The Long View

FROM CHAPTER 3, PAGE 45:

. . . just simply the plumpest, sweetest dates I had ever had. Seriously. Just delicious. If you go to Damascus and don’t get these dates, then you haven’t really been to Damascus. I turned to my interpreter, Said, and asked him to translate for me. “Mr. Assad,” I said, “these dates are delicious! You are quite a host!” And after a moment of translation, President Assad’s response was: “Yes, they are excellent dates. They come from Lebanon. I liked them so much, I assassinated the leader of that country and installed a puppet.” Which, quite frankly, I thought was an odd joke to make, but then, this is the Middle East, and these are people with a different culture from ours, and it’s only natural that they’re going to laugh at different things. “Mr. President,” I said, “as you know, I come in peace. I believe in peace. And I know you do, too.” And he laughed. “What are you laughing about?” I asked. “I am laughing at the little lady with the headscarf,” he said, which, once again, was an odd kind of remark, but he seemed so genuine and so . . . I don’t know . . . decent, that I started to laugh too. Soon, we were both laughing together. And I truly believe that once you’ve laughed with someone, you’ve begun to achieve a kind of peace.

About the Author

Rob Long

Rob Long is a writer and producer and a co-founder of Ricochet.

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FROM CHAPTER 3, PAGE 45:

. . . just simply the plumpest, sweetest dates I had ever had. Seriously. Just delicious. If you go to Damascus and don’t get these dates, then you haven’t really been to Damascus. I turned to my interpreter, Said, and asked him to translate for me. “Mr. Assad,” I said, “these dates are delicious! You are quite a host!” And after a moment of translation, President Assad’s response was: “Yes, they are excellent dates. They come from Lebanon. I liked them so much, I assassinated the leader of that country and installed a puppet.” Which, quite frankly, I thought was an odd joke to make, but then, this is the Middle East, and these are people with a different culture from ours, and it’s only natural that they’re going to laugh at different things. “Mr. President,” I said, “as you know, I come in peace. I believe in peace. And I know you do, too.” And he laughed. “What are you laughing about?” I asked. “I am laughing at the little lady with the headscarf,” he said, which, once again, was an odd kind of remark, but he seemed so genuine and so . . . I don’t know . . . decent, that I started to laugh too. Soon, we were both laughing together. And I truly believe that once you’ve laughed with someone, you’ve begun to achieve a kind of peace.