Man with the gas mask
Shows his face and opens his heart
He has the serenity of knowing where he stands. Tall. Down to his core. With Lebanon. And its people. Deeply rooted. All loving. Playful. Insanely humane.
How did this introverted insurance professional become one of the Lebanese Thawra's frontline revolutionaries?
After visiting with him for three hours over one cup of coffee (I didn't want to interrupt for a refill), I understood him a little better.
He's rough on the outside, thoughtful, foul-mouthed, fit, gutsy, a man's man, and what you see is what you get.
“Why are you doing this?”
He tells me what he knows. He knows that he loves Lebanon and the Lebanese. He loves Beirut. He loves the blown-up neighborhood of Gemmayze. He loves his village and the cedars of Lebanon. He's genuine, selfless, and gives from his heart.
Roy as a kid in Gemmayze
Just as he supports his family and works as a professional, he wants to serve Lebanon and its people. It pains him to see the Lebanese mistreated, and he does everything in his means to help and be there.
The clarity of where home is for him and not leaving home is his driving force. He understands other people, but for him, immigrating is not on the table. He doesn't question how happy or not he'd be if he left. He decided to make home a better place for himself, his family, and everyone else.
Skeptics think that he has a hidden agenda. Whether they agree with him, others are fascinated by this man's resilience, energy, and resolve. And for the rest, his big heart drives them.
Doubts creep in
His spirits get tested. When he's exhausted, frustrated, and down, he asks himself why he continues doing what he does.
"I am not religious, but I pray. I believe in love. I have a fire inside. I cannot explain it."
What he does is not in character. He's doing everything he's not. He says that he's an introvert. He'd rather be hiking for three days in the wilderness with Doby, his dog. So many times, he wanted to escape it all. Go back to being a kid, fleeing to his tent at night, lighting up the flashlight, and being.
The next day, he finds himself drawn to the frontlines in downtown Beirut against the police in power.
The occasional boosters send the doubts away. When grabbing a bite, people would stop at his table: "Take care of yourself. Be careful. Please continue."
We are shaped by our experiences
In 1981, he was one year old. In his mother's arms, he sees her tears as she stands on the sidewalk watching the procession and casket of Bachir, the assassinated president-elect. She still reminds him of what he told her: "Don't cry. I'll make it right."
When he was only seven, a battle broke out in their neighborhood when the family was sleeping. 13 fighters died in their building. He and his two younger siblings, aged 6 and 4, hid in the bathroom with their father. It was gruesome, with RPGs, machine guns, and knife fights. He saw everything: bodies and body parts, which he had to pick and put in plastic bags. His dad still tells him he shouldn't have seen what he saw.
As a teenager in the mid-'90s, he had a room at his grandparents' house in the Gemmayze neighborhood. Aunts, uncles, and other extended family lived around. He'd escape and spend time with the boys in Achrafieh. Avoiding snipers, he'd walk home in the afternoon behind barricades created with stacked shipping containers.
In the blast of Aug 4, 2020, he rushed to check on his aunts and uncles in Gemmayze. Running between the rubble, he was able to pull them out — injured but alive. This blast got to his core. It literally hit home.
And yet, he stears away from war and is driven by love.
“I’m afraid to forget”
He goes down to Beirut every other day, to the neighborhood that was most affected by the blast. He spends a few hours checking with people, asking if they're alright, and trying to do what he can with what he has. For him, he wants to forget the blast but not the neighborhood. Not how it was, at least. Sometimes, it feels like visiting someone's grave to talk to them or checking on an old friend recovering in the hospital.
Between the frontline and the family
We have a small family with a beautiful 10-year-old girl with whom he does tons of activities. His wife is supportive despite the disagreements. He feels guilt towards her when he spends long periods protesting and attending to what he believes is a common good. He's appreciative of her putting up with his schedule and living with the uncertainty of engaging in confrontations. She compromises and still provides a home source of stability and security. She would want nothing to do with street engagements if it were up to her.
I wonder what’s her story?
He knows she has a point, but his passion for the cause is too polarizing. They occasionally clash. Who doesn't? At least they disagree over something worth disputing over. They argue, make up, and love each other. It pisses him off when he knows that she's right.
Lately, he had time to pick up bread on the way home :-). He loves his family and loves Lebanon, Beirut, and Gemmayze.
Game over
Serious games
He plays fair, even though his opponents, the military fighting the protestors, are not. In several of their confrontations, they had military personnel at a disadvantage. He could have caused bodily injuries to some. He chose not to. He thought…
“He’s probably like me, going back to his family that evening.”
He's sure that the people in power are done with as sure as his name is Roy. They cannot adapt to the new world. They're not even able to enjoy the loot they've stolen throughout the years. They're simply not welcome among their citizens and are still after power and fame. They're fighting to keep the power and becoming infamous as they chase fame.
Maybe it’s to their advantage to return the money? Hello?
"People stood in line to take pictures with them. Now, they're not going in public anymore. We stripped them of that privilege. It's impactful."
A little mischief
The new game
He believes that ordinary citizens with the appropriate credentials should be in charge. Bring the economists to plan the economy and the environmentalists to impact policy. Current politicians should take a break. Move aside and let the new generation work. They've made big mistakes. It's not a secret that they've all been in on it to some degree.
The revolution will build on its spirit and form its own structure. The new vibe will reign.
"Your vibe attracts your tribe. We've all changed. Some people change much faster than others. The new game is being designed."
Simple pleasures
Doby and Roy
He wants to lead a simple life and live one day at a time. Why not wake up at 5 am and get on his dream treadmill for a few hours while watching the news on his big-screen TV? At 7 am, he wants to take his dog for a walk and then jump in the shower to move to his home office — the minimalist kind, with one iMac. When work is done, he'll go down to his office/apartment's street level and grab a drink with his friends at the pub. On weekends, off to the Cedars with the family and Doby. For extra income, he will Airbnb his three cabins in the Cedars.
The apartment will have a very high ceiling, one futon on the parquet floor, and one shelf to replace a closet with 5 black T-shirts, 3 Nike shoes, and a couple of blue jeans.
“This is how dull I want my life to be. And all, in Gemmayzeh.”
Live and let live. He wants it all in Lebanon, among his family and friends. In the country of his dreams. Is it too much to ask?
He wants to work in an environment where the banks do not confiscate your money. A place where a blast doesn't demolish decades of hard work. A place where you can take someone to court and get a fair trial. For his family, he wants clean air to breathe, drinking water from the faucet, trash well disposed of, and visual pollution diminished to zero.
Ah yes. The occasional trips. There's nothing wrong with discovering Tibet or attending a seminar in London. That's good, too.
The revolution has done plenty but has yet to reach its goals. They have identified what they do not want. They still need to identify and push for what they collectively want.
One day, he will reflect back on these days with bittersweet memories. He will remember and tell his grandkids how they stood up to the bullies and how the new Lebanon was born. Like a true grandfather, he'll spice up his stories. He'll tell tales of how he kept the spirit going until the winds of change picked up the old and cleared the way for the new. Grandma would have her own untold stories, yet she is as proud, reliable, and resilient as the hero in this story.
Doby's great, great granddog would be walking with Jedo Roy as he promenades on a cold December morning under the cedar trees.
A tribute to all the Roys who stand for justice, fairness, service, and love. To the ones in Lebanon and the ones who are changing the face of the world. There's nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.
It's time.
