Humanity – Page 4 – let kindness win

Evolution of Compassion

South Africa took the bold step to bring a case against Israel for the conduct and the intent to commit genocide against the Palestinian people before the International Court of Justice. The extensive legal document asserted that Israel’s conduct towards the people of Gaza is a breach of the 1948 Geneva Conventions regarding genocide. Israeli war operations and the intent voiced by Israel’s leading politicians were given as examples of inciting and not preventing genocide. The concluding request of South Africa’s application to the court asked that Israel immediately cease military operations in Gaza.

In legal terms this case is an evolutionary step forward regardless of outcome. It is one that calls for a legal standing based on human obligations “owed to all”. If granted, it would allow the court to begin to enforce human rights treaties that have long gone unchecked. The Geneva Conventions of 1948 marked the first time nations agreed upon what constitutes genocide. This ruling could finally give power to that understanding.

The International Criminal Court also began investigating Israel’s abuses of international humanitarian law. It does not have jurisdiction over the Geneva Conventions, as does the ICJ. While primarily focused on the warring activities since, October 7, the South African application to the ICJ does not excuse Hamas, but does elaborate on the seventy-five years of apartheid, the fifty–six years of hostile occupation and the sixteen year blockade of Gaza.

Why South Africa? South Africa’s experience of and the dismantling of apartheid gives it unparalleled status to be the convener of this legal remedy. And what is the system of apartheid used in South Africa’s past and by Israel today? When one group of people asserts power over others through unequal treatment under the law, discrimination due to ethnicity, race or religion, and uses brutal military force to maintain control, these are practices of apartheid.

The case before the ICJ began Thursday, January 11. The court may ask Israel to cease the bombardment by Feb 12. Here are the other nations in support of South Africa’s application.

This is an important time to speak out. We have it within our reach to uphold human principles of dignity, preservation of life and the pursuit of peace. Peace will never be achieved through military means.

May the ICJ recognize the case against Israel and act to end the genocide. May our evolution of compassion continue to grow as we realize the power of peace and begin to demand it.

The Promise and Risk of South Africa’s Case Against Israel

Bernie Sanders calls on Congress to block funding to Israel. Contact your senators and urge them to support Bernie Sanders bill S. Res. 504 on Tuesday, January 16 at 5:30 pm EST.

The flag of South Africa. Honoring their commitment to humanity and human rights.

The Indoctrination of Choosing Sides

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

A Wish for Us

Another year ends and wishes for good will and peace abound. So I will add my wishes for each of you, those I know and love and those that I don’t know but together we share this earth, her abundance, the air, water and our human kinship.

My wish is that we take time away from busyness and remember how precious is each moment; that we appreciate silence and its simplicity. And that we cultivate the inherent wisdom we hold to transform the world anew.

My hope is that as we come to love and respect ourselves we will realize the interconnectedness of the human family, realize we are one race and end the ignorance of separation and superiority.

That we will find the courage to break the chains of belief and allow for new vision and dreams to manifest. And that we challenge the stories that keep us locked into war as a resolution of conflict and the ideas of scarcity that lead the powerful toward conquest.

That we listen to marginalized people who are facing the destruction of the earth and their ways of life and find the determination to end the use of fossil fuels. This we must do in loving recognition for those who will come after us.

Ultimately let us find creative ways to break our silence and speak power to justice recognizing we can do more than pray. We’ve been given all the tools we need to make life on earth better for everyone. Let’s do it.

Mostly I wish for us to discover the gifts that lie in our own hearts and to ignore the doubts that tell us peace cannot be.

If we can throw off the shackles of belief.

If we can feel even one drop more our humanity.

If we can challenge the lies we have been told.

If we can recognize our comfort should not be bound in another’s sacrifice…

If and only if…

We will make this world a better place for everyone.

In 2024, find the courage and the clarity to be human.

Sign on to the numerous petitions demanding a permanent ceasefire and an end to all financial support of Israel’s war on civilians.

Amnesty International

US Campaign for Palestinian Rights

Take time to read more than US propaganda. Think about it. And act.

Hear other voices like Democracy Now.

We can make 2024 the year we move towards peace.

Christmas is Cancelled

Christmas is Cancelled in Bethlehem. That is the declaration made by heads of the Christian churches in Palestine. Home to Christians since the first century, it’s the oldest Christian community in the world. Due to the violence and the genocide reigning down upon the people of Gaza, Christmas is cancelled.

There will be no public displays of celebration. Instead Christians mourn their dead, as do their Muslim neighbors, as Israel’s indiscriminate slaughter of civilians continues.

The most recent assassination was a Christian mother and daughter seeking refuge in a convent of nuns. Holy Family Parish had become a shelter for the disabled and infirmed. There an Israeli Defense Soldier gunned them down. Pope Francis has decried this murder as an act of “terrorism”.

On October 19^th, during Israel’s ongoing slaughter of civilians, Christians sought safety from the constant bombardment and fled to a Greek Orthodox Church. Israel targeted the assembly hall killing 20 people and injuring 14. This is an example of the murder spree launched by Netanyahu on what is considered Gaza’s open-air prison. Nearly 20,000 civilians have been killed, 70% women and children with 1.8 million displaced. The Israeli military has cut off water, fuel and electricity and by maintaining closed borders are starving those they have not killed.

The Christians of Gaza are asking for peace, as are their Muslim neighbors. Peace will not come through military means and the slaughter of innocents. Now as we celebrate the Light of the world, isn’t it incumbent upon us to demand a permanent ceasefire in the Holy Land? Isn’t it time to allow the possibility of peace to take hold throughout our world? We owe it to one another and to our Creator to restore good will and peace.

Call for a permanent ceasefire now and stop funding Israel’s war.

President Biden 202-456 -1111 Congressman Van Orden 608 -782-2558 Senator Tammy Baldwin 608-796-0045 Senator Ron Johnson 608-240-9629

An Open Letter from Palestinian Christians to Western Church Leaders and Theologians

Wisconsin Christians for Justice in Palestine: Decry the horrific killing of children in Gaza and call on people of conscience to demand immediate ceasefire

Wisconsin Christians for Justice in Palestine.

A Thanksgiving Prayer

As many bow their heads in gratitude for all the good that has been given perhaps we can add a prayer that our thankfulness may generate seeds of kindness. As we count our blessings, let us also ask for the courage and strength to become caretakers of the earth and all of her people.

Let us allow our piety to become compassion and ask that our love give way to empathy.

Let us recognize our interconnectedness and put an end to the transgression of separation.

We do this because we can. We can throw off the cloak of our lessor selves, the part that fears the other because we do not know who we are. The self that harbors seeds of hatred – sometimes planted before we were even born – can be shed. We do not have to be a slave to lessor ideals and beliefs. We can choose to be free of ignorance.

We can choose to know.

We are beings of love. Underneath the facades and the masks we wear, we share the same longings and the same needs. We all need good food, clean water and air. We need to feel safe as we walk through life in our own unique and diverse ways. We need peace.

And so as we bow our heads, let us pray for the innocents throughout the world who are being slaughtered by hatred that is fueled by power and greed. Let us recognize that we as a country have been complicit in creating war machines, funding governments and escalating violence rather than seeking peaceful resolution. Let us ask forgiveness for our ignorance and if and when possible, let us take a stand to change course.

Demand a permanent ceasefire now from both sides in Gaza.

Give Peace A Chance

There’s a story about a person who placed a stick on the ground and asked, “How do you make this stick smaller without touching it?” People took some time to think about it, and then one person jumped up, ran outside, came back and placed a bigger stick next to the now, smaller one.

In this time of reckoning, we grapple with the slaughter of innocents on both sides and the horrible reality that the vicious cycle of violence is something we have grown to accept. We can no longer allow the status quo of power and might to be victor. It’s time we lay a bigger stick.

And what can possibly be the bigger stick? It’s surely not more arms and more killing. It can only be through compassion and kindness that the gross wounds of humankind can begin to heal. It can only be with a relentless force of love and peace that we can stop the cycle of pain among the brotherhood of humanity.

It will only be with the keen awareness and understanding that we are here to help one another, not get in each other’s way. This can happen when we receive and rejoice in our diversity and see it as the strength that in fact it is.

Acknowledging that peace is not only possible but that it is also a sacred right. It is something available to us, nestled within us and available to manifest around us. We must dare to allow our greater aspirations not be diminished by what has been. We are no longer asking to “Give Peace a Chance”. We’re demanding it.

Ceasefire Now.

If you have not yet signed onto a petition for a ceasefire in Gaza, do it now. Every voice counts.

Demand a ceasefire by all parties to end civilian suffering

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-congress-ceasefire-now?source=IG_ceasefire

Laying a bigger stick is a story I heard from Prem Rawat and it continues to guide me.

The Dangerous Game of Retaliation

It’s said, no two things can occupy the same space at the same time. However, this understanding does not apply when the two things are in total opposition and yet both are equally true.

It’s possible to hold the awareness that the Hamas brutal attacks on Israeli settlers and the indiscriminate and unrelenting bombing of Palestinians by the Israeli military are equally barbaric.

Both are true.

This dangerous game of retaliation that has claimed the lives of over 6500 Palestinians including 2700 children does not exist in a vacuum. Israel’s refusal to allow sufficient aid to reach those in need is not going unnoticed. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is correctly calling for a humanitarian ceasefire.

The reality is that this has happened far too many times in our collective history. This over powering of captive people, this theft of land, and this total inability to seek peaceful resolution has all been done before. And there are countless peoples throughout the world who reckon with the generational traumas of inhuman colonizing.

What we all know is this: Violence begets violence and defiance and resistance are the outcome of reckless power and inhumanity. It’s a cycle that we can no longer afford to give way to.

There are those speaking up for a new approach. Polls indicate two-thirds of United States voters are calling for a ceasefire and thirteen members of Congress introduced a resolution calling for ceasefire “to save Palestinian and Israeli lives”.

More voices are needed. Yes, two horrible things can both be true. But more powerful than these two truths is the greater reality that all human beings want peace. It’s time we work for it.

Let Hearts Lead

Let your heart lead. This is not a time to choose sides. This is the time to choose being human. Hamas, or whoever ignited this fuse, acted outside of their humanity when they brutally attacked Israeli civilians. What the Israeli government and military are doing is also acting outside of their humanity.

Today we listen to the blame and denials of who caused hundreds of children to be killed by a rocket blast to a hospital. More time is spent on the blame game than on the rescue. That is outside of our humanity.

President Biden’s calculated error was to whole-heartedly support Israel without noting the consequences from such an unequivocal stand. Seeing the inhuman disregard for life by the Israeli government, the administration has attempted to interrupt the mistake, with little success. Mainstream media is happy to fuel the fire with slanted journalism and our citizenry is complicit in ignorance. But we can change this.

The families of those held hostage are wondering why ceasefire and negotiations are not front and center to recover their loved ones.

We have too quickly pledged our allegiance. The allegiance should be to our humanity, not to a side. The consequences will continue to spiral, until we once and for all end the disregard of human life. And we can do this.

Our government is playing a very dangerous game. Whether politics, or greed, religious dogma or sheer ignorance are driving the bus, we are heading for another horrible nightmare.

Have we not learned from the lies that led us into the Iraq war? Have we not witnessed the folly of avenging violence with more violence?

There is only one side to take. It’s the human side. Help end the madness. Not prolong it.

I am not sure the source of this photo. but if you cannot appreciate the innocence in it, please reconsider what matters most in Life. We are here but for such a short time and we leave this bit of heaven to those who come after us. Think. And act with Love. The choice is always ours.

One Day. Take a listen.

Stories We Refuse To Hear

It’s August and commemorations of the bombings of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 and of Nagasaki three days later honor the lives lost. We’re reminded of the gruesome destruction and the inhumanity released on the world through the atomic bomb.

Podcasts and radio raise the voices of survivors and the unanswered debate lingers: Wasn’t the carnage of Hiroshima enough? Why did the US bomb Nagasaki?

As a youth I was taught the United States won the war and saved lives through the use of nuclear weapons. I don’t recall learning much about horrific annihilation. And I can assure you I never learned about Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Bayard Russell and W. E. B. Du Bois speaking up for nuclear disarmament or ending nuclear testing. Nor was I aware of the racial connections they drew as they warned against the use of the bomb in Vietnam and Korea.*

While we all knew the first atomic bomb test happened in New Mexico, we’re only now learning that generations of families living near the test site are still haunted by cancers linked to that initial explosion. We were not taught that the government did not take the time to warn residents about what was coming, nor did they ever document the after effects. We can thank concerned citizens and family members for that research.

The lasting legacy of the first atomic bomb

I ask myself, what will it take for people to end this nightmare of nuclear war? We fear it. Yet we continue to glorify war and refuse to find peaceful solutions. We teach our histories of omission and refuse to take responsibility for guiding our government to a new direction. Abolition of violence, in our selves and in our world, still waits for us.

This is the map of the first atomic test site in New Mexico known as Trinity. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_(nuclear_test)

*https://www.zinnedproject.org/if-we-knew-our-history/web-dubois-coretta-scott-king-ban-the-bomb/

W. E. B. Du Bois to Coretta Scott King: The Untold History of the Movement to Ban the Bomb

Love as a Wake Up Call

The further we’ve removed ourselves from living naturally on the earth, the more the earth is challenging us to rethink our choices. And the choices keep coming. We’re over mid-way through this year and the natural disasters have increased worldwide. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:2023_natural_disasters

So far we are in mitigation mode. We seek to reduce the severity and the painfulness of what is occurring. But mostly we rely on blind hope. We hope it is all an anomaly. We hope the facts are all wrong. We hope it doesn’t happen to us or at least not to anyone we love.

We hope our money holds out. We hope our air-conditioning does, too. We’re so busy keeping the ship afloat we seldom look to see how those around us are faring.

Mitigation and hope will fail us. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but if you want to find solutions you have to step off the merry-go-round of distraction and roll up your sleeves.

If you are not growing some of your own food or helping others grow food, you are, minimally, out of step. If you are not seeking to reduce your consumption of energy – particularly of fossil fuels, you are a significant part of the problem.

And if you’re not connecting with local partners to create local solutions, stop further pollution, and move towards renewables, you’re not even in the boat.

Get on board! Everyone can do SOMETHING. Wake-up calls have come and gone. For me that call comes in the form of Love. Appreciation for the Earth and for one another gives me the courage to try. And clarity tells me all things are possible.

A mega-transformation is needed. Let’s get on with it.

Category: Humanity