I fancy to think, God giving all of the Holy Land to only the Jews, and His Only Promised People for the Only Promised Land, is to blame for so many Holy Land Children of Abraham living in terror, one from the other two branches. Especially, more so from 7/10/23 onwards. The Judeao-Christian world has turned out to be the most powerful and able to impose its view on the Other - by coercion instead of constraint or fairness or equality or thinking the best of the Other.
That wonderful, and funny, and gloriously illustrated children’s story, ‘The Squirrels Who Squabbled’, is a story for our time. Two squirrels. One, the Jews, could be one branch of the Children of Abraham. The Muslims are the second branch of Abraham. The Christians, the third.
That third branch, the Judeao-Christian world has never actually followed its Founder's insistence on non-violence, only 'peace' that is forever talked about by the Powerful but it's all a sham because they actually believe in coercion, force, violence, killings and above all, a complete inability to share - anything. Violence breeds yet more violence. What our side did to Dresden we now do to Gaza. To make quite sure they get the message. An Israeli Jew who was interviewed likened the Dresden war crime to their own collective punishment of Gazans.
After a disastrous World War in two halves for the empires of the earth, we moved, last century from Pax Brittanica to Pax Americana, with the Brits wisely toeing/towing the US line, as obedient puppy dogs. Churchill knew, at least by July 1914, that if we did not war with Germany for domination, we might well lose our precious British Empire. But we did, anyway, even though we WON both mighty BIG world wars! Dominating over others is an undesirable trait, I think.
Churchill once said, “War - and gardening - are the normal occupations of man.” *
“What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?”
Humanity is a disaster upon the face of the planet. WE are the virus, unfortunately. Only an acceptance of this can ever begin to allow us to live in true justice, in genuine peace and with thinking the best of the Other and, so putting them first. And nature first would also be a very good idea.
Ironically, our much loved Holy Land is the most unholy land on earth - for 76 years, with our inability to share that beautiful land. But we humans, alone, are to blame.
“The bride is beautiful but she is married to another man” is a phrase used to refer to a fundamental problem confronting Zionist ambitions to found a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Wikipedia
Religion is an essential part of the cultures of different peoples. Our belief systems can change towards doing ourselves down and raising the Other up.
* Quoted in Siegfried Sassoon: ‘Siegfried’s Journey 1916-1920’
Tim Weller 22 January 2024
No comments:
Post a Comment