Irrational Fear of Falling Bridges

— The Jal el Dib bridge (Photo credit: Gino) —

You know how when a plane crashes somewhere in a remote jungle in Brazil you get second thoughts about boarding that flight tomorrow? Or when a relative dies of a heart attack and you decide to renew your gym membership? Well, we’re now having a collective experience of that kind in Lebanon.

We have suddenly decided that the bridge in Jal-el-dib is about to collapse. It was only a matter of time before we get a blog post helpfully suggesting that you can avoid death by taking alternative routes.

But guess what? The only reason we’re afraid is because a building in rather-distant Ashrafieh has collapsed. Yes, yes, the bridge is faulty, “at maximum risk” and all, but that was also true last week, and that didn’t prevent people from using it and abusing it with abandon.

The population is now primed for fear of crumbling structures, and it will remain twitchy for a while. But all that will go away. In the end, after the fears subside, you will board that flight and you will go back to your sedentary lifestyle. Life goes on, until it stops. That’s the Lebanese way.