hate has no place in a rational, civilised society because it eclipses our ability to think rationally and to act with compassion.
as martin luther king, jr so eloquently said:
"Hate begets hate; violence begets violence; toughness begets a greater toughness. We must meet the forces of hate with the power of love…
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. … Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
“A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.”
You say the word war and the image of Cris Tucker, and the movie Rush Hour comes to mind. With all inferences of humor aside the phrase, "What is it good for?" rings in our ears. War throughout history has been a bloody subject, its goal is simple, Kill all the soldiers on the other side before they do the same thing to you. Not until recently has compassion attempted to mandate how war is carried out. In the old days battles were fought on prearranged fields far away from their cities and the non-combatants. It hasn't been until recently that war has found its way into our cities and as a result caused the deaths of thousands of innocent men, women, and children. Today with the "War" in the Middle East and the advancements in our telecommunications we now have the war streaming directly into our Livingroom's with all its gory realities. People are upset by the horrors being witnessed on a continual basis. They should be war is a gut-wrenching, blood-soaked nightmare that spares no one. The whole concept should be so distasteful to world leaders that the very thought of war should be its own deterrent. We are watching events the public in the past has been spared from viewing, and as a result are becoming increasingly critical of everything that revolves around the idea of War, which isn't a bad thing, but war is war and no matter how ugly the rest of us perceive it, at times the beast must run its course. We killed hundreds of thousands of civilians in Japan during WWII by burning them to death through the use of incendiary devices made to do nothing but cause fires. The fires we caused during the carpet-bombing raids sucked the oxygen from the air and suffocated the people as they were attempting to run to safety. The allies leveled the city of Dresden in Germany which the people were using as a refugee camp. We leveled the place and there was absolutely no military objective except for our desire to destroy all that was any part of the Third Reich and instill fear in the minds of those left to remember. War is meant to be terrible and as such avoided at all costs, however drastic times call for drastic measures. Israel is fighting for its very survival, and we find ourselves in a position of being a distant jury, separated by two huge bodies of water, all safe and sound, "For the moment.
The fact that today, people are actually seeing the devastation that war creates should be a deterrent to war; however, I am worried that the world will become immune to those horrors when looking at it everyday. Young people seem to have become desensitized to death and blood shed because of the games they play. It is very worrisome to me.
Peggy--If the common person made the decisions concerning war the world would be a better place. Sadly, fools like Trump who have absolutely no vision, other than what they see in their own mirror, are making terrible decisions that affect our future. Egos and perverted personalities seek the horrors of war that normal people find it repulsive.
You are the same folks who wanted us to stay out of World War ll. Biden is your Neville Chamberlain. This is earth, not heaven. Human nature is hard to grasp for the left. There are evil people and always will be. We have to play whack a mole constantly with evil. Eventually the moles will come up and take over and the left will be there with a big cake to welcome them.
Craig--The left? Where did you get that term. There are Independents, Republicans, and Democrats. I've voted in a number of elections but after looking over a ballot I've never seen any candidate running as a left individual. For some odd reason Republicans like to distort reality because they have no reality. Trump is crazy, I welcome nothing that man has anything to do with.
Yeah, everything is Trump's fault. Trump secured a historic peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, UAE, Bahrain and Sudan to Advance Peace and Prosperity in the Region. Other than that he has nothing to do with this topic. But you will figure something out.
Craig--Trump wanted to disband NATO, ignore climate change, inject disinfectant into people's veins to combat the covid virus, he said he would build a great wall and have Mexico pay for it, the first thing he was going to do after becoming President was to get rid of Obama care and replace it with something terrific. He accepted an out of court settlement for Trump University's illegal operation that hit his bank account for $26,000,000. He promised to release his tax returns after his audit was over, and we all know the truth behind that lie. The fraud in New York. The election interference in Georgia, Trump is a man that wouldn't know the truth if he tripped over it. He may have done a few things that some would view as positive but over all, the man is a dung heap.
In 1862, while observing the carnage of the failed Federal attack at Fredericksburg, Robert E. Lee was heard to say, "It is well that war is so terrible, lest we grow too fond of it." Have we? Hundreds of thousands of jobs depend on the war industry. We glorify the "valor" and "sacrifice" war represents, never questioning the righteousness of it. And yes, kids inured by video war games and subjected to pixelated blood enter the military and, with similar detachment, jockey death-dealing drones from hundreds of miles away, far removed from the pain and gore. We laud the veterans on Memorial Day and Veterans' Day. Where is a day dedicated to the diplomats and negotiators who spend their time in the labyrinthine trenches of compromise and common interest working to prevent wars and the wastage of human potential, energy and resources, and the heartbreak of losing loved ones? I fear that as long as two people exist on the planet, they will find something to fight about.
I totally agree Your last sentence is the most salient statement There is something fundamental to human nature that shows a tribalistic need to dominate those outside of our tribe A trivial example is sports fandom where too many people judge the quality of a city or university based on the quality of their sports teams There is a mentality of needing to say we are better because my school city nation etc is better Both Jews and Arabs are fundamentally tribalistic towards each other They both claim to be the true sons of Abraham and they have been against each other since Sarah forced her maid and her son Ishmael lest Ishmael supplant her son Issac as the child of God's promise Ever since Ishmael's exile Jew and Arab have been fighting Ihave doubts lasting peace can be achieved between them until Jesus comes to end human history and create a new society but still we must try Hopefully we do not end up with a global nuclear war because of this
The human species is, like every other living organism, bound to the same basic imperatives: individual survival and procreation. Competition for these necessities is endemic to all living things. Humans are simply more sophisticated and calculating at it, and their unique mental capacity to make excuses for following their inner natures allows them to justify their actions by claiming a moral superiority over other groups of creatures. While you hope for Jesus to save us from ourselves, that same force that moved him - the oneness with a Creator - exists in all of us. I do not accept that we can dump the consequences of our actions on one individual to bail us out. The laws of karma demand individual accountability and effort to balance the scales and allow spiritual progression.
Steve, Wise words. It is the generals who can be fond of war. Ask the people in the trenches about pain and terror and other answers will be given. Us little guys are not beyond reproach either. Human nature unfortunately has us fear the outsider and hate the other imaginary dieties and their followers who disrespect our own imaginary dieties. I can only hope this war will not lead to armageddon, and we can relax until the next one.
Steve, please correct me if I wrong. Weren't the Abrams Accords meant to give the Arabs more weapons in exchange for recognizing Israel's right to exist, and weren't the Israels extremists promised more weapons to defend themselves?
Here is the declaration of the signers of the Abrams Accord. If any weapons were involved, they were done so clandestinely, and not in keeping with the following:
"We, the undersigned, recognize the importance of maintaining and strengthening peace in the Middle East and around the world based on mutual understanding and coexistence, as well as respect for human dignity and freedom, including religious freedom.
We encourage efforts to promote interfaith and intercultural dialogue to advance a culture of peace among the three Abrahamic religions and all humanity.
We believe that the best way to address challenges is through cooperation and dialogue and that developing friendly relations among States advances the interests of lasting peace in the Middle East and around the world.
We seek tolerance and respect for every person in order to make this world a place where all can enjoy a life of dignity and hope, no matter their race, faith or ethnicity.
We support science, art, medicine, and commerce to inspire humankind, maximize human potential and bring nations closer together.
We seek to end radicalization and conflict to provide all children a better future.
We pursue a vision of peace, security, and prosperity in the Middle East and around the world.
In this spirit, we warmly welcome and are encouraged by the progress already made in establishing diplomatic relations between Israel and its neighbors in the region under the principles of the Abraham Accords. We are encouraged by the ongoing efforts to consolidate and expand such friendly relations based on shared interests and a shared commitment to a better future."
This worries me too and there is ample precedent to realize this. Think about Africa where people were getting hacked to death by machetes. I think the only way that this up close and personal kind of horror is allowed to happen is because people have become inured to it. By everyday life (killing animals by ordinary people) and other such things.
There is no “however” that makes the way Israel is fighting for its survival OK. It is fighting as though every last Palestinian person is an enemy combatant. Even babies.
And, yes!, Hamas has just shown Israel that it, too, considers every last Jewish person [not just Israelis, but Jews everywhere] THEIR enemies, even the babies.
They remind me of that genocidal statement, “Nits become lice.” Genocidal.
Who is seeking a real solution, a lasting one, for all the humanity there?
Pat--Historically, death is the main ingredient in war. It holds no compassion for age, old or young, it's the nature of the beast. I don't like what is happening to the innocents in Gaza any more than you do, but Ham'as has left Israel no choice. What they are doing is setting a precedent for any future aggression against the Israeli people. A two-state solution would never work because Ham'as is against the idea and would oppose it violently. War is ugly to everyone with a soul, to the others it's a means to an end. Good or bad.
But what you describe here is a means to an end. A bad one, to my way of thinking.
And I reject that “means,” and question if there is only one means {this one} to achieve the desired end — the end Israel desires {which one must assume is ongoing and permanent security within its borders for all its people}.
I must ask and continue to ask, is there NO way other than to bomb the hell out of every Palestinian in Gaza, and starve them of all the necessities of life?
HOW will this get rid of Hamas [not to mention future iterations of Hamas]? How will this bring hostages home?
How many massacred Israelis are acceptable in retaliation for what Palestinians have suffered under occupation? NONE.
How many massacred Palestinians are acceptable for what Hamas has visited upon Israelis? NONE.
All I keep asking is — IS THERE NO OTHER WAY?
Are people who have the power to change the current circumstances even looking for one?
Pat--I hear what you are saying, but at times, on the world stage, an opposing force aggressively will leave you with no choice other than to fight back. December 7th comes to mind. The answer isn't pretty, but it is necessary, if you as an entity wish to continue. What is happenoing in Gaza was plan hatched by Ham'as. They knew the retaliation offered by the Israeli's would have dire consequences for the people living in Gaza, this was the point of the attack of 10/7. Ham'as wanted to turn the world's favorable opinion from Israel to Gaza, which evidently, they have done. There is no way to eradicate the presents of Ham'as but what Israel is doing in their mind is justification for the attack of 10/7. Ugly yes, understandable, that's another question.
Resentment gives rise to anger, anger results in fear, fear and anger beget hatred, and hatred leads to fanaticism. It is a chain reaction in the figurative and real sense. It can be stopped.
Nor is Israel fighting for its very survival. That's hyperbole---how could Hamas actually destroy Israel, or even Hezbollah and Hamas collectively, regardless of Hamas' stated mission to do so?
From Netanyahu and company's statements, Israel wants to impose its rule over all the territory in question, out to the sea. The Palestinians want territory of their own. That's what Israel chooses to construe as, "fighting for its survival." It would seem that the current situation---lethal and despicable as Hamas' attack was---is being spun to appear even more dire than the reality.
In fact, information is increasingly surfacing that Netanyahu has abetted Hamas, for the purpose of saving his own skin and maintaining power.
I think the constant killing and maiming has made it impossible to have a conversation. Bulldozing homes, bulldozing olive orchards, filling wells with sand,
shooting young rock throwers in the ankles. There are many groups of Palestinians and Israelis who are coming together, over many years,
Israel's claim to be "fighting for its very survival" is no justification for genocide. That was the propaganda of the Nazis, of American settlers, of Pol Pot, of the US destruction of Iraq, Dresden, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, of Russia's desecration of Ukraine, etc., ad nauseum. There IS NO JUSTIFICATION FOR GENOCIDE.
Kathryn--The word "Genocide" doesn't apply to this situation. Israel is killing civilians in their attempt to remove Ham'as but it isn't intentionally trying to eliminate the Palestine people who Ham'as are using as shields. By doing this Ham'as is causing the deaths of hundreds of innocent people by keeping them in harm's way. How do you weigh life? Are the lives lost on 10/7 worth less than the lives lost in Gaza? NO! A life is a life. Ham'as will never stop attacking the Jews, there is little avenue open to Israel if they want to exist. Its Kill or be killed, it's the nature of the beast, and like it or not man is a beast.
William--Careful, because there is a vast distinction between driving a group from a specific location and killing them all down to the last man, woman, and child.
Kathryn--I'll give you the fact that Israel is bombing Gaza and there are a tremendous amount of deaths in the cilivans population however, the people dying are not the desire of the Israeli military, they are after Ham'as.
Good luck. There is a serious lack of people even trying to understand the complexities of the situation in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank.
I wonder how many people know what the Balfour and The Sykes–Picot Agreements were. Or that the Ottoman Empire controlled and occupied areas from North Africa (Algeria) to Eastern Europe and Southern Ukraine from the late 1400's until 1918, the empire was completely dissolved in 1922 when the republic of Turkey came into being.
Jeff, I know about this history. The Man Who Created the Middle East: A Story of Empire, Conflict and the Sykes-Picot Agreement Paperback – January 30, 2018 by Christopher Simon Sykes (Author) War's have their consequences. Imagine had there been no attack against Israel in 1948, 1967, 1973 etc. Imagine if the Arabs and the Jews had been able to live together in peace as they did in the Iberian Peninsula between 700 and 1492. One cannot put the genie back in the bottle.
"You will hear of wars and rumors of wars . . . Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. . .
Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations . . . At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold . . ."
Actually, they all are false prophets. The idea that the creator would single out one out of the billions of people to relay a message and leave the rest of humanity foundering over believing without evidence is absurd. We have this problem in the first place because the messages of Moses, Jesus and Mohammad have irreconcilable differences, if you will excuse the understatement of differences over the right of the "other" to exist.
True enough. Note the ellipses. Matthew's preaching. I intentionally edited out the preachy bits. I'm using it as a timeless statement of the human condition. I could have just as easily used a tract from Grimm's Fairy Tales, had one come to mind. On the other hand, I've never claimed there's nothing of value in the bible. I'm particularly fond of Koheleth. However, what I've used is far more relevant to the moment than: "Oh vanity of vanities. All is vanity." or "To everything there is a season." - applicable, but only obliquely to the moment.
Mankind, if he does not learn from lessons past, is invariably doomed to repeat those same mistakes, over and over, the world is spiraling out of control and our destruction of the world's environment or ecosystems, is a reflection of that, in those wars with each other as on the natural world,
The horrifying attack by Hamas did not threaten Israel's very existence. The US and Israel have do far been able to kill 12,000 people, mostly children, with no end in sight and barely any response from the citizens of Palestine. Netanyahu encouraged Hamas and encouraged the illegal settlements because he did not want a separate Palestinian state, something that obviously should have been created from the beginning. If Israel had respected and supported the Palestinians and tried to be fair, there would have been far less resistance and resentment toward Israel.
Lisa--As long as Ham'as has any influence in that area Israel won't be safe. The attack of 10/7 will become common place and further terrorists' attacks will be a part of their everyday life. If you had a farm back in the 1800s and you closest neighbor raped and bludgeoned your 10-year-old daughter, what would you do? Sometimes you do what you have to do.
Elaine--Thats a road I think we shouldn't go down. How about beating the living crap out of the creep, then killing him and feeding his body to the hogs.
Lisa--No, that isn't the intent. Ham'as won't let the people leave and they intentionally put their war supplies under buildings they thought were attack proof. The mess is Ham'as, Israel is doing the only thing they can to fix the problem, war is war. As a species, humans are a very cruel bunch.
The “state” of Israel might be “secure” at the moment {into the future, that is unknown}, but the people there are not secure in their beds as they had believed they were, and this situation has made Jews and Palestinians and Muslims the world over less “secure.”
Beware of quoting the Bible without context. If you read on, Rachel's children turned out to be alive. You can prove anything by quoting out of context, the ultimate example is a kidnap note constructed from words cut from a magazine and rearranged.
Dennis L Green : Faith that keeps hope alive leaves room to see the truth. "Rachael's children turned out to be alive" you wrote. It is good that she did not harm herself or others. It is a terrible scourge that men have such sophisticated and efficient methods to destroy. They should be banned from the earth, these weapons of mass destruction.
True enough. But I wasn't trying to give a bible lesson. I just found the words appropriate to what is happening at this moment. Even Dr Reich focuses on "his children" in this morning's essay. >That's< the connection to this moment - not to mention all the Rachels where the bombs are falling everywhere - at this moment.
DZK ; Being inconsolable is understandable when newly bereaved. Hopefully, Rachael will be able to accept comfort of those who love her and eventually be able to heal. It will take a long time, because her pain is great. War should be illegal and actually preventable. It certainly should not be 'profitable'!
I so agree with that. Instead of streaming the war I am planting a garden. I am reading. I am making art and listening to music. I am holding on to anything and everything that I feel enhances civility. War does none of that and never will.
All mothers speak for our children. If men with weapons attack us, what do we do? In one village in Africa the women took all the guns away from the men. Domestic violence decreased.
That's ridiculous. Hate keeps popping up in this human condition and uses whatever is the most convenient divider. If it's not religion, it's skin color, or ethnicity, or sexual preference, or economic status, or gender, or which side of the tracks, or anything humans can use to delineate "us" from "them." We are a seriously flawed species with a dangerously inflated sense of ourselves.
We also see the effects of someone like Netanyahu, alias Trumpty type, in their black and white ,chaotic, self interest, fascist ways. So, if your Jewish students do not understand this, the toxic effects of these types in leadership, let them understand. Large amygdala in these types- big fear, reptilian centers. They love authoritarianism. When the authorities fail them, like Monsanto poisoning the entire Midwest groundwaters, seeding, they blame others. In the US case, they blame the Blues. Yet, we are the ones who pay for them and are incapable of demonstrating true leadership, by taking back what our productive tax monies are providing. Citizens United poisoning ALL the waters.
I just read about the Rabin slaughter, who was close to a 2 state solution & Netanyahus response. The long game.
That's really it - humans have a kind of Greed that seems to get in the way of everything - which might have been helpful to get to our current level of evolution. It is certainly more powerful than Love (whatever that really is). At 8 billion people, I don't think it is manageable. The Common Good would be a true advancement for our species, if that is achievable. Or survival depends on it. It would affect the way we interact with our planet, and other animals. Of course, there would no longer be religion, or sports. Instead of playing with their balls, sporting energy would include the building of appropriate shelter, for the common good. Currently there is no workable solution of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
The Abrahamic religions are de facto judgemental due to their fundamental Duality, aka, "Here am I / There is God" (or, "Here am I / There is 'The Other'"). When we are blinded by our ego-based myopia and parochialism, we see ourselves as being separate from, and not part of, the Universal Spirit. Therefore, we fail to see that when we harm The Other, we also harm ourselves. I would suggest that it is not that (Abrahamic) religions are based on "hate", but that they there are based on EGO.
"Success is as dangerous as failure. Hope is as hollow as fear.…
What does it mean that hope is as hollow as fear?
Hope and fear are both phantoms that arise from thinking of the self.
When we don't see the self as self, what do we have to fear?
See the world as your self.
Have faith in the way things are.
Love the world as your self; then you can care for all things."
We have created "cocoons" where we believe retreating from reality can isolate ourselves from reality. We are OF the world and must somehow, someway come to realize that objectification of "the Other" is, in essence, self-immolation!
The ability to empathize is to "See the world as your self!"
I think you could read more deeply before making such a blanket statement. Each of these religions has a version of the Golden Rule to do unto others as you would have done unto you. Judaism and Christianity both acknowledge non-duality and have teachings exhorting their followers to move beyond ego. I write this as somebody who primarily practices Buddhist non-dual meditation.
The most central prayer in Judaism ends with “the Lord is one.” The name for God is spelled as an abbreviation, which suggests that any description of God doesn’t encompass the full reality. The Ten Commandments admonish people to overcome individual pettiness and worse, which, of course, moves one beyond ego, not unlike preliminary practices in Eastern religions.
Jesus said, “Do not your scriptures tell you that you are gods?” and “Even greater things than I do shall you do.” He spoke of his unity with God. His teaching was primarily about loving one another, which moves us beyond ego.
I do not know enough about Islam to comment. Perhaps someone else can speak to this.
The Bible is a compilation of the utterances of many people who were more or less self-realized. They were passed down from times of tribal conflict that aren’t very different than what we have today. There are practitioners who are fundamentalist and fearful believers and others who are open-minded and engage critical thinking to discern meaning.
The disciples of the people whose teachings became major religions were rarely as realized as their teachers. Some other religions have unbroken oral lineages, where realized and qualified teachers succeed their mentors. Then a teacher can come along and abuse their followers. Religion and spirituality are human endeavors after all. ;-)
I agree wholeheartedly. Well put. I am a zen monk but before becoming Buddhist, I had a very positive experience as a Christian and found what you write here to be true. I agree with your interpretation of Jesus teaching us to move beyond ego. "Lose your life in order to find it."
to a certain extent religion has always been used as a weapon to control and brainwash humanity. The fairytale of a better life after death and some paradise that is waiting causes people to forget to live humanly in this life.
Religion is born out of our need for an explanation to 'what is out there' & some way to satisfy our fears that none of our existence has any point to it. IOW because we can think, we are in trouble - other animals merely exist & do what they need to survive - we suffer the mental anguish of asking 'why?' !
Religions are also borne out of people's spiritual experiences. If you've had a near death experience, and I have, it suggests there's something more. People have other spiritually transformative experiences. Over 100 years of PSI experiments show that we are interconnected. (See Dean Radin's The Conscious Universe.) Religions try to explain these phenomena but as you've said, they are often weaponized and if you want to live a life where you walk the talk and actually develop as a spiritual person, you "live humanly in this life."
There is one ‘religion’ that does not give us a bye in this life and a promise for a better one in the afterlife. Buddhism, who talks about Karma, gently reminds us that we will keep coming back over and over to experience what we have inflicted and to get it right. Nirvana is earned Thru hard work.
Boils down to hate begets more of the same, equals hate, but compassion or love, those help to move mankind and all of societies forward, we just have to for example, move our level of intolerance out of the way but that like much else in this world is easier said than done.
War never solves anything. Professor Reich, I would so much like to have more pointed discussions about the common good and where we go from here. We seriously need a discussion of ethics which I believe to be something different than simple tolerance for differing religious beliefs. Nobody is “winning “ this war and all of us are, to some degree, living in fear and pain because of it. I can only imagine that stirring up this nightmare has played into someone’s grand plan for domination. But it is not the road to a better world.
Religous belief is what got us into this mess. And you need not ask for proof,its currently on display throughout they world. Just look at the last five thousand? Years.
It's long past due to start holding All Religions accountable.
I understand your thoughts for students in the U.S. but it can never be okay for Hamas to strike out as they did. Saying it was horrific and moving on does not discuss the number of Israeli's deaths and the rapes and beheading. We see people talking about the poor palestinians- what
Israel’s attempt to destroy the terrorist organization of Hamas whose Charter calls not just for the destruction of Israel but also for the killing of all Jews worldwide and Islamic Jihad is not a wrong. If the equivalent of 40,000 Americans had been killed, butchered, raped & executed with 1,000 taken hostage by a terrorist group, the reaction would be no different and justified.
Absolutely. The only difference between the world fighting ISIS, AL Queda, Boko Haram, etc., and Israel fighting the same ideology, is that they most of Israelis are Jewish. War is terrible, but it is unfortunate that we are forced to fight against an enemy that will only flourish when they see weakness and a peace loving society.
It’s ALL horrific. However, the death of thousands of mostly Palestinian children isn’t “defense” of Israel any longer it’s the extermination of an entire people. Hamas does NOT equal all Palestinian people. Two wrongs NEVER make a right.
When Hamas builds tunnels to protect itself leaving its citizens defenseless, and puts up roadblocks to prevent them from leaving at the request of Israel, it became responsible for the deaths of these civilians. Sadly it values its dead civilians more than dead Jews. Since when did civilian casualties become the criteria of who is the victim? If Israel did not have its iron dome to protect its citizens it also could have had many thousands of dead civilians. It’s a matter of priorities. One wants to protect its citizens, the other wants to protect itself and use its dead as PR. Germany was the victim in WWII? It killed its own Jews and then went on a rampage in Europe. It was the victim as it sustained more deaths by your criteria. BTW, the numbers you have are produced by Hamas and why wouldn’t it decide that inflation helps its cause?
If only a majority in the world understood this... It's such a simple concept, on some level, and has been elusive to most of humanity forever. It fits with my religion (Christian (Lutheran)), but I understand fits with many (most ?) religions as well. We need to spread the above as quickly as possible, while there's still time for humanity...
Evil is unflinching. Europe was saved by World War 2. If the Nazis won they wouldn't be practicing love and peace. You are right about love. It will prevail. But evil will prevail in spite of it. Look at our globe. There are dictators, terrorists, non-stop killing. Do you think they would listen to your prescription and adhere to it? Or would they think it is weakness and a chance for more murder and mayhem. Defense is not hate. It is part of life.
One problem with the left, imo, is that they don't understand human nature. Their impulses may be good, but execution is not so good. We tend to think other people think like us or can think like us if only we could persuade them. We can't.
China has a stated goal of world domination. We can't ignore that.China is on the "long march," their name for world domination. From 2014 to 2018 they added more warships to their navy than the total number of ships in the German, Indian, Spanish, and British navies combined. https://carnegieendowment.org/2020/05/22/china-has-two-paths-to-global-domination-pub-81908.
The type of world you describe is a description of heaven, not earth. Peace through strengthening peaceful nations is the way to a more peaceful world.
If you have not read Animal Farm by George Orwell, I would hope you can. It can be read in a few hours. If you have a PO box I will send a copy to you.
GrrlScientist, I totally agree with you (and Martin Luther King Junior). I am also pleased you are the first one to compose an answer and post it before any of the rest of us insomniacs.
This is something everyone should listen to,and heed.Have empathy for other people.Respect another point of view.
Echo chambers teach nothing.Stepping out from a comfort zone is where you learn about different ideas.
I hurt for all these people.Making innocent people proxies for what's happening 1,000s of miles away isn't helpful in any way.And the civilians on both sides are caught in the middle,they aren't responsible for the actions of a handful of people who refuse to look past their own noses.Bibi and Hamas have never wanted peace.They are the ones at fault.Not the innocent civilians they both hide behind to justify themselves and their actions.
MLK said,Hate doesn't drive out hate,only love can do that.These people deserve compassion,not hatred.There are better ways to act toward people than to show your behinds.
"Use this time in your young lives to chart a different path — of listening, understanding, and respecting each other.”
And in this statement Robert Reich laid down a challenge to all of us. Is it pure coincidence that this weekend I attended a course on “Nonviolent Communication” where we we taught to listen, truly listen to each other without judgement? This is not easy to do on a topic that so easily inflames us, especially when we collect onto our own echo chambers. It also delights those who seek to divide us on any issue so as to weaken us as a nation as we are facing an existential political situation within.
I just received the following in a Facebook entry forwarded from a friend of mine who has both Palestinian and Jewish lineage.
Alon-Lee Green
November 4 at 3:48 PM ·
"Crazy! It's hard to convey in one picture the crazy amount of people, energy and excitement that was here tonight at our Jewish-Arab solidarity conference in Haifa. Over 700 Arabs and Jews (we had to open another hall) and clear messages about Jewish-Arab partnership, Israeli-Palestinian peace and hope, also and specifically at this moment. Just wow.”
There are other examples of Jews and Palestinians uniting in groups and demonstrating that the desire for peace transcends the false dividing lines of religion, lineage and geographical borders. These brave young individuals and groups are the beacons to show us the way to true peace.
Thank you: you say this so well: "...that the desire for peace transcends the false dividing lines of religion, lineage and geographical borders". Thank you dear Marc Nevas
The answer is exactly what these 700 brave individuals did. From divergent backgrounds, ethnicities and religions they come together in solidarity calling for peace. They are providing inspiration to other citizens and us in the United States to do the same.
Thank you for your wise words professor. And thank you for counseling your students. You are doing exactly what you are asking them to do, and that means listening. You are contributing to peace. Thank you.
"This may be nearly impossible for Israel and Hamas, so long as Hamas is dedicated to killing all Jews and erasing Israel, and Israelis now live with that fear."
Why didn't you add "and so long as Israel, illegally erasing Palestine for 70 years, is now killing a Palestinian child in Gaza every 10 minutes average?"
True, issues on all side. But, it is not possible to have a dialogue or create any meaningful change if one group believes that the other shouldn’t exist and actively works to make that happen.
Lest we forget, today’s topic is "The war is causing my students to fear each other.” “What am I telling them in response?" Let’s talk about SOLUTIONS, not endless debates of who is right and who is wrong.
One person suggested a week of Teach-Ins on all University and College Campuses on the topic of the Middle East, its history, contemporary problems, potential solutions and ACTION STEPS students can take. Remember, THESE ARE NOT ONLY TOMORROW’S VOTERS, THEY ARE TOMORROW’S LEADERS.
What a beautiful response to your students, Professor Reich! Your words have so much meaning. This acceptance of others covers so much. All of us here in the United States of America need to learn the lesson you are delivering today. Not only are Jews, Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims afraid right now, many people are living in fear here in America. Blacks, LGBQT+, and immigrants are also feeling as if they are being targeted. It is sad to think that we, as Americans, are turning on other Americans right now. Fear and hate are terrible emotions and require constant feeding in order to exist. There aren't any "easy fixes" for what is happening today (believe me, I wish there were!) My mom would always tell me to take a step back. Take time to feel the emotion but then decide what you need to do to alleviate that fear and hate. People everywhere should take a step back and then begin to work on the solution. Listening is extremely hard but it is also extremely important! I took a class on 'How to Listen' and realized I was listening wrong!! In order to actually hear what the other person is saying, you have to turn off the part of your brain that is angry and keeps going over what you are feeling. You have to let the other person's words penetrate and you have to think about what is being said. It takes practice but it can surely open your eyes and your mind. I will never understand why any group of people feels it is necessary to target other groups of people. The world is large enough that if anyone does not like being around anyone else there are a huge amount of places to go in order to not be around them! Growing up in America, I saw us making great strides in acceptance, peace and equality. In the last few years, I have watched as America has moved backwards!! We need to begin to talk to one another again so that we can continue to move forward.
Peggy, I agree with you completely. Fear is what divides us and each time any of us fall into fear, name calling and anger at “the enemy,” it is a victory for the forces seeking to divide us.
I remember Franklin D. Roosevelt saying "We have nothing to fear but fear itself". That is so true! When we stop being fearful and begin to discuss why we are feeling fear and hatred, perhaps we can begin to work toward a resolution that everyone will be happy with!
There will never be a way forward until we remove god from the equation. 4000 years of fighting over which god is real is ridiculous. These gods that are worshipped have nothing to do with treating each other humanly.
And kind of crap real estate at that - at least it was as of 1948. Malarial swamp in the north, rocks and desert in the south, no oil, a “sea” so full of salt you can sit on the surface... gee, thanks. The only reason why that piece of land became important has to be its location.
But anyway....
So far I haven’t seen anybody mention what I think is the real nugget of gold in Reich’s essay: the allure, the luxurious ecstasy, of righteous indignation. That allure is especially strong when you’re young, say 18 to 25 or so. But you can also spend your whole life breaking your heart and destroying everything else chasing after that ecstatic yet furious high.
Personally I don’t think this has anything to do with religion; that’s just the excuse, the nail to hang it on. I used to think it was really all about the U.S., and either wanting or not wanting Western influence in the area. But we’ve moved beyond that at this point. Now it’s all about that deadly addictive high.
And that is really bad. Because once a conflict becomes all about emotion, it becomes unsolvable.
I think most fighting happens because someone wants to take away something from someone else. First, come up with some bogus reason (they worship the wrong god!) to justify their action.
I agree mostly. There is a book I read long ago I enjoyed by an Austrailian economist who viewed history thru the lens of economic scarcity and the desire for material wealth. Quite good but I can't recall author or book.
Well said dixieray53. but I'm afraid [not: I fear :-) ] that is wishful thinking. The need for a god is inherent to some (too many) people. I see it as a very very strong circuit of neurons, skillfully indoctrinated, especially in children. In most cases it is simply unbreakable. This in itself is understandable, why should a six-year-old doubt their parents and teachers?
As a nation we need to remember that #HateMakesNothingGreat. No Jews, Palestinians, or Arabs around you will have any effect or causation for what’s going on in Israel right now.
Putting any of that violence on anyone but the decision makers directing the mechanisms of war is illogical.
Peace does not mean the absence of conflict. It is a process for resolving conflicts without resorting to violence. The goal should be to build trust and find common ground. Any act of violence accomplishes the opposite.
You mean like what has been happening in the Middle East for the past 3000 years. And everyone knows the UN is the accepted forum for the expression of international hatred, like the League of Nations before it. Where do you live?
As a Sociologist, we have listened to the lies that 'some of us are better than others'. NOT true: we need each other, ALL of us need each other - the black, the gray, the yellow, the tan, the white, the bright, the plain, the short, the small, the large, the ..... (you get the point). WE must be 'commUNITY to survive. We must ACCEPT our difference and our commonalities. Our gifts are not the same. Our strengths are not the same. Our weaknesses are NOT the same. We must give to get - share, respect, value, and believe that we are all needed if we are to each thrive.
we need you sociologists as well. Meaning I wish there was more presence of sociologists and sociology in our national /media conversations. Agitate and make this happen will ya ?
It would be a good idea if some sociology was taught in our schools. People might have a better understanding of other cultures and how humans interact with each other, and therefore be more resistant to the haters who want to divide us from the "other".
I think peace will require a change of leadership in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank.
Netanyahu has consistently undermined the peace process.
On March 12, 2019, he defended funneling Qatari money to Hamas to his Likud Party caucus on the grounds that they weakened the pro-Oslo Palestinian Authority, according to the Jerusalem Post:
"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended Israel's regular allowing of Qatari funds to be transferred into Gaza, saying it is part of a broader strategy to keep Hamas and the Palestinian Authority separate, a source in Monday's Likud faction meeting said," the Post reported.
"The prime minister also said that 'whoever is against a Palestinian state should be for' transferring the funds to Gaza, because maintaining a separation between the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza helps prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state."
Now he's directing the bombing of hundreds of thousands of Gazans. He cannot be trusted with making peace or with treating the Palestinians fairly.
Hamas, I hope it goes without saying, cannot be trusted with making peace, given their dedication to the extermination of Israel.
I was horrified to read that Blinkin is trying to get Abbas's Fatah to run both the West Bank and Gaza when this is over. I can account for it only in term's of the US predilection for supporting corrupt, incompetent governments in every country they've invaded from Vietnam to Afghanistan. Abbas is derided by Gazans and West Bank Palestinians alike as Netanyahu's lapdog, and he's currently doing nothing to protect the West Bank Palestinians from the depredations of the settlers.
He's saying that you cannot negotiate with fundamentalists, whatever their persuasion, Jewish, Arab, Christian or otherwise. What do you think has been happening in this region for the past 3000 years. Get an education.
I never suggested trying to negotiate with terrorists. I guess that's at least part of why I couldn't understand his gnomic utterances-they had nothing to do with anything I said..
What a beautifully written, thoughtful and moving ‘letter’. This should be shared with all students everywhere and with everyone else. Thank you Professor Reich for this important ‘lesson’; it is so important and means so much at this difficult time.
As far as I can tell, Netanyahu has never taken responsibility for the security failure that permitted the Oct. 7th attack to be so deadly. I recall reading that the Israeli settlers near the Gaza border were unarmed and the so-called border fence was a joke! Who in the Israeli government lost their job because of this?
I agree wholeheartedly. Unfortunately, this, like all facts regarding this conflict, will fall on deaf ears. Let every single person writing on this blog come and live in Israel or even better, Gaza, and then write their nonsense.
Jewish Americans & Arab Americans have historically been among each other's greatest allies in times when either group has been discriminated against or terrorized, regardless of what might be happening in the Middle East. Both groups share a bond in having frequently been victims while rarely being the perpetrators of discrimination & terror. It's a shame that this bond has been shaken this time.
I believe this savage Hamas attack on Israel was plotted with assistance from Iran & Russia in order to divide & cause dissension in the West, harm Iran's mortal enemy, & divert Western attention & support from Russia's barbaric war on Ukraine, although it may also have served Netanyahu's purposes to divert Israeli attention from his legal troubles & scandals.
Russian & Iranian bots have been sent in unprecedentedly huge numbers throughout social media to send hateful messages & try to stir up hatred for Jews & Israel, & I think that may be a major provocation for this hate & fear among students. There have also been much hate thrown at students, professors & legislators protesting against Israeli actions. It's a terrible situation & the results have been just what Russia & Iran were hoping for.
While I agree with Professor Reich, as a Christian albeit not a practicing one living in Israel for the past 32 years, fully appreciate his understanding of the complexity of the situation (of which most people either are ignorant of or choose to overlook), and also view Israel's continuing bombardment of Gaza as verging on suicide, I ask myself, of all the potential 'trouble spots' in our world, why the Israel-Palestinian nexus has generated so much 'activity' in the liberal West and, understandably, in the Arab world. Why hasn't the killing of more than 600,000 civilians including children killed in the last year in Sudan, 375,000 blasted to smithereens in Yemen by one of the best funded militaries in the world, countless dead in Ethiopia-Tigray, Assad's murderous regime in Syria, in Azerbaijan-Armenia, China’s hard-oppressed Uighur Muslims, the poor Kurds endlessly smashed up by Turkey, and now Putin's invasion of Ukraine - why haven't we seen the the same sort of demonstrations in the capital cities of Europe and in the USA? It is this that drives the fear Jews have towards even (apparently) highly educated university students, never mind Arabs with fundamentalist mindsets. The answer to all this must range from sheer anti-Semitism to simple ignorance and perhaps, youthful idealism. Didn't I campaign outside Barclays Bank in the UK in the Seventies for the support of the South African apartheid state. And on that subject, in Israel, is no one aware of just how many Israeli Arabs work in the legal and medical professions in Israel. Israel's hospitals and health clinics are practically run by Arab doctors and pharmacists. Apartheid? Given the nature of the enemy and their blatant disregard for the Palestinian people who live among them in Gaza, many of whom curse the day Hamas was elected - elected! - what, throwing the opposition party of Fatah off the roofs of buildings amounts to a democratically elected government!!! - Please can we all wake up to the fact that this war is not confined to a godforsaken region in the Middle East, but a global conflict that too few have woken up to. Hamas' goals are not confined to this region nor are they nationalist in their intent. How are we to fight such an enemy that hides beneath a vast civilian population. Professor Reich, their goals are non-negotiable. How else can we bring them to their knees and release our people who they so brutally assaulted on October 7? Answer me!
David, now knowing that you have lived in Israel for the last 32 years helps me to better understand the point of view you are presenting. I have visited Israel numerous times since my first kibbutz experience in 1966 and observed with dismay as attitudes towards Arabs harden over the decades. The sense of being surrounded by those who have as their ardent desire to “Push all the Jews into the sea” is bound to have an effect on the collective psyche and eventually lead to hard right authoritarian leaders rising to control of the Knesset and becoming Prime Minister of Israel.
I am not a student of history nor have I studied political science, but I know a disastrous war when I see it. The number of human beings that will have died before this is over is staggering as it has been in most armed conflicts. As a country we also have much blood on our hands due to our over reactions in past wars.
Unfortunately the escalation of divisiveness in our country and the rage aimed at Biden fanned by Russian interference in our media could likely hand our next election to Trump.
On this forum, at least, we should become solution oriented rather than arguing as to is the most to blame.
I guess my instincts were correct, I shouldn't have viewed this comment. Obviously, it isn't the answer. Did you read my comment at all? The facts in this whole mess are blowin' in the wind.
It may be constructive for university students in the U.S. who advocate for each side of the conflict to meet and develop a proposed solution that both sides would accept. A Nobel peace prize might be available for a solution that works. Screaming at each other on U.S. college campuses is less likely to be effective.
As someone living in Israel, who in the government was fired for the security failure that permitted the Oct. 7th attack to be so deadly? It bothers me that with all the required focus in Israel on the war in Gaza, that this failure seem to be "swept under the rug", or so it seems to me.
- To reject stereotypes, and begin to talk to one another.
It is morally unacceptable to consider certain people’s lives more valuable than other people’s lives.
- Finding a shared sense of the common good is an achievable goal on the college campuses of America. It must be.
The students are part of the FUTURE and if they sit idly by or continue the one side rhetoric they will have the same poor quality of Life they have experienced so far in their lifetime.
As Mr Reich is so well pointing
" I beseech you not to replicate here on this campus the threats and violence now devastating the Middle East."
The campus is like a series of "mini previews " of the way you react to different situations while learning a better/ more enlightened way to look at the Life and at the Values that we - as Human Beings - should embrace and spread into the World 🌍
Sorry that was knee jerk response after attending the funeral of a father butchered by Hamas in southern Israel. His wife escaped by hiding in a closet for 25 hours while Hamas ransacked their house and stole all they considered valuable. Fortunes of war, I suppose.
i agree 100%, professor reich.
hate has no place in a rational, civilised society because it eclipses our ability to think rationally and to act with compassion.
as martin luther king, jr so eloquently said:
"Hate begets hate; violence begets violence; toughness begets a greater toughness. We must meet the forces of hate with the power of love…
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. … Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
“A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.”
War--
Donald Hodgins <silencenotbad@gmail.com>
6:34 AM (0 minutes ago)
You say the word war and the image of Cris Tucker, and the movie Rush Hour comes to mind. With all inferences of humor aside the phrase, "What is it good for?" rings in our ears. War throughout history has been a bloody subject, its goal is simple, Kill all the soldiers on the other side before they do the same thing to you. Not until recently has compassion attempted to mandate how war is carried out. In the old days battles were fought on prearranged fields far away from their cities and the non-combatants. It hasn't been until recently that war has found its way into our cities and as a result caused the deaths of thousands of innocent men, women, and children. Today with the "War" in the Middle East and the advancements in our telecommunications we now have the war streaming directly into our Livingroom's with all its gory realities. People are upset by the horrors being witnessed on a continual basis. They should be war is a gut-wrenching, blood-soaked nightmare that spares no one. The whole concept should be so distasteful to world leaders that the very thought of war should be its own deterrent. We are watching events the public in the past has been spared from viewing, and as a result are becoming increasingly critical of everything that revolves around the idea of War, which isn't a bad thing, but war is war and no matter how ugly the rest of us perceive it, at times the beast must run its course. We killed hundreds of thousands of civilians in Japan during WWII by burning them to death through the use of incendiary devices made to do nothing but cause fires. The fires we caused during the carpet-bombing raids sucked the oxygen from the air and suffocated the people as they were attempting to run to safety. The allies leveled the city of Dresden in Germany which the people were using as a refugee camp. We leveled the place and there was absolutely no military objective except for our desire to destroy all that was any part of the Third Reich and instill fear in the minds of those left to remember. War is meant to be terrible and as such avoided at all costs, however drastic times call for drastic measures. Israel is fighting for its very survival, and we find ourselves in a position of being a distant jury, separated by two huge bodies of water, all safe and sound, "For the moment.
The fact that today, people are actually seeing the devastation that war creates should be a deterrent to war; however, I am worried that the world will become immune to those horrors when looking at it everyday. Young people seem to have become desensitized to death and blood shed because of the games they play. It is very worrisome to me.
Peggy--If the common person made the decisions concerning war the world would be a better place. Sadly, fools like Trump who have absolutely no vision, other than what they see in their own mirror, are making terrible decisions that affect our future. Egos and perverted personalities seek the horrors of war that normal people find it repulsive.
You are the same folks who wanted us to stay out of World War ll. Biden is your Neville Chamberlain. This is earth, not heaven. Human nature is hard to grasp for the left. There are evil people and always will be. We have to play whack a mole constantly with evil. Eventually the moles will come up and take over and the left will be there with a big cake to welcome them.
Craig--The left? Where did you get that term. There are Independents, Republicans, and Democrats. I've voted in a number of elections but after looking over a ballot I've never seen any candidate running as a left individual. For some odd reason Republicans like to distort reality because they have no reality. Trump is crazy, I welcome nothing that man has anything to do with.
Did you know Trump is not president now. That position is held by the Crabby Cadaver.
Creg--Trump tried to swallow one of his Viagra pills, the thing got stuck in his throat and gave the poor guy a stiff neck. Stormy weather.
Yeah, everything is Trump's fault. Trump secured a historic peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, UAE, Bahrain and Sudan to Advance Peace and Prosperity in the Region. Other than that he has nothing to do with this topic. But you will figure something out.
Craig--Trump wanted to disband NATO, ignore climate change, inject disinfectant into people's veins to combat the covid virus, he said he would build a great wall and have Mexico pay for it, the first thing he was going to do after becoming President was to get rid of Obama care and replace it with something terrific. He accepted an out of court settlement for Trump University's illegal operation that hit his bank account for $26,000,000. He promised to release his tax returns after his audit was over, and we all know the truth behind that lie. The fraud in New York. The election interference in Georgia, Trump is a man that wouldn't know the truth if he tripped over it. He may have done a few things that some would view as positive but over all, the man is a dung heap.
One persons perspective. Peace please.
War of words solves nothing either.
In 1862, while observing the carnage of the failed Federal attack at Fredericksburg, Robert E. Lee was heard to say, "It is well that war is so terrible, lest we grow too fond of it." Have we? Hundreds of thousands of jobs depend on the war industry. We glorify the "valor" and "sacrifice" war represents, never questioning the righteousness of it. And yes, kids inured by video war games and subjected to pixelated blood enter the military and, with similar detachment, jockey death-dealing drones from hundreds of miles away, far removed from the pain and gore. We laud the veterans on Memorial Day and Veterans' Day. Where is a day dedicated to the diplomats and negotiators who spend their time in the labyrinthine trenches of compromise and common interest working to prevent wars and the wastage of human potential, energy and resources, and the heartbreak of losing loved ones? I fear that as long as two people exist on the planet, they will find something to fight about.
I totally agree Your last sentence is the most salient statement There is something fundamental to human nature that shows a tribalistic need to dominate those outside of our tribe A trivial example is sports fandom where too many people judge the quality of a city or university based on the quality of their sports teams There is a mentality of needing to say we are better because my school city nation etc is better Both Jews and Arabs are fundamentally tribalistic towards each other They both claim to be the true sons of Abraham and they have been against each other since Sarah forced her maid and her son Ishmael lest Ishmael supplant her son Issac as the child of God's promise Ever since Ishmael's exile Jew and Arab have been fighting Ihave doubts lasting peace can be achieved between them until Jesus comes to end human history and create a new society but still we must try Hopefully we do not end up with a global nuclear war because of this
The human species is, like every other living organism, bound to the same basic imperatives: individual survival and procreation. Competition for these necessities is endemic to all living things. Humans are simply more sophisticated and calculating at it, and their unique mental capacity to make excuses for following their inner natures allows them to justify their actions by claiming a moral superiority over other groups of creatures. While you hope for Jesus to save us from ourselves, that same force that moved him - the oneness with a Creator - exists in all of us. I do not accept that we can dump the consequences of our actions on one individual to bail us out. The laws of karma demand individual accountability and effort to balance the scales and allow spiritual progression.
Past beliefs can expire too.
Steve, Wise words. It is the generals who can be fond of war. Ask the people in the trenches about pain and terror and other answers will be given. Us little guys are not beyond reproach either. Human nature unfortunately has us fear the outsider and hate the other imaginary dieties and their followers who disrespect our own imaginary dieties. I can only hope this war will not lead to armageddon, and we can relax until the next one.
Women speak for all our children. Is anyone listening
The reasons cities defended themselves with walls was to protect their stuff from those outsiders who wanted it. When farming and grain storage began, walls became necessary. https://www.amazon.com/Walls-History-Civilization-Blood-Brick/dp/1501172700
Steve, please correct me if I wrong. Weren't the Abrams Accords meant to give the Arabs more weapons in exchange for recognizing Israel's right to exist, and weren't the Israels extremists promised more weapons to defend themselves?
Here is the declaration of the signers of the Abrams Accord. If any weapons were involved, they were done so clandestinely, and not in keeping with the following:
"We, the undersigned, recognize the importance of maintaining and strengthening peace in the Middle East and around the world based on mutual understanding and coexistence, as well as respect for human dignity and freedom, including religious freedom.
We encourage efforts to promote interfaith and intercultural dialogue to advance a culture of peace among the three Abrahamic religions and all humanity.
We believe that the best way to address challenges is through cooperation and dialogue and that developing friendly relations among States advances the interests of lasting peace in the Middle East and around the world.
We seek tolerance and respect for every person in order to make this world a place where all can enjoy a life of dignity and hope, no matter their race, faith or ethnicity.
We support science, art, medicine, and commerce to inspire humankind, maximize human potential and bring nations closer together.
We seek to end radicalization and conflict to provide all children a better future.
We pursue a vision of peace, security, and prosperity in the Middle East and around the world.
In this spirit, we warmly welcome and are encouraged by the progress already made in establishing diplomatic relations between Israel and its neighbors in the region under the principles of the Abraham Accords. We are encouraged by the ongoing efforts to consolidate and expand such friendly relations based on shared interests and a shared commitment to a better future."
Look at Britannica for details. Not simple.
This worries me too and there is ample precedent to realize this. Think about Africa where people were getting hacked to death by machetes. I think the only way that this up close and personal kind of horror is allowed to happen is because people have become inured to it. By everyday life (killing animals by ordinary people) and other such things.
The proliferations of weapons helped too
Agreed.
There is no “however” that makes the way Israel is fighting for its survival OK. It is fighting as though every last Palestinian person is an enemy combatant. Even babies.
And, yes!, Hamas has just shown Israel that it, too, considers every last Jewish person [not just Israelis, but Jews everywhere] THEIR enemies, even the babies.
They remind me of that genocidal statement, “Nits become lice.” Genocidal.
Who is seeking a real solution, a lasting one, for all the humanity there?
Pat--Historically, death is the main ingredient in war. It holds no compassion for age, old or young, it's the nature of the beast. I don't like what is happening to the innocents in Gaza any more than you do, but Ham'as has left Israel no choice. What they are doing is setting a precedent for any future aggression against the Israeli people. A two-state solution would never work because Ham'as is against the idea and would oppose it violently. War is ugly to everyone with a soul, to the others it's a means to an end. Good or bad.
But what you describe here is a means to an end. A bad one, to my way of thinking.
And I reject that “means,” and question if there is only one means {this one} to achieve the desired end — the end Israel desires {which one must assume is ongoing and permanent security within its borders for all its people}.
I must ask and continue to ask, is there NO way other than to bomb the hell out of every Palestinian in Gaza, and starve them of all the necessities of life?
HOW will this get rid of Hamas [not to mention future iterations of Hamas]? How will this bring hostages home?
How many massacred Israelis are acceptable in retaliation for what Palestinians have suffered under occupation? NONE.
How many massacred Palestinians are acceptable for what Hamas has visited upon Israelis? NONE.
All I keep asking is — IS THERE NO OTHER WAY?
Are people who have the power to change the current circumstances even looking for one?
Pat--I hear what you are saying, but at times, on the world stage, an opposing force aggressively will leave you with no choice other than to fight back. December 7th comes to mind. The answer isn't pretty, but it is necessary, if you as an entity wish to continue. What is happenoing in Gaza was plan hatched by Ham'as. They knew the retaliation offered by the Israeli's would have dire consequences for the people living in Gaza, this was the point of the attack of 10/7. Ham'as wanted to turn the world's favorable opinion from Israel to Gaza, which evidently, they have done. There is no way to eradicate the presents of Ham'as but what Israel is doing in their mind is justification for the attack of 10/7. Ugly yes, understandable, that's another question.
Resentment gives rise to anger, anger results in fear, fear and anger beget hatred, and hatred leads to fanaticism. It is a chain reaction in the figurative and real sense. It can be stopped.
Victor--Yes, the transitory effects can be stopped but their cause will need further attention.
😢
Nor is Israel fighting for its very survival. That's hyperbole---how could Hamas actually destroy Israel, or even Hezbollah and Hamas collectively, regardless of Hamas' stated mission to do so?
From Netanyahu and company's statements, Israel wants to impose its rule over all the territory in question, out to the sea. The Palestinians want territory of their own. That's what Israel chooses to construe as, "fighting for its survival." It would seem that the current situation---lethal and despicable as Hamas' attack was---is being spun to appear even more dire than the reality.
In fact, information is increasingly surfacing that Netanyahu has abetted Hamas, for the purpose of saving his own skin and maintaining power.
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-10-20/ty-article-opinion/.premium/a-brief-history-of-the-netanyahu-hamas-alliance/0000018b-47d9-d242-abef-57ff1be90000
O….M….G….it does read like truth … in Haaretz.
And innocents … little children and babies … their siblings, their parents, their friends … dying violently … Monstrous.
Yes. Almost to the point of inconceivability. All written up in an Israeli newspaper, the country's oldest, with a leftist bent.
I think the constant killing and maiming has made it impossible to have a conversation. Bulldozing homes, bulldozing olive orchards, filling wells with sand,
shooting young rock throwers in the ankles. There are many groups of Palestinians and Israelis who are coming together, over many years,
to find their common humanity. Support them.
Israel's claim to be "fighting for its very survival" is no justification for genocide. That was the propaganda of the Nazis, of American settlers, of Pol Pot, of the US destruction of Iraq, Dresden, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, of Russia's desecration of Ukraine, etc., ad nauseum. There IS NO JUSTIFICATION FOR GENOCIDE.
Kathryn--The word "Genocide" doesn't apply to this situation. Israel is killing civilians in their attempt to remove Ham'as but it isn't intentionally trying to eliminate the Palestine people who Ham'as are using as shields. By doing this Ham'as is causing the deaths of hundreds of innocent people by keeping them in harm's way. How do you weigh life? Are the lives lost on 10/7 worth less than the lives lost in Gaza? NO! A life is a life. Ham'as will never stop attacking the Jews, there is little avenue open to Israel if they want to exist. Its Kill or be killed, it's the nature of the beast, and like it or not man is a beast.
It is intentional. You aren't listening to what they are saying. They want to drive the Palestinians out of both Gaza and the West Bank.
William--Careful, because there is a vast distinction between driving a group from a specific location and killing them all down to the last man, woman, and child.
You are not listening. Bombing any peoples out of existence is GENOCIDE.
Kathryn--I'll give you the fact that Israel is bombing Gaza and there are a tremendous amount of deaths in the cilivans population however, the people dying are not the desire of the Israeli military, they are after Ham'as.
Good luck. There is a serious lack of people even trying to understand the complexities of the situation in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank.
I wonder how many people know what the Balfour and The Sykes–Picot Agreements were. Or that the Ottoman Empire controlled and occupied areas from North Africa (Algeria) to Eastern Europe and Southern Ukraine from the late 1400's until 1918, the empire was completely dissolved in 1922 when the republic of Turkey came into being.
Jeff, I know about this history. The Man Who Created the Middle East: A Story of Empire, Conflict and the Sykes-Picot Agreement Paperback – January 30, 2018 by Christopher Simon Sykes (Author) War's have their consequences. Imagine had there been no attack against Israel in 1948, 1967, 1973 etc. Imagine if the Arabs and the Jews had been able to live together in peace as they did in the Iberian Peninsula between 700 and 1492. One cannot put the genie back in the bottle.
Jeff--Evidently there is more than one "Sick man of Europe."
None.
"You will hear of wars and rumors of wars . . . Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. . .
Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations . . . At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold . . ."
DZK--All the while Trump smiles.
I see the part about "many false prophets will appear and deceive many people" wasn't lost on you,
DZK--It was safe with me, especially with Trump out there leading the way. The man doesn't do anything if he can't see a possible "Prophet."
Actually, they all are false prophets. The idea that the creator would single out one out of the billions of people to relay a message and leave the rest of humanity foundering over believing without evidence is absurd. We have this problem in the first place because the messages of Moses, Jesus and Mohammad have irreconcilable differences, if you will excuse the understatement of differences over the right of the "other" to exist.
True enough. Note the ellipses. Matthew's preaching. I intentionally edited out the preachy bits. I'm using it as a timeless statement of the human condition. I could have just as easily used a tract from Grimm's Fairy Tales, had one come to mind. On the other hand, I've never claimed there's nothing of value in the bible. I'm particularly fond of Koheleth. However, what I've used is far more relevant to the moment than: "Oh vanity of vanities. All is vanity." or "To everything there is a season." - applicable, but only obliquely to the moment.
Sounds familiar?
Matthew.
Mankind, if he does not learn from lessons past, is invariably doomed to repeat those same mistakes, over and over, the world is spiraling out of control and our destruction of the world's environment or ecosystems, is a reflection of that, in those wars with each other as on the natural world,
Whew. I’m glad we got past that
prophecy. Jesus did teach us to love one another. He meant all of us not some of us.
We can start any time.
Craig--If you've fished over 300 trout streams you must have "hooked" my Ex-Wife.
The horrifying attack by Hamas did not threaten Israel's very existence. The US and Israel have do far been able to kill 12,000 people, mostly children, with no end in sight and barely any response from the citizens of Palestine. Netanyahu encouraged Hamas and encouraged the illegal settlements because he did not want a separate Palestinian state, something that obviously should have been created from the beginning. If Israel had respected and supported the Palestinians and tried to be fair, there would have been far less resistance and resentment toward Israel.
Lisa--As long as Ham'as has any influence in that area Israel won't be safe. The attack of 10/7 will become common place and further terrorists' attacks will be a part of their everyday life. If you had a farm back in the 1800s and you closest neighbor raped and bludgeoned your 10-year-old daughter, what would you do? Sometimes you do what you have to do.
Go rape and bludgeon his daughter ?
Elaine--Thats a road I think we shouldn't go down. How about beating the living crap out of the creep, then killing him and feeding his body to the hogs.
So I guess the idea is to kill everyone in Gaza and the West Bank? Problem solved?
Lisa--No, that isn't the intent. Ham'as won't let the people leave and they intentionally put their war supplies under buildings they thought were attack proof. The mess is Ham'as, Israel is doing the only thing they can to fix the problem, war is war. As a species, humans are a very cruel bunch.
I believe Israel is very secure. We made sure they are.
The “state” of Israel might be “secure” at the moment {into the future, that is unknown}, but the people there are not secure in their beds as they had believed they were, and this situation has made Jews and Palestinians and Muslims the world over less “secure.”
As long as a nation believes weapons are what makes us
secure...except they never do.
Like Hamas, you have to continually make more.
Gloria--Israel is OK as long as her opponents are singular in nature. A unified Islamic force would be something else altogether.
Beware of quoting the Bible without context. If you read on, Rachel's children turned out to be alive. You can prove anything by quoting out of context, the ultimate example is a kidnap note constructed from words cut from a magazine and rearranged.
Dennis L Green : Faith that keeps hope alive leaves room to see the truth. "Rachael's children turned out to be alive" you wrote. It is good that she did not harm herself or others. It is a terrible scourge that men have such sophisticated and efficient methods to destroy. They should be banned from the earth, these weapons of mass destruction.
True enough. But I wasn't trying to give a bible lesson. I just found the words appropriate to what is happening at this moment. Even Dr Reich focuses on "his children" in this morning's essay. >That's< the connection to this moment - not to mention all the Rachels where the bombs are falling everywhere - at this moment.
Bravo
As you read the Professors essay, and the comments, it becomes obvious that most folks don’t have a clue.
The rich and powerful have the money to confuse and manipulate for their perceived interests.
Right now, we are all fucked.
I am old now, and take some comfort in actively working with the movements that can solve these problems at their root causes. You can too!
movetoamend.org
JewishVoiceforPeace.org
and in Ca., moneyoutvotersin.org
All Power to People
All Power to the Peaceful ♥️
👍
DZK ; Being inconsolable is understandable when newly bereaved. Hopefully, Rachael will be able to accept comfort of those who love her and eventually be able to heal. It will take a long time, because her pain is great. War should be illegal and actually preventable. It certainly should not be 'profitable'!
I so agree with that. Instead of streaming the war I am planting a garden. I am reading. I am making art and listening to music. I am holding on to anything and everything that I feel enhances civility. War does none of that and never will.
War should be illegal and actually preventable. It certainly should not be 'profitable'!
The military industrial complex?
Men have written a lot of rules and signed a lot of treaties but have yet to follow them.
Genocide being one of them, attacking neighbours another. If rules are broken by a ruler, (like Trump) then everyone thinks it’s fine to follow suit.
We seem to have a lot of rules
I'll pass that on to Jeremiah.
DZK You might be in the wrong millennium.
There you go, bringin' up that pesky 2nd Law of Thermodynamics!
DZK ; Ever the great sense of humor! LOL!
So beautiful and so sad. The Palestinian woman is also weeping for her children as all mothers will.
👍 Exactly the take-away I intended - where Rachel is >all< mothers.
All mothers speak for our children. If men with weapons attack us, what do we do? In one village in Africa the women took all the guns away from the men. Domestic violence decreased.
😓
religion is hate ....
That's ridiculous. Hate keeps popping up in this human condition and uses whatever is the most convenient divider. If it's not religion, it's skin color, or ethnicity, or sexual preference, or economic status, or gender, or which side of the tracks, or anything humans can use to delineate "us" from "them." We are a seriously flawed species with a dangerously inflated sense of ourselves.
We also see the effects of someone like Netanyahu, alias Trumpty type, in their black and white ,chaotic, self interest, fascist ways. So, if your Jewish students do not understand this, the toxic effects of these types in leadership, let them understand. Large amygdala in these types- big fear, reptilian centers. They love authoritarianism. When the authorities fail them, like Monsanto poisoning the entire Midwest groundwaters, seeding, they blame others. In the US case, they blame the Blues. Yet, we are the ones who pay for them and are incapable of demonstrating true leadership, by taking back what our productive tax monies are providing. Citizens United poisoning ALL the waters.
I just read about the Rabin slaughter, who was close to a 2 state solution & Netanyahus response. The long game.
Those "flaws" probably served us well enough in the far past as assets but not today. got a whole book on that--my friend's. On hubris.
And a longing for money and power
That's really it - humans have a kind of Greed that seems to get in the way of everything - which might have been helpful to get to our current level of evolution. It is certainly more powerful than Love (whatever that really is). At 8 billion people, I don't think it is manageable. The Common Good would be a true advancement for our species, if that is achievable. Or survival depends on it. It would affect the way we interact with our planet, and other animals. Of course, there would no longer be religion, or sports. Instead of playing with their balls, sporting energy would include the building of appropriate shelter, for the common good. Currently there is no workable solution of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
The Abrahamic religions are de facto judgemental due to their fundamental Duality, aka, "Here am I / There is God" (or, "Here am I / There is 'The Other'"). When we are blinded by our ego-based myopia and parochialism, we see ourselves as being separate from, and not part of, the Universal Spirit. Therefore, we fail to see that when we harm The Other, we also harm ourselves. I would suggest that it is not that (Abrahamic) religions are based on "hate", but that they there are based on EGO.
"Success is as dangerous as failure. Hope is as hollow as fear.…
What does it mean that hope is as hollow as fear?
Hope and fear are both phantoms that arise from thinking of the self.
When we don't see the self as self, what do we have to fear?
See the world as your self.
Have faith in the way things are.
Love the world as your self; then you can care for all things."
Tao Te Ching, Ch 13
YES!
We have created "cocoons" where we believe retreating from reality can isolate ourselves from reality. We are OF the world and must somehow, someway come to realize that objectification of "the Other" is, in essence, self-immolation!
The ability to empathize is to "See the world as your self!"
Most Jews are not religious and the founders, i.e. Ben Gurion, Eshkol, etc. were secularists.
And your sources that quantify your claim that "Most Jews are not religious" is ???
I think you could read more deeply before making such a blanket statement. Each of these religions has a version of the Golden Rule to do unto others as you would have done unto you. Judaism and Christianity both acknowledge non-duality and have teachings exhorting their followers to move beyond ego. I write this as somebody who primarily practices Buddhist non-dual meditation.
The most central prayer in Judaism ends with “the Lord is one.” The name for God is spelled as an abbreviation, which suggests that any description of God doesn’t encompass the full reality. The Ten Commandments admonish people to overcome individual pettiness and worse, which, of course, moves one beyond ego, not unlike preliminary practices in Eastern religions.
Jesus said, “Do not your scriptures tell you that you are gods?” and “Even greater things than I do shall you do.” He spoke of his unity with God. His teaching was primarily about loving one another, which moves us beyond ego.
I do not know enough about Islam to comment. Perhaps someone else can speak to this.
The Bible is a compilation of the utterances of many people who were more or less self-realized. They were passed down from times of tribal conflict that aren’t very different than what we have today. There are practitioners who are fundamentalist and fearful believers and others who are open-minded and engage critical thinking to discern meaning.
The disciples of the people whose teachings became major religions were rarely as realized as their teachers. Some other religions have unbroken oral lineages, where realized and qualified teachers succeed their mentors. Then a teacher can come along and abuse their followers. Religion and spirituality are human endeavors after all. ;-)
I agree wholeheartedly. Well put. I am a zen monk but before becoming Buddhist, I had a very positive experience as a Christian and found what you write here to be true. I agree with your interpretation of Jesus teaching us to move beyond ego. "Lose your life in order to find it."
Religion has been weaponized to be hateful: https://unorthodoxy.substack.com/p/religion-as-the-greatest-weapon#details
to a certain extent religion has always been used as a weapon to control and brainwash humanity. The fairytale of a better life after death and some paradise that is waiting causes people to forget to live humanly in this life.
Religion is born out of our need for an explanation to 'what is out there' & some way to satisfy our fears that none of our existence has any point to it. IOW because we can think, we are in trouble - other animals merely exist & do what they need to survive - we suffer the mental anguish of asking 'why?' !
I've never asked why.... a free thinker only asks why not ...
Religion is born out of a need to control.
By men. All the gods are men.
Why do men find this so hard to comprehend?
Religions are also borne out of people's spiritual experiences. If you've had a near death experience, and I have, it suggests there's something more. People have other spiritually transformative experiences. Over 100 years of PSI experiments show that we are interconnected. (See Dean Radin's The Conscious Universe.) Religions try to explain these phenomena but as you've said, they are often weaponized and if you want to live a life where you walk the talk and actually develop as a spiritual person, you "live humanly in this life."
There is one ‘religion’ that does not give us a bye in this life and a promise for a better one in the afterlife. Buddhism, who talks about Karma, gently reminds us that we will keep coming back over and over to experience what we have inflicted and to get it right. Nirvana is earned Thru hard work.
I think you put that very well.🙏
Boils down to hate begets more of the same, equals hate, but compassion or love, those help to move mankind and all of societies forward, we just have to for example, move our level of intolerance out of the way but that like much else in this world is easier said than done.
War never solves anything. Professor Reich, I would so much like to have more pointed discussions about the common good and where we go from here. We seriously need a discussion of ethics which I believe to be something different than simple tolerance for differing religious beliefs. Nobody is “winning “ this war and all of us are, to some degree, living in fear and pain because of it. I can only imagine that stirring up this nightmare has played into someone’s grand plan for domination. But it is not the road to a better world.
Susan,
Religous belief is what got us into this mess. And you need not ask for proof,its currently on display throughout they world. Just look at the last five thousand? Years.
It's long past due to start holding All Religions accountable.
Will that happen ? No! Not likely
I understand your thoughts for students in the U.S. but it can never be okay for Hamas to strike out as they did. Saying it was horrific and moving on does not discuss the number of Israeli's deaths and the rapes and beheading. We see people talking about the poor palestinians- what
Two wrongs don’t make a right..
Israel’s attempt to destroy the terrorist organization of Hamas whose Charter calls not just for the destruction of Israel but also for the killing of all Jews worldwide and Islamic Jihad is not a wrong. If the equivalent of 40,000 Americans had been killed, butchered, raped & executed with 1,000 taken hostage by a terrorist group, the reaction would be no different and justified.
Absolutely. The only difference between the world fighting ISIS, AL Queda, Boko Haram, etc., and Israel fighting the same ideology, is that they most of Israelis are Jewish. War is terrible, but it is unfortunate that we are forced to fight against an enemy that will only flourish when they see weakness and a peace loving society.
It’s ALL horrific. However, the death of thousands of mostly Palestinian children isn’t “defense” of Israel any longer it’s the extermination of an entire people. Hamas does NOT equal all Palestinian people. Two wrongs NEVER make a right.
When Hamas builds tunnels to protect itself leaving its citizens defenseless, and puts up roadblocks to prevent them from leaving at the request of Israel, it became responsible for the deaths of these civilians. Sadly it values its dead civilians more than dead Jews. Since when did civilian casualties become the criteria of who is the victim? If Israel did not have its iron dome to protect its citizens it also could have had many thousands of dead civilians. It’s a matter of priorities. One wants to protect its citizens, the other wants to protect itself and use its dead as PR. Germany was the victim in WWII? It killed its own Jews and then went on a rampage in Europe. It was the victim as it sustained more deaths by your criteria. BTW, the numbers you have are produced by Hamas and why wouldn’t it decide that inflation helps its cause?
“Since when did civilian casualties become the criteria of who is the victim?”
Wow. That’s your take on things?
Not the power of love. The power of dignity and respect.
If only a majority in the world understood this... It's such a simple concept, on some level, and has been elusive to most of humanity forever. It fits with my religion (Christian (Lutheran)), but I understand fits with many (most ?) religions as well. We need to spread the above as quickly as possible, while there's still time for humanity...
Evil is unflinching. Europe was saved by World War 2. If the Nazis won they wouldn't be practicing love and peace. You are right about love. It will prevail. But evil will prevail in spite of it. Look at our globe. There are dictators, terrorists, non-stop killing. Do you think they would listen to your prescription and adhere to it? Or would they think it is weakness and a chance for more murder and mayhem. Defense is not hate. It is part of life.
One problem with the left, imo, is that they don't understand human nature. Their impulses may be good, but execution is not so good. We tend to think other people think like us or can think like us if only we could persuade them. We can't.
China has a stated goal of world domination. We can't ignore that.China is on the "long march," their name for world domination. From 2014 to 2018 they added more warships to their navy than the total number of ships in the German, Indian, Spanish, and British navies combined. https://carnegieendowment.org/2020/05/22/china-has-two-paths-to-global-domination-pub-81908.
The type of world you describe is a description of heaven, not earth. Peace through strengthening peaceful nations is the way to a more peaceful world.
If you have not read Animal Farm by George Orwell, I would hope you can. It can be read in a few hours. If you have a PO box I will send a copy to you.
One gets tired of the lies ...weapons of mass destruction...Afghanistan and the tower bombings,
Cambodia, Vietnam. We’ve created a few million enemies
because our egos said we were ‘better than, and our weapons said might makes right
GrrlScientist, I totally agree with you (and Martin Luther King Junior). I am also pleased you are the first one to compose an answer and post it before any of the rest of us insomniacs.
As you read the Professors essay, and the comments, it becomes obvious that most folks don’t have a clue.
The rich and powerful have the money to confuse and manipulate for their perceived interests.
Right now, we are all fucked.
I am old now, and take some comfort in actively working with the movements that can solve these problems at their root causes. You can too!
movetoamend.org
JewishVoiceforPeace.org
and in Ca., moneyoutvotersin.org
All Power to People
All Power to the Peaceful ♥️
Heat, hear!
Mr. Reich, from your mouth to Gods ear.
Just a thought ( if the leaders of countries had to be on the front lines I believe there would be no wars )
Or their children.
This is something everyone should listen to,and heed.Have empathy for other people.Respect another point of view.
Echo chambers teach nothing.Stepping out from a comfort zone is where you learn about different ideas.
I hurt for all these people.Making innocent people proxies for what's happening 1,000s of miles away isn't helpful in any way.And the civilians on both sides are caught in the middle,they aren't responsible for the actions of a handful of people who refuse to look past their own noses.Bibi and Hamas have never wanted peace.They are the ones at fault.Not the innocent civilians they both hide behind to justify themselves and their actions.
MLK said,Hate doesn't drive out hate,only love can do that.These people deserve compassion,not hatred.There are better ways to act toward people than to show your behinds.
Come on,folks,we can all do better than this.
Melissa, Iagree with you completely.
Well said!
Well said.
Thank you Melissa.
"Use this time in your young lives to chart a different path — of listening, understanding, and respecting each other.”
And in this statement Robert Reich laid down a challenge to all of us. Is it pure coincidence that this weekend I attended a course on “Nonviolent Communication” where we we taught to listen, truly listen to each other without judgement? This is not easy to do on a topic that so easily inflames us, especially when we collect onto our own echo chambers. It also delights those who seek to divide us on any issue so as to weaken us as a nation as we are facing an existential political situation within.
I just received the following in a Facebook entry forwarded from a friend of mine who has both Palestinian and Jewish lineage.
Alon-Lee Green
November 4 at 3:48 PM ·
"Crazy! It's hard to convey in one picture the crazy amount of people, energy and excitement that was here tonight at our Jewish-Arab solidarity conference in Haifa. Over 700 Arabs and Jews (we had to open another hall) and clear messages about Jewish-Arab partnership, Israeli-Palestinian peace and hope, also and specifically at this moment. Just wow.”
There are other examples of Jews and Palestinians uniting in groups and demonstrating that the desire for peace transcends the false dividing lines of religion, lineage and geographical borders. These brave young individuals and groups are the beacons to show us the way to true peace.
Thank you: you say this so well: "...that the desire for peace transcends the false dividing lines of religion, lineage and geographical borders". Thank you dear Marc Nevas
All Israelis. Nary one of them Hamas, Shiite, Islamic Jihad. The answer is land for peace.
The answer is exactly what these 700 brave individuals did. From divergent backgrounds, ethnicities and religions they come together in solidarity calling for peace. They are providing inspiration to other citizens and us in the United States to do the same.
All Israeli citizens.
Do you argue that "Israeli citizens" are more peaceful than "Palestine citizens"? If so, your comment exemplifies the problem.
Actually Israeli Arabs are certainly more peaceful than Hamas or Islamic Jihad.
Thank you for your wise words professor. And thank you for counseling your students. You are doing exactly what you are asking them to do, and that means listening. You are contributing to peace. Thank you.
For what it's worth, Biden has stated that he prefers the 2 state solution.
Robert, you said:
"This may be nearly impossible for Israel and Hamas, so long as Hamas is dedicated to killing all Jews and erasing Israel, and Israelis now live with that fear."
Why didn't you add "and so long as Israel, illegally erasing Palestine for 70 years, is now killing a Palestinian child in Gaza every 10 minutes average?"
Otherwise excellent column.
True, issues on all side. But, it is not possible to have a dialogue or create any meaningful change if one group believes that the other shouldn’t exist and actively works to make that happen.
Enthüllung Ihres kollektiven rassistischen Unterbewusstseins!
Doesn't work, I'm sorry.
David, you have lived in Israel for 32 years. What do you see as a solution, and how do you see getting to that solution?
Lest we forget, today’s topic is "The war is causing my students to fear each other.” “What am I telling them in response?" Let’s talk about SOLUTIONS, not endless debates of who is right and who is wrong.
One person suggested a week of Teach-Ins on all University and College Campuses on the topic of the Middle East, its history, contemporary problems, potential solutions and ACTION STEPS students can take. Remember, THESE ARE NOT ONLY TOMORROW’S VOTERS, THEY ARE TOMORROW’S LEADERS.
What a beautiful response to your students, Professor Reich! Your words have so much meaning. This acceptance of others covers so much. All of us here in the United States of America need to learn the lesson you are delivering today. Not only are Jews, Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims afraid right now, many people are living in fear here in America. Blacks, LGBQT+, and immigrants are also feeling as if they are being targeted. It is sad to think that we, as Americans, are turning on other Americans right now. Fear and hate are terrible emotions and require constant feeding in order to exist. There aren't any "easy fixes" for what is happening today (believe me, I wish there were!) My mom would always tell me to take a step back. Take time to feel the emotion but then decide what you need to do to alleviate that fear and hate. People everywhere should take a step back and then begin to work on the solution. Listening is extremely hard but it is also extremely important! I took a class on 'How to Listen' and realized I was listening wrong!! In order to actually hear what the other person is saying, you have to turn off the part of your brain that is angry and keeps going over what you are feeling. You have to let the other person's words penetrate and you have to think about what is being said. It takes practice but it can surely open your eyes and your mind. I will never understand why any group of people feels it is necessary to target other groups of people. The world is large enough that if anyone does not like being around anyone else there are a huge amount of places to go in order to not be around them! Growing up in America, I saw us making great strides in acceptance, peace and equality. In the last few years, I have watched as America has moved backwards!! We need to begin to talk to one another again so that we can continue to move forward.
Peggy, I agree with you completely. Fear is what divides us and each time any of us fall into fear, name calling and anger at “the enemy,” it is a victory for the forces seeking to divide us.
I remember Franklin D. Roosevelt saying "We have nothing to fear but fear itself". That is so true! When we stop being fearful and begin to discuss why we are feeling fear and hatred, perhaps we can begin to work toward a resolution that everyone will be happy with!
There will never be a way forward until we remove god from the equation. 4000 years of fighting over which god is real is ridiculous. These gods that are worshipped have nothing to do with treating each other humanly.
Agreed, but this is also a battle over real estate - that has a broken chain of title that reaches back millenia.
And kind of crap real estate at that - at least it was as of 1948. Malarial swamp in the north, rocks and desert in the south, no oil, a “sea” so full of salt you can sit on the surface... gee, thanks. The only reason why that piece of land became important has to be its location.
But anyway....
So far I haven’t seen anybody mention what I think is the real nugget of gold in Reich’s essay: the allure, the luxurious ecstasy, of righteous indignation. That allure is especially strong when you’re young, say 18 to 25 or so. But you can also spend your whole life breaking your heart and destroying everything else chasing after that ecstatic yet furious high.
Personally I don’t think this has anything to do with religion; that’s just the excuse, the nail to hang it on. I used to think it was really all about the U.S., and either wanting or not wanting Western influence in the area. But we’ve moved beyond that at this point. Now it’s all about that deadly addictive high.
And that is really bad. Because once a conflict becomes all about emotion, it becomes unsolvable.
Real estate that Yahweh decreed was for Jews. Many American Christians make note of this. So yes, get God out of it,PLEASE!!
Yeah but if you removed god I think we would still fight. I would be wary of putting too much of the burden of what you see as wrong on religion.
I think most fighting happens because someone wants to take away something from someone else. First, come up with some bogus reason (they worship the wrong god!) to justify their action.
I agree mostly. There is a book I read long ago I enjoyed by an Austrailian economist who viewed history thru the lens of economic scarcity and the desire for material wealth. Quite good but I can't recall author or book.
I agree. Religion is just an excuse for bigotry, and I'm sure other excuses could be found if religion were removed. Haters always have a reason.
Well said dixieray53. but I'm afraid [not: I fear :-) ] that is wishful thinking. The need for a god is inherent to some (too many) people. I see it as a very very strong circuit of neurons, skillfully indoctrinated, especially in children. In most cases it is simply unbreakable. This in itself is understandable, why should a six-year-old doubt their parents and teachers?
.+
As a nation we need to remember that #HateMakesNothingGreat. No Jews, Palestinians, or Arabs around you will have any effect or causation for what’s going on in Israel right now.
Putting any of that violence on anyone but the decision makers directing the mechanisms of war is illogical.
Peace does not mean the absence of conflict. It is a process for resolving conflicts without resorting to violence. The goal should be to build trust and find common ground. Any act of violence accomplishes the opposite.
You mean like what has been happening in the Middle East for the past 3000 years. And everyone knows the UN is the accepted forum for the expression of international hatred, like the League of Nations before it. Where do you live?
As a Sociologist, we have listened to the lies that 'some of us are better than others'. NOT true: we need each other, ALL of us need each other - the black, the gray, the yellow, the tan, the white, the bright, the plain, the short, the small, the large, the ..... (you get the point). WE must be 'commUNITY to survive. We must ACCEPT our difference and our commonalities. Our gifts are not the same. Our strengths are not the same. Our weaknesses are NOT the same. We must give to get - share, respect, value, and believe that we are all needed if we are to each thrive.
we need you sociologists as well. Meaning I wish there was more presence of sociologists and sociology in our national /media conversations. Agitate and make this happen will ya ?
It would be a good idea if some sociology was taught in our schools. People might have a better understanding of other cultures and how humans interact with each other, and therefore be more resistant to the haters who want to divide us from the "other".
I think peace will require a change of leadership in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank.
Netanyahu has consistently undermined the peace process.
On March 12, 2019, he defended funneling Qatari money to Hamas to his Likud Party caucus on the grounds that they weakened the pro-Oslo Palestinian Authority, according to the Jerusalem Post:
"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended Israel's regular allowing of Qatari funds to be transferred into Gaza, saying it is part of a broader strategy to keep Hamas and the Palestinian Authority separate, a source in Monday's Likud faction meeting said," the Post reported.
"The prime minister also said that 'whoever is against a Palestinian state should be for' transferring the funds to Gaza, because maintaining a separation between the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza helps prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state."
Now he's directing the bombing of hundreds of thousands of Gazans. He cannot be trusted with making peace or with treating the Palestinians fairly.
Hamas, I hope it goes without saying, cannot be trusted with making peace, given their dedication to the extermination of Israel.
I was horrified to read that Blinkin is trying to get Abbas's Fatah to run both the West Bank and Gaza when this is over. I can account for it only in term's of the US predilection for supporting corrupt, incompetent governments in every country they've invaded from Vietnam to Afghanistan. Abbas is derided by Gazans and West Bank Palestinians alike as Netanyahu's lapdog, and he's currently doing nothing to protect the West Bank Palestinians from the depredations of the settlers.
" I was horrified to read that Blinkin is trying to get Abbas's Fatah to run both the West Bank and Gaza."
Coalition government. Israel now has a majority in the Knesset to deal. Hamas, Islamic Jihad do not deal. Deal with whom? You?
What are you talking about?
Can't waltz by yourself.
I still haven't a clue what you are talking about.
He's saying that you cannot negotiate with fundamentalists, whatever their persuasion, Jewish, Arab, Christian or otherwise. What do you think has been happening in this region for the past 3000 years. Get an education.
That last sentence or two was rude & uncalled for.
Can't get much more fundamentalist than Likud and Otzma Yehudit...
Netanyahu is a fundamentalist as are many in his government.
I never suggested trying to negotiate with terrorists. I guess that's at least part of why I couldn't understand his gnomic utterances-they had nothing to do with anything I said..
What a beautifully written, thoughtful and moving ‘letter’. This should be shared with all students everywhere and with everyone else. Thank you Professor Reich for this important ‘lesson’; it is so important and means so much at this difficult time.
And a third comment: Your concern for your students is so wonderful that it is in and of itself a balm. My hat is off to you, sir.
The War in Gaza is an attempt by Netanyahu to bomb his way back into the hearts of the Israeli electorate.
This is suppose to make up for his incompetence and failures protecting the people of Israel from kamikaze attacks by Hamas .
The West Bank is an attempt to help God
In Both instances Netanyahu does not care how many innocent civilians or innocent IDF soldiers are killed protecting his political life.
If you don’t think that’s the question, then explain why his son is hiding in the United States instead of being home and fighting for his country ???
Severe Political theater with no good outcomes for anyone except Netanyahu .
The purpose of an education is not to teach ethics , That’s like Miss America contestants saying blah, blah blah, and world peace...☮️
Two wrongs don’t make a right, murder should be an eye for an eye etc.
GeoForming Gaza with 2,000 lb “precision “ Bombs is the definition of excess.
No One Will Return From The Dead ☠️ because of revenge killing ...
Maybe the public sacrifice of the officials that ignored cia warnings a disarmed populace , the Farms, etc will satisfy the God‘s war...
SHOULD READ :
THE GODS OF WAR
As far as I can tell, Netanyahu has never taken responsibility for the security failure that permitted the Oct. 7th attack to be so deadly. I recall reading that the Israeli settlers near the Gaza border were unarmed and the so-called border fence was a joke! Who in the Israeli government lost their job because of this?
EVERYONE IS DOING GOD'S WILL!
(blah, blah, blah)
I agree wholeheartedly. Unfortunately, this, like all facts regarding this conflict, will fall on deaf ears. Let every single person writing on this blog come and live in Israel or even better, Gaza, and then write their nonsense.
Jewish Americans & Arab Americans have historically been among each other's greatest allies in times when either group has been discriminated against or terrorized, regardless of what might be happening in the Middle East. Both groups share a bond in having frequently been victims while rarely being the perpetrators of discrimination & terror. It's a shame that this bond has been shaken this time.
I believe this savage Hamas attack on Israel was plotted with assistance from Iran & Russia in order to divide & cause dissension in the West, harm Iran's mortal enemy, & divert Western attention & support from Russia's barbaric war on Ukraine, although it may also have served Netanyahu's purposes to divert Israeli attention from his legal troubles & scandals.
Russian & Iranian bots have been sent in unprecedentedly huge numbers throughout social media to send hateful messages & try to stir up hatred for Jews & Israel, & I think that may be a major provocation for this hate & fear among students. There have also been much hate thrown at students, professors & legislators protesting against Israeli actions. It's a terrible situation & the results have been just what Russia & Iran were hoping for.
I intuit, with all I have read and learned, that you are correct Jaime.
While I agree with Professor Reich, as a Christian albeit not a practicing one living in Israel for the past 32 years, fully appreciate his understanding of the complexity of the situation (of which most people either are ignorant of or choose to overlook), and also view Israel's continuing bombardment of Gaza as verging on suicide, I ask myself, of all the potential 'trouble spots' in our world, why the Israel-Palestinian nexus has generated so much 'activity' in the liberal West and, understandably, in the Arab world. Why hasn't the killing of more than 600,000 civilians including children killed in the last year in Sudan, 375,000 blasted to smithereens in Yemen by one of the best funded militaries in the world, countless dead in Ethiopia-Tigray, Assad's murderous regime in Syria, in Azerbaijan-Armenia, China’s hard-oppressed Uighur Muslims, the poor Kurds endlessly smashed up by Turkey, and now Putin's invasion of Ukraine - why haven't we seen the the same sort of demonstrations in the capital cities of Europe and in the USA? It is this that drives the fear Jews have towards even (apparently) highly educated university students, never mind Arabs with fundamentalist mindsets. The answer to all this must range from sheer anti-Semitism to simple ignorance and perhaps, youthful idealism. Didn't I campaign outside Barclays Bank in the UK in the Seventies for the support of the South African apartheid state. And on that subject, in Israel, is no one aware of just how many Israeli Arabs work in the legal and medical professions in Israel. Israel's hospitals and health clinics are practically run by Arab doctors and pharmacists. Apartheid? Given the nature of the enemy and their blatant disregard for the Palestinian people who live among them in Gaza, many of whom curse the day Hamas was elected - elected! - what, throwing the opposition party of Fatah off the roofs of buildings amounts to a democratically elected government!!! - Please can we all wake up to the fact that this war is not confined to a godforsaken region in the Middle East, but a global conflict that too few have woken up to. Hamas' goals are not confined to this region nor are they nationalist in their intent. How are we to fight such an enemy that hides beneath a vast civilian population. Professor Reich, their goals are non-negotiable. How else can we bring them to their knees and release our people who they so brutally assaulted on October 7? Answer me!
David, now knowing that you have lived in Israel for the last 32 years helps me to better understand the point of view you are presenting. I have visited Israel numerous times since my first kibbutz experience in 1966 and observed with dismay as attitudes towards Arabs harden over the decades. The sense of being surrounded by those who have as their ardent desire to “Push all the Jews into the sea” is bound to have an effect on the collective psyche and eventually lead to hard right authoritarian leaders rising to control of the Knesset and becoming Prime Minister of Israel.
I am not a student of history nor have I studied political science, but I know a disastrous war when I see it. The number of human beings that will have died before this is over is staggering as it has been in most armed conflicts. As a country we also have much blood on our hands due to our over reactions in past wars.
Unfortunately the escalation of divisiveness in our country and the rage aimed at Biden fanned by Russian interference in our media could likely hand our next election to Trump.
On this forum, at least, we should become solution oriented rather than arguing as to is the most to blame.
Exactly, Marc. We SHOULD be discussing solutions and NOT blame.
Launching missiles at and destroying the refugee camps Palestinians fled to in response to the invasion is not the answer.
I guess my instincts were correct, I shouldn't have viewed this comment. Obviously, it isn't the answer. Did you read my comment at all? The facts in this whole mess are blowin' in the wind.
It may be constructive for university students in the U.S. who advocate for each side of the conflict to meet and develop a proposed solution that both sides would accept. A Nobel peace prize might be available for a solution that works. Screaming at each other on U.S. college campuses is less likely to be effective.
As someone living in Israel, who in the government was fired for the security failure that permitted the Oct. 7th attack to be so deadly? It bothers me that with all the required focus in Israel on the war in Gaza, that this failure seem to be "swept under the rug", or so it seems to me.
- To reject stereotypes, and begin to talk to one another.
It is morally unacceptable to consider certain people’s lives more valuable than other people’s lives.
- Finding a shared sense of the common good is an achievable goal on the college campuses of America. It must be.
The students are part of the FUTURE and if they sit idly by or continue the one side rhetoric they will have the same poor quality of Life they have experienced so far in their lifetime.
As Mr Reich is so well pointing
" I beseech you not to replicate here on this campus the threats and violence now devastating the Middle East."
The campus is like a series of "mini previews " of the way you react to different situations while learning a better/ more enlightened way to look at the Life and at the Values that we - as Human Beings - should embrace and spread into the World 🌍
🙏❤️
Morally nor not, Hamas beg to differ.
Sorry that was knee jerk response after attending the funeral of a father butchered by Hamas in southern Israel. His wife escaped by hiding in a closet for 25 hours while Hamas ransacked their house and stole all they considered valuable. Fortunes of war, I suppose.