In Clown World, it’s altogether normal that a planned march for an armistice in Palestine would be attacked as inappropriate…for Armistice Day.
Although it may sound trite and impossibly Panglossian, there’s only one thing that can keep people from fracturing along political and religious lines to the point of othering those they’ve never met. That’s the recognition that all human life is sacred, regardless of it national, tribal or historical bonds.
Here’s a moving example of this possibility. In February of 2018, 3000 people were invited to Haifa, Israel, to sing a song of peaceful coexistence in three languages. Those attending were complete strangers who identified as Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and nonreligious. They learned the song and their parts in one hour.
With this notion in mind, I thought I’d recycle a Remembrance Day reminder. The red poppy was never intended to honour civilians killed in war, just armed personnel. In an updated piece from 2 years ago, I explain how this can be remedied, if only symbolically.
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I was scratching my head and thinking about everything that's going on in the Middle East when seemingly quite by chance I stumbled upon a book, one that I've read before, that explains everything about it; it amazed me that this books messages and passion in this regard should should have passed me by upon first reading. It's one I'm sure you know, "Skinny Legs and all" by Tom Robbins. Now is an incredibly good time to re-read that book. As with your posts it's a timely reminder of truths that more sectarian views can eclipse.