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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
- 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 🌍
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."
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 )
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.
"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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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...☮️
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!
- 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 🌍
🙏❤️