Dialogues meeting that open ourself up to the other

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Much later on, much
later on the thought came,

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well, keep being responsible
for your country

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and maybe what you should do
is try to organize dialogue meetings

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between Lebanese
of different factions

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between Christians
and Muslims etc. you know

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people who are not from one side.

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And so that was not easy
because at that time

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the country was divided in areas

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where militias were controlling
this area or that area

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and people did not cross over
from one area to the other one.

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So we had to go to Cyprus.

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Our first meeting took
place in Cyprus.

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Then we held other meetings too

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because we felt that
these dialogue meetings

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which we were experiencing
for the first time

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were very enriching especially
humanly

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facing the other, staying with him,

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talking to him, listening to him

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brought in it a great
human enrichment.

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And gradually we felt that this is
what we should be carrying out.

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And little by little people
of influence like politicians

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or people who had a certain
responsibility in their civil life

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or people who were leaders

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not top leaders, I mean,
in the military also field.

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Others who were religious

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people who had a certain authority
in the religious life of the country

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they joined these
dialogue meetings.

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And we realized
that these meetings

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made us grow in love to each other,
in understanding each other.

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And it let us also grow
in knowing that the truth

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that could unite us even
the political truth you know.

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And so we kept on
organizing such meetings

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later of course we started holding
these meetings in Lebanon itself.

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And we felt that these meetings

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contributed to a certain
something positive

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something constructive
in the life of the country.

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Fortunately, I mean
other people were taking other

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you know, other initiatives too.
We were not the only ones.

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And I could say that people
who have attended these meetings

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were inspired.

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And later on they started
something themselves

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and things which are admirable

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aiming at bringing peace
bringing understanding

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bringing the Lebanese
closer to each other.