In Israel

I'm nervous to write about this topic.  Israel is a heated, heated subject these days and though I have a clear opinion on the matter, it is not my intention to try to sway others.

It's a frustrating situation when media is biased about everything, subjecting people to not truly get the full story.

This is what I know:  Hamas is a terrorist organization.  They have not only put in danger Israeli citizens in Southern Israel for years, but as a direct consequence, are putting the lives of Palestinians in Gaza in danger as well.

I know that I have now twice heard a siren to alert me of a missile in Tel Aviv, have twice descended the stairs of friends' apartment building to the safety of a bomb shelter, and once actually heard an explosion.  Thank God it was an explosion in the air, intercepted by Israel's amazing Iron Dome security system.  I chose to cancel plans to travel to my apartment in Jerusalem, as bombs have reached there as well.

I'm not going to go into how many rockets have been fired, Israel's responses, or the lives lost and and people hurt- Israelis' and innocent Palestinians'.  It upsets me to see terrorists succeed in ruining lives.

I sincerely believe in the idea that if "Arabs put down their weapons, tomorrow there would be peace; if Israel put down their weapons, tomorrow there would be no Israel."

It brings me to the idea... what IF weapons were put down.  It doesn't erase the things that have happened, lives lost, and societies affected.  How will people move on?  Will people forgive?

Forgiveness.  Something we learned about in depth in a class with Professor Scott Caplan (COMM417) Communication and Conflict Management.  Life changing class.  Seriously.  This class addressed the importance of healthy communication techniques when faced with conflict.  Though it was for our interpersonal interests, I often found myself thinking about the ongoing conflict between Arabs and Jews in and around Israel; between terrorists organizations, like Hamas, and Israel.

The concept of forgiveness is gravely misunderstood.  Forgiveness does not mean to excuse someone from the consequences of their actions; and it does not mean to forget what happened.  Forgiveness is for yourself, rather than for the other.  Forgiveness releases YOURSELF from the burden of other people's actions.  People's actions, I might add, that you can not control.  Forgiveness allows victims to move on from the situation, relieve themselves of the negative stresses that grief and animosity do to our bodies and our health; inhibiting what we can contribute to this world.

In terms of the conflict brewing in the Middle East... imagine how much could be accomplished if A. terrorists were eradicated B. the violence stopped and C. forgiveness was practiced.  People (from both sides) are being killed, if not killed than inflicted with severe physical and/or psychological trauma for the rest of their lives.  Devastating.  Truly.  And I hope the simplicity of such a statement is not misunderstood for insensitivity.  I feel for people that have lost.  But by forgiving, releasing YOURSELF from the confinement of being controlled by hatred and resentment, people can focus on improving their own lives and the lives of those around them; and most of all, hope the next generation will live in a world without these travesties.