Photo: Frank Micelotta
“Robi Damelin lost her son David to a Palestinian sniper. Ali Abu Awwad lost his older brother Yousef to an Israeli soldier. But, instead of clinging to traditional ideologies and turning their pain into more violence, they’ve decided to understand the other side — Israeli and Palestinian — by sharing their pain and their humanity. They tell of a gathering network of survivors who share their grief, their stories of loved ones, and their ideas for lasting peace. They don’t want to be right; they want to be honest.”
Each time I read about them, I weep for the possibilities open to us all. Their actions are not only awe-inspiring and honest. They model the only way forward in a world torn by dissensions of every sort; by a false sense of we vs them; by trying to create a simplistic world of either/or. We are all made of the same human stuff. That is reason enough to listen with the one thing that unites us all – the heart.
You’re so right in your comment above. If this could happen more there would be healing and change. Thank you for this post!
Doesn’t it just seem so – sensible? Nothing good comes from ‘we/they’ extremism as far as I can see, historically or otherwise.
A spectacular post of a spectacular story of love and courage. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for stopping by. I find their response so fundamentally obvious that it’s painful to acknowledge how unique it is in the world. We need more of this healing energy through mutual compassion and vulnerability.