Lebanon: Divided on the most basic level

I didn't grow up in Lebanon.
Neither did millions of other people of Lebanese descent. However, unlike them, I was educated in Lebanon and I currently live and work in Lebanon.

I may know about Lebanese history, geography, politics, television shows, music, and restaurants, but my relationship to this place is far different than the relationships my friends, co-workers, and relations have to this country.

Lebanon was never a rosy entity to me, but I always thought of it as a unified nation. I've lived amongst Lebanese in Europe, North America, Africa, and the Arabian Gulf, and got to see the similarities of Lebanese regardless of sect or ideology.

People in Lebanon speak about being "Lebanese," but the definitions change depending on who you talk to. Lebanese talk about the shared experiences of war and often add caveats about what happened in their location, but the each sect, region, and political entity had a very different experience.
I say this because I don't feel like I'm talking about the same country when I talk to friends who grew up in Jounieh and friends who grew up in Nabatieh (even though they are both French educated, ie they're both "Frenchies"). In fact, they don't really talk to each other.

The first time a friend from Achrafieh went with me to visit a cousin of mine in Bourj al Barajne, he told me he felt like he wasn't in Lebanon any more. Some friends from Metn dropping me off at home could not restrain themselves from saying, "It's not that bad over here," but then changed their tune when they saw the Murabitoun logo and flags sticking out.
I don't have many friends from Akkar, and the ones I do have are all related to Ahmad Fatfat, thus not exactly representative.
Relatives of mine in the Bekaa have the most libertarian attitude I've seen in Lebanon. They can't relate to all of the "gays" [their words, not mine] of every sect on the coast.

Many Lebanese think locally, even when they are trying to think nationally. It is hard for many of my friends to grasp the concept of one nation. Members of the Lebanese Forces think they get it, but just end up quoting Bachir over and over again not really caring about what anyone else has to say. Hezbollah claims to be national, but even their supporters know that the party has local interests in mind.

Our national unity has a long way to go. The lines of division run deep and cannot be solved by small political patches. The divide is much deeper that Red state/Blue state. We have things we agree on: nightclubs, beaches, fashion, singers, national boundaries, and indepence from Syria [many Hezbollah supporters agree on these issues, even if Hassan Nasrallah would never be caught on Monot and would never cheer Syria's departure].

We do not have a nation.


An aside: Gross over-generalization, but my observations
What is most odd is that many of the poor in Lebanon are internationally minded, while the elites navel-gaze.
The Egyptian elite are very outward looking. They are educated abroad, adopt Western values, and see themselves as cosmopolitan. The same goes for many Khalijis, and especially the Iraqis and Syrians.
My experience with the Lebanese and Jordanian elite who grew up in Lebanon and Jordan is that they remain locals in mentality - Lebanese more so than Jordanians.
Lebanese are concerned with competing with Lebanese. Egyptians think about Europe and American when they think about class. Lebanese think of other Lebanese.
As much as this breeds a circus of nose jobs, Lebanese elite are not left looking down on themselves. [To speak in unjustifiably general terms, some of the poor and middle class escape the trap because they see how ludicrous this behavior becomes. Of course, plenty just imitate].