But now I think that much of what I mistook for soulfulness—the long, idle hours in cafés, the emotional intensity of the friendships—are also aspects of a great, almost unfathomable, national despair. There are no jobs, there is no hope, and in the state-run media, Israel is always and ultimately to blame. In this context, any action is preferable to inaction, Sheik Nasrallah is a hero—and a sane, well-educated young man can look me in the eye across a café table and tell me that he hopes a clash of civilizations will begin.