As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter the words, but to live by them.
-John F. Kennedy
I am very grateful to have set aside Tuesdays as a typical day off each cycle to rest, relax, and balance myself back out as best as I can. I am proud of living by those words, too. It has been a difficult challenge for me to remain silent this long on Tuesdays in order to honor my word about resting as much I can on these days. Two Tuesdays ago, I toyed with the idea of posting about musical bridges because it is my Tunesday; I left it alone. A handful of Tuesdays before that (0416), it was National Healthcare Decisions Day, and I toyed with the idea of posting about self-love by planning ahead. Once again, I left it alone. This time, though, I will balance out my good behavior with a rare exception.
As I see some European countries fight for a righteous balance, I will not leave it alone. I choose to write today because I will applaud their efforts as loudly as I can…
Ireland. Norway. Spain.
They are winning in my book. Maybe my book does not hold much value or weight for anyone else, but it means everything to me, and that is enough. In my mind (in my book), the situation between Israel and Palestine epitomizes disproportional imbalance. The Israeli military took control of and then promptly shut down the southern border in Rafah. That spot had been the main access point for any and all humanitarian aid that had been slowly trickling into Palestine to help stave off the famine that is running rampant there. An American effort installed an ad hoc support system via a floating dock/barge.1 Kudos to USA for being creatively ingenuitive here. However, why are we still supplying Israel with any support at all? There is a disconnect there that does not balance out in my mind. I certainly do not know all of those details, but I think I have a decent nose for fishiness.
Israel stacks all of the cards in the deck against Palestinians. Stack them against Hamas, sure; that makes plenty of sense to me. I know I have said it before, but I will say it again. Why are we punishing the masses for the mistakes of few? I believe Israel could balance out this equation. Why are they choosing to stubbornly refrain from doing so? I know that 100723 was surprising and devastating to all, but what is perhaps less surprising while drastically more devastating is Israel’s atrocities in the almost EIGHT MONTHS SINCE. They have swung the pendulum or scale so severely out of balance that it is borderline laughable; only I am not laughing at all because thousands of lives have been shortened unnecessarily as a result of your blind and blatant belligerence, Netanyahoo. Last week, I was thrilled to hear that the ICC stepped up and issued warrants for your arrest as well as others. They issued warrants for leaders on both sides, Hamas and Israel. That is fair. That is an action that is balanced and well thought out. Benny Boy, please stop trampling others outside of your lane with your temper tantrums; end your pathological war path! Pull your britches up, and think through this crisis in a calm, holistic, and wise manner.
First, I sugjest finding your own inner balance before trying to restore balance elsewhere because what you are trying to do now is an unbalanced shame. It is a damning travesty; it is a nearly-unforgivable imbalance in which you imbue upon the Middle East. Do better. Fight smarter, not harder, and fight for peace. Do not fight with more violence. That is how and why I choose to post today. Maybe it is wise. Maybe it is dumb. Time will tell.
Even yesterday, I heard about yet another airstrike by Israel that has killed more than fifty additional Palestinians. We only heard words from Netanyahoo as a result, not positive actions; an insincere apology about “a tragic accident.” We see no true balance or change in the direction of love, only more platitudes prior to persistent violence. You try to talk the talk, but you are not walking the walk. I honestly feel bad for how red his ledger is… there is still time to balance it back out if you try…
will you begin to be wise, or will you stay dumb?
how do you Choose to spend Your Days?
I choose to Learn, Live, and Love…
while Being as Balanced as I can.
Wise? Dumb? Time will tell.
- Unfortunately, that broke down this week and will now take over a week to repair. That means there is currently no inflow of aid for Palestine at this point in time. The article I read stated that thousands of TONS of aid is stockpiled in Cyprus awaiting delivery to Palestine. Why can the Israeli government not play nice and expedite that delivery to the Palestinian population? Please end manmade famine now! ↩︎