Thousands rallied in the capital city on Sunday against proposed tax hikes that the government has said are needed to avoid a multibillion dollar budget deficit this year. Protesters chanted “we will not pay” and blamed corrupt politicians, shouting “thief” and hurling empty water bottles. Police barricaded the entrance to the government headquarters.

Reporters on site said there was a lot of anger and frustration among protesters.  “When you consider the fact that many people here really don’t have high wages and you consider the fact many have some of the highest rates of personal debt as well, any kind of increase is going to be felt in the pocketbook.”

Signs and slogans accused officials of theft and people chanted for politicians to step down. “Take your hands out of my pockets,” one placard read. “We had hopes for this new government, but unfortunately … these politicians are still exploiting resources for their profit,” said one protester.

Where was this? Washington? Sacramento?    Nope, guess again.

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And the answer is …………    Beirut, Lebanon
Anger at Lebanon’s government has prompted repeated protests in central Beirut over the last two years.  In Lebanon, a country that is over 50% Islamic and about 40% Christian, the regular folks are united against a common adversary – their tax and spend political establishment.

It looks like those Middle Easterners aren’t all so different from us after all.

Did you know that there is just as much stuff going on in the world these days as in olden times, but now we have to hear about it 24/7, read about it, stream it, see it on TV, get notifications on our phones, and argue about it at work and over cocktails.  Did you ever think about what it would be like if you could just shut it all off?

Many years ago, I took an extended visit to Fiji, and sailed around the islands in a three-masted schooner with a few friends, drinking beer, scuba diving, and looking at the star-filled night sky.  It was about three weeks of no news, no newspapers, exquisite diving, and casual conversation.  If the world had ended, I wouldn’t have known about it until I saw it coming over the horizon.

As a committed news junkie, I was amazed to find that I could actually function without being connected to the information mainline, and the withdrawal period was only a few days.  Unfortunately, the draw was too strong when I left the South Pacific, and the addiction returned.  If it were possible to be totally uninformed and ignorant without being scorned and exiled from society, it just might be worth it.

Whoever that said “ignorance is bliss” was on to something, I think.

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Did you know that “Hakuna Matata” was Swahili for “No worries?”