It doesn’t seem to matter how high the numbers of dead, or how many are women and children. The statistics of war crimes committed don’t seem to budge the dial of compassion. We treat the threat of broader war breaking out in the region as if it’s anticipated. I’ve thought a lot about it and I’ve come to this: we’re stuck in the indoctrination of choosing sides. We’ve been groomed to be pro-Israel; therefore we are immune to any criticism of their most right wing government.
I’ve tried to understand our willingness to be the loudest and most powerful opposition to a permanent ceasefire. The best I can come up with is this: we are stuck in the indoctrination of choosing sides. From an early age we compete and the duality of “us and them” is drilled into our being. And if we are the praying types, we learn to ask god for his/her/their blessings as we attempt to defeat our opponents – as if any god would be inclined to chose one side over the other. Do we think that god is tallying up the prayers and the one who gets the most will win?
I was taught to be a critical thinker and so it’s my nature to follow arguments to their conclusion. This is not a conclusion that makes any sense.
And then there are the intellectual arguments to justify our choice. I witnessed it when Putin decided to invade Ukraine with people dragging up history to defend the slaughtering of innocents. And now again with Netanyahu and his accomplice Biden, we are witnessing the same ridiculous arguments as these war criminals carry on their bloody conquests.
Perhaps it is time we choose the third side: being human.
There are those fighting back against genocide.
Before people get their knickers in a twist, I have nothing against Little League or sports in general. It is the heightened fervor of competition and “us and them” that I question.
Photo of Little League World Series 2007 compliments of https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Ruhrfisch
let kindness win 