Sorry June, but you lost my interest once you brought up the COVID issue. People who are anti-vaccine threaten the whole population.
Plus, on an entirely different note, while I am certainly not for war, I do think there are definitely times and places where if people had acted more assertively and without fear of war that many larger problems could have been avoided. Such as World War II might have been avoided if people had stood up to and killed Hitler. I am not a pacifist. I have a History degree and I have looked into the past for lessons about the future. Action is important, and sometimes that action needs to be violent to make sure that other violence does not happen. The Old Testament provides many examples of God allowing and possibly even using violence to draw people to himself. Even Jesus, completely enraged, busted over the tables in the Temple. Now, I’m a bit off topic as the topic is Israel, and I watched this partly because I am ignorant of that country’s specific history. The history bit itself was quite interesting. So I thank you for that background. I wish you all the best in your endeavors, but this opinion piece certainly does not make me interested in listening to more.
Alexandra, thank you for taking the time to listen as far as you did, and offering your thoughts on the use of violence.
You said the following: “Action is important, and sometimes that action needs to be violent to make sure that other violence does not happen.” Would you include both the violence by Hamas and Israel as action (violence) to stop other violence? I think it might for a time. In fact it is a common strategy by Hamas and Israel in managing the conflict. Several of Israel’s operations such as Cast Lead were to deter the Palestinians, admittedly for a couple of years. I think after 75 years of this conflict, and war throughout the ages, it is time to seek peace based on something far more powerful than weapons. The strategy would include many elements, not least of which is that of mutual respect.
Take for instance the Hitler scenario. What if we re-wind before the reparations and humility foisted on Germany after their defeat from WW1? Or we could look right now to Azerbaijan and the ethnic cleansing going on there. My argument would include perceiving others as having the worth to treat them with decency and the policies that would align with that value. The formation of a Hitler or Hamas, or IDF has, in my mind, the same components that foment their rise to power, but are far more difficult to address. The endless war games that are played out over and over on this planet have common underlying themes: insecurity, greed, dominance, racism, fear and short term solutions. Physical violence is a symptom of afterthought; a lack of creative, caring solutions that look deep inside to face what drives us, and addressing root cause. Violence is certainly an option, I’m gunning for something far more sustainable. I think that’s why Jesus said if you live by the sword, you die by that sword. It’s a way, it’s just not the best way.
I sincerely thank you for your respectful dialogue. Peace to you and yours this Christmas season.
Sorry June, but you lost my interest once you brought up the COVID issue. People who are anti-vaccine threaten the whole population.
Plus, on an entirely different note, while I am certainly not for war, I do think there are definitely times and places where if people had acted more assertively and without fear of war that many larger problems could have been avoided. Such as World War II might have been avoided if people had stood up to and killed Hitler. I am not a pacifist. I have a History degree and I have looked into the past for lessons about the future. Action is important, and sometimes that action needs to be violent to make sure that other violence does not happen. The Old Testament provides many examples of God allowing and possibly even using violence to draw people to himself. Even Jesus, completely enraged, busted over the tables in the Temple. Now, I’m a bit off topic as the topic is Israel, and I watched this partly because I am ignorant of that country’s specific history. The history bit itself was quite interesting. So I thank you for that background. I wish you all the best in your endeavors, but this opinion piece certainly does not make me interested in listening to more.
Alexandra, thank you for taking the time to listen as far as you did, and offering your thoughts on the use of violence.
You said the following: “Action is important, and sometimes that action needs to be violent to make sure that other violence does not happen.” Would you include both the violence by Hamas and Israel as action (violence) to stop other violence? I think it might for a time. In fact it is a common strategy by Hamas and Israel in managing the conflict. Several of Israel’s operations such as Cast Lead were to deter the Palestinians, admittedly for a couple of years. I think after 75 years of this conflict, and war throughout the ages, it is time to seek peace based on something far more powerful than weapons. The strategy would include many elements, not least of which is that of mutual respect.
Take for instance the Hitler scenario. What if we re-wind before the reparations and humility foisted on Germany after their defeat from WW1? Or we could look right now to Azerbaijan and the ethnic cleansing going on there. My argument would include perceiving others as having the worth to treat them with decency and the policies that would align with that value. The formation of a Hitler or Hamas, or IDF has, in my mind, the same components that foment their rise to power, but are far more difficult to address. The endless war games that are played out over and over on this planet have common underlying themes: insecurity, greed, dominance, racism, fear and short term solutions. Physical violence is a symptom of afterthought; a lack of creative, caring solutions that look deep inside to face what drives us, and addressing root cause. Violence is certainly an option, I’m gunning for something far more sustainable. I think that’s why Jesus said if you live by the sword, you die by that sword. It’s a way, it’s just not the best way.
I sincerely thank you for your respectful dialogue. Peace to you and yours this Christmas season.