I for the most part stay out of politics. At this time I do not claim any political party much as I do not claim any religious affiliation. I believe both to be too complicated and of importance to be defined by any one name or belief. To do this would be to turn issues that are complex, varied and not easily defined into the exact opposite. I have a friend who is Palestinian and has family in the Gaza Strip or were in the Gaza Strip and I can no longer remain silent. To do so, makes me as guilty as the people who commit the violence in this conflict. Maybe my saying something will not have any noticeable effect, however, at least I have spoken my heart and left it to those who may read these words if there is some truth in it that is worth responding to and acting on.

This conflict between Israel and Palestine is not new. The Palestinian people have lived with constant assault from Israel. So much so that violence or displacement is as common as us waking up to our morning coffee. This is their life, day in and day out. They are held hostage to a people who will not allow them basic human rights that we as a country constantly espouse to be afforded to everyone. The problem is, do we only say this when it is convenient for us. When it fits in our nice neat little box of whatever agenda we might be pushing.

Do we not as a country, as intelligent and humane people see that we are allowing the bully Israel to get away with the displacement and killing of people that is to never be tolerated and yet we do. Israel is Goliath and Palestine, David without any powerful entity behind them. Do we not see the irony of this? The atrocities that were committed to the Jewish people and yet here are these very same faction of people causing atrocities of their own. They are suffocating the Palestinian people much like what was done to them. Wouldn’t one think that experiencing something like this would cause compassion, understanding and tolerance and embracing of everyone and their different beliefs and cultures? It is fear that causes Israel to be a bully. This is usually what motivates most bullies.

Truces have been made over the years and not abided by. The one that seemed to make the most sense is that Israel and Palestine would be their own states and that they would share Jerusalem which contains religious significance to both. Think of it like a common area in a dorm or some other facility. Neutral, to be shared and experienced by all. Unfortunately, these truces and agreements have not ever been upheld and encroachments are slowly made and before you know it the agreement is no longer being followed. Overtime Israel displaced 700,000 Palestinians in my reading this number has grown to 7 million. If these refugees, displaced Palestinians were allowed back into their homeland they would outnumber Israel. This is something that Israel fears. To be a minority amongst a people that they have bullied. In this conflict so far 645 Palestinians have been killed (mostly civilians) and 29 Israelis. Now I know that Israel says they must respond because Hamas shells them. Let’s look at this from a realistic point of view. This shelling does no real damage. Israel has a system to intercept this shelling. Basically the actions that Hamas takes are those of a gnat to Israel. They are annoying, bothersome, flying around them and nothing more. What would happen if Israel ignored them? What would happen if Israel had compassion and saw the Palestinians for what they are people, people of the same human spirit as the Israelis, and every one else on this planet.

This is senseless killing. And for whatever reason there has been an outpouring of it in recent days, in different regions. My heart aches and I am tearful. I am sad for those who have lost a loved one for a senseless act of killing that will never be correct in their minds. Something that will forever be seared in their memories and their hearts. Could we ever see that when we kill someone who we believe to be our enemy we are actually killing ourselves. I daresay that it is far easier to take someone else’s life than our own. What if when we looked at someone what we saw was not the difference in their skin color, the difference in their speech, dress or even their beliefs and instead what we saw was us. If when you looked into the eyes of the person standing across from you, you saw your own eyes staring back at you, the same facial reactions being mimicked back to you and the same voice asking for mercy. Then would we stop? Then would we see? For this is exactly what is occurring. Every conflict, every war we are killing ourselves whether we are actively involved or not. When we stand by and watch, we are watching ourselves being killed because underneath we are one in spirit, one in being. God made us that way. We are all connected to God, one being, one source and when we kill one of our being, we kill part of our source. They cannot be separated. We are harming ourselves. The sooner we understand that, the sooner we allow this truth to be revealed to us, the sooner we can quit harming and begin healing.

I pray for this universal truth to be revealed to each and every one of us so that we might live in peace. I also am contacting my political representatives to take action and no longer support the bully that is Israel. There is injustice and we must stand against this injustice in order to save ourselves. If any of this resonates with you as well, please contact your political representatives in doing the same. The divine in me, bows to the divine in you. Be blessed.