Articles₁₀

I was not here the day it happened. I came to live here years later. But the scent of coffee, made by those denied from drinking it that September, still wafts in the corners of this place. I lead the visitor to where it is not possible to see the end of the street; to […]

From the day I reached Europe, I have been waiting for the chance to write about my dreams, rather than explaining the reason I am here. I have been thinking about why I am never asked to talk about my plans for the future, but instead about the decision my parents made for me to […]

“I was born in 1948, the year of the Nakba. My homeland is Haifa in Palestine. When I was just forty days old, my parents took me to Syria. I once had a house. I worked for the UNRWA. I studied law. Now I am seventy-four years old. One day, I looked up and found […]

Home for me is my family. Home is not a building. It is not four walls to decorate. Above all, my home is life, the people who give my existence meaning. But I am homeless, because my wife and I live on two different continents. My wife is Lebanese, living in Sweden. We were married […]

At some point, the house in which I was born came under occupation. Now you cannot reach it, you cannot enter it, you cannot touch its walls. It is a strange feeling. Anger mixed with an acute nostalgia. After all, I remember every corner, every unevenness of the walls, every apple tree branch outside the […]

I am a Palestinian born in Lebanon. I spent my entire childhood and adult life in refugee camps in Lebanon. It is very difficult, basically impossible, for Palestinians to leave Lebanon. In 2015, I decided to follow the illegal route. I crossed the border with the help of smugglers. I reached Germany, the country of […]

My name is Ahmad. As many know, it is a common name in the Middle East. But who cares? What does it matter? I had the same reaction when my grandfather once told me: “Grandson, everything in life can be gained or lost—except your name. It is up to you to make it a good […]

“One who loses their home loses their dignity.” So goes a Syrian saying. Ibrahim, a refugee from Syria, adds: “Being deprived of a home, being homeless in exile, robs us of our sense of security. This, combined with a lack of financial security, makes our life a constant struggle to find rent money, so that […]

A failure to deal with fear lies at the bottom of many life difficulties. Felt every day, fear can pose a threat to mental and physical health, and in a broader perspective, also seriously affect the social order. Under its influence, we perceive the world around us in a distorted way. We enter relationships with new people with reserve and reluctance. We distance ourselves from the unknown. The outside world can appear perilous. Understanding the nature of one’s fear is essential to improving our quality of life. By approaching other people, empathizing, enjoying and loving.

What are the characteristics of empathy and why is it different from sympathy? Why is empathy so important, and can be a great help to others? Acclaimed professor Brené Brown talks about the value and effect of empathy.