Attending Pierre Gemayel's funeral

The Gemayels and my family go way back. My grandfather and Pierre senior (founder of the Kataeb) were good friends, and I've met Amin many a time. My dad remembers going to play with Amin when he was a kid. Today I went to visit the Gemayels for the first time.
Up we went to the village of Bikfaya, the home of the Gemayels. As soon as we drove past the town centre, Ketaeb flags were everywhere, as were pictures of Pierre. We parked our car and walked to the house. We passed the Kataeb headquarters, where a woman singing melancholily pierced through the speakers. Young Kataeb-supporting prebuscent teens and adolescents stood looking down on us from the balcony, tears welling up in their eyes. We passed by kataeb supporters, one group of many walking to the house.
Many atendees were genuinely sad by the loss. Not only was he their community leader, but this country has been ravaged by too much war. It clouds your brain, all these funerals of rising stars that are lost before they shine.
But many of the young-ones' faces expressed every form of saddness, but it looked like a disattached sorrow.
It hit me: how can these kids be so sad? Have they ever picked up a paper? Many are too young. Knowing how things go in Lebanon--that everyone follows the same political family for decades only because their great grandfathers were once good friends or they were invited to a dinner long ago--I knew that more than anything these children had been told to revere the Gemayels. The Gemayels were a good family and that was enough, no need for discussion. These children only see the Gemayel's as a step below God, the way their families indoctrinated them from such a young age. More than anything, these kids were expressing their sadness because it was socially outlaw to do otherwise, to question "why should I politically support the Gmayels?"
And this is the problem with Lebanon. It doesn't stop with the Gemayels. In fact, they're one of the newest families on the bloc (with the exception of the Hariris). Jumblatt's family has been in power for a hundred and fifty or more years. Are they really there based on merit?
The Gemayels' are smart people. They know that you should think independently and not blindly follow.
But the way politics works here many tend to blindly follow (and this relates to all sects). Many followers tend to be blind in their support, as most members are members as their grandfathers' supported the party and their fathers. How to be the black sheep?
One political issue we need to address is Hezbollah. Hezbollah has about 40% of the nation's support. To continue to avoid them only serves to force the Shi'ites to make a state within a state. After all, the government from Lebanon's independence until today avoided these poor people from the south, catalyzing Hezbollah's state within a state as they were one of the first forces to provide infrastructure to poor Shi'ites. Though I believe armed militas are scary, I think it's better to negotiate than to sweep the problem under the rug. It will eventually accumulate, tripping you as you try to walk past.