House of Curiosity...

I am writing this because I felt the conversation from which it came was very sweet.  Also because I feel that this is one of the the most important questions on a whole generation’s mind…  is it love that matters? is it money? or is it career?

Last Saturday, a bunch of youth came to the organization, moslty because they were bored to death by their exams… They asked me to facilitate a conversation to answer the question de jour “ love or money?”

We organized the seats in a circle, but they naturally took two sides. Boys on one side of the room and girls on the other side… it was  going to turn into one of those classical gender conversations.  They were all ready to attack…

Here are some of the quotes I managed to capture.

Oh… they are all between 19 and 22 and I have not used their real names!

Fadi: “Love that brings money!”

Sana “You can’t have both.. life is about either money or love”

Riham: “what kind of logic is it that dictates for you to live penniless (tafran), only to love… it is not worth it”

Maher “ if she is not rich, then she must  be pretty… otherwise it is a waste of time and resources.

Bana: “ Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.  Beauty is relative… the physical beauty is not everything. she might not be rich nor very pretty, but nice, decent, smart and respectful.  Or simply makes you laugh…. It depends on why you  choose to marry”

Rami “ you who took the monkey for his money, the money goes and the monkey stays the same!”

Basem: “ every guy knows why he is with his girl. It could be for fun or for marriage. I think that everyone should decide why they are with a certain person.  I had a girlfriend once. I loved her, but she was rich. I broke up with her, when she picked me up one day… I thought to myself, why am I on the right side of the car?  I knew that it was because I was sitting in her car. I asked myself what would happen if I go to ask for her hand for marriage, what would her father tell me?” I knew that the right thing to do was to set her free.

Mais: “I would love a man and support him even when he is penniless.”

Nour “ The question is very black and white. If I love someone, he must be the type that will get out of his poverty by hard work. So no worries… Love is important and so is the money… I don’t see why it should be and either or question”

Bana: “ I always think that if he does not have a house, where would I raise my kids? I don’t want my kids to grow up in a situation where I can’t provide them with their basic needs… so yes it is both…

Tamer “ ”Money is very important. God says in the Qura’an that money is the embellishment of life. However, we all know that money will come one day when we start working… so I think we should choose for love, because money will come eventually.”

 So what do you guys think?