The powerful letter below was posted at the blog Transition In Motion.
Food for thought.......
More about the author here
Dear Gaza,
It is with great sorrow that I hear the latest news about another massacre, another bombing, another retaliation. I feel sorrow for the rising death toll, the pictures of weeping mothers and wives, the murder of children too young to even understand the struggles of their parents, families and neighbours.
And I also feel sorrow because I know that each death, whether it’s in Gaza or in Israel, will only fuel further hatred, and further violence. I watch as the vicious pattern unfolds once again – attack and counter-attack, claims and counter-claims, threats and counter-threats. A new generation growing up with nothing but anger in their hearts.
In fact anger is everywhere; from the Government ministers to the international solidarity activists holding demonstrations outside Israeli embassies throughout the world, from one Facebook wall post to another, anger is pervasive. It is behind every political statement on Palestine, and every military action on either side.
I know this anger, and I’m by no means immune to it. It is anger that has spurred me on in Palestine, that strengthened my resolve to work there after witnessing the Wall, the settlements, the aggression of the Israeli soldiers in the West Bank.
I am only now just processing that anger, releasing it in waves of sorrow and distress after holding it in the pit of my stomach for so many years as a Palestine activist. I am familiar with the anger I hear in the voices of commentators, and even my own father – so incensed is he by what is happening in Gaza right now.
But this time round, dear Gaza, dear Palestine, I am not one of those angry voices. I will not be attending any demonstrations, and I will not be writing press releases or political statements. And I will not be engaging in any of the aggressive political point-scoring, some of it between friends on separate sides of the fence (both politically and physically). I don’t say this with pride, and I do say it with more than a little guilt.
My decision doesn’t come from a place of pure wisdom or higher authority, but from a place of accepting one thing: I don’t see the purpose of my anger anymore, and if anything I’m fearful of it – of what this negative emotion does to me, and to anyone engaged in the Palestinian situation.
Does Gaza need my inner conflicts, confusion and frustration leaking out into any action I take for the so-called good of Palestine? Because anger often comes from this deeper, more obscure place of inner turmoil.
It is not always constructive, or effective – I question now whether my anger over Palestine has really achieved anything over the years except perhaps alienating a few people and breeding further hatred. And what can hatred ever achieve?
With anger, and hatred, we lose all sense of balance or compassion. It is easy for our emotions to take over when visiting Palestine, but how often do we stop to question their source and their purpose? It is only once I find the meaning behind my own emotions and actions that I can understand the emotions and actions of others.
And so, dear Gaza, this time I stand back. I read what I can, and I’m screaming inside. But I will not be expressing my grief on the podium, or in the newsletter or conference room. Please don’t mistake my non-action for apathy. My non-action comes from a place of understanding that clinging on to anger will serve no purpose except greater suffering.
There are many positive actions that can be fuelled by people’s anger over injustice. All respect, and my most sincere wishes, go to those who transform their anger into something beautiful and empowering for the human race. I would one day love to join those who are mindful of every action and reaction, and who have a clear vision of what peace can and should look like, regardless of race, ethnicity or political positioning.
But for now, my silence is the strongest thing I can offer as a sign of love and compassion in this mixed up world.
For more reflections on Palestine activism, anger and mindfulness please read this blog piece from Mindfulness for NGOs: blog « Mindfulness for NGOs.
God of many names, I cry out to you:
As the bombs pound Gaza again
As more children die,
And more and more will carry the scars and psychological wounds.
As medical staff try to respond with depleted stocks,
And numbers of casualties mount.
As the missiles fly against Israeli cities,
And fear and hatred grows in each community.
As political lies are fed us in sound bites,
And statistics become currency
In an equation over electoral gains.
As attempts to arrange a cease fire become more frenetic,
And world leaders try to justify the unjustifiable
‘Israel has the right…’
There is no right
It is all wrong.
I am sick of praying for peace.
The words stick in my throat.
I protest and march
Shout slogans and give and lobby and weep.
I want to know how many deaths are required?
How much less is one child worth than another?
How much hatred and fear do we have?
A just future Palestine
Is not a one sided call,
It is the only way
To end this cycle of shame and death.
Amen
Prayer is From The Amos Trust.
More about their work in Palestine/Israel and other parts of the world here.
This site may also be of interest for those working abroad for NGO's.
No comments:
Post a Comment