 17, a symposium took place in Byblos at the International Center for Human Sciences that analyzed the contents of the book by the president of the Lebanese University, Adnan Assayed Hussein. Groups of professors, journalists and civil society activists participated to discuss citizenship as a guarantor of equal and human rights animating civil society in Lebanon, i.e., defining Lebanon as a state of citizens instead of a framework of religious sects. From this perspective, the symposium emphasized civil society's role and the possible challenges of stating that citizenship in Lebanon is flawed until and unless the objective of a nation-state is achieved. The symposium's participants have laid the foundation to move Lebanon from the vulnerability of sectarian divide into a civil society of equal citizens.

Third, this contrast comes simultaneously with the passing away of one of the great literary and cultural figures of Lebanon, Unsi al-Hajj. While his death was a shock, it brought to the forefront the legacy of enlightenment that is Lebanon's reality with the potential to heal many sociopolitical wounds it has endured. Hajj affirmed the responsibility of the word not only to animate culture but also to lift Lebanon into its potential creative role. His loss, while very painful, brought out the best from his many friends, admirers and colleagues. The authenticity that he represented made us admire him.