Always looking at the past and expecting Allah to fix the present

One thing I've noted about Lebanon, both when I lived here in my adolescence and now with my move back is that Lebanese always lament the 'what Lebanon used to be like.' Bygone are the days in the early 70s before the war, where the country was beautiful, everything functioned and sectarianism was absent. Well, maybe sectarianism is stronger today but people seemed to still identify with the differences in their mindset as unique to their sect. Then, there was a strong middle class and stronger secular parties, like the Lebanese Communist Party, which served as a conduit for secular-minded people. However, according to foreigners who visited Lebanon in this 'golden-age' the country looked the same and functioned quite similarly. If we keep lamenting the past, how shall we move forward?
Another thing is that many, not all, Lebanese sum up the country's problems with this catch-all phrase: "this country is cursed." Tayeb, tell me, how are we to fix the country if it's cursed? This is throwing in the towel, saying the problems are not in your hands. It's a really cheap way out of trying to seek change on an individual level.
We need to stop looking back, leave Allah at home, and find a way, through a consensus, to fix this country.
Which brings me to another point: the Shi'ites. Honestly, the way that this country has dealt with the Shi'ites is shameful. Since Lebanon fully claimed it's independence in 1943, we built up the country's infrastructure and institutions, but forgot about the South--where most of the Shi'ites come from. Shi'ites are traditionally poor farmers, who at the time of independence, were a minority. Lacking much clout, the government brushed them aside, leaving the south without proper plumbing, electricity, schools, hospitals...And yet we wonder why these people are bitter? We wonder why they support Hezbollah in overwhelming numbers---the party who built infrastructure for them and gave them proper services? The Lebanese Communist Party (LCP) was the main provider of services to these and other sects' poor, unacknowledged areas. But with the civil war of 1975-1990, sectarianism rose and the LCP's membership fell.
To this day things have not gotten better with regards to including Shi'ites into this country and government. I've been to the bekaa valley and the south, two Shi'ite stroongholds. Many of the Shi'ite towns that have been littered with cluster bombs have not been cleaned up. Roads and houses that were destroyed have mostly been repaired by Hezbollah. Many villagers told me they hadn't even see a Lebanese official visit since the fighting ended on August 14. You may say: "why should these Hezbollah supporters
My friend Ahmed, a Sunni, made a good point: "The Sunnis, Druze and Christians leave this country, they go aborad for education and jobs. The Shi'ites are the only ones that stay." So in a way, these are Lebanon's most dutiful citizens, but they are forming a state within a state which contrasts this notion. If we made attempts to include them in the government without shunning their ways and politics, they'd have less of an incentive to form this micro-state. They'd have to play by the rules of the game.
And now, the unity talks:
Well, all things considered, the Shi'ites are the biggest sect in Lebanon at the moment. I don't think people would say otherwise. Fine, the Sunnis, Druze and Christians combined form a larger bloc but it's an alliance of conveinience. And a weak one a that: anti-syrian bloc. As far as party ideologies go, there's apparent differences.
To keep ignoring Shi'ite demands they way we have and catering to more influential sects' needs only serves to further Shi'ites feelings that they are disenfranchised and need to look out for their own. Unfortunately, the way this constiution is formed, is several parties are competing in elections in one area, whichever party recieves 51% of the vote, when's the sates for that area. So this forces people who want to sit in parliament to run with the bigger parties, and in the south and Bekaa, this is Hezbollah.
I don't want a religious state. But we need to break down confessionalism, cater to everyone's needs, not just the rich, and establish a working constitution so we can get this country going. Sometimes things need to get a little worse before they can get better.