October 2023

 

There are two wars occurring in the world right now. The first is the ongoing physical conflict between Israel and Hamas. In response to terrorist attacks attributed by Hamas, Israel has launched military operations in the Gaza Strip, committing horrible atrocities against the Palestinian people. The second is the information war, dividing the world into Pro-Israel vs Pro-Palestine. In the midst of these polarized narratives, one must ask: are we losing sight of our common humanity?

 

There is a part of me that wants to be in my bubble and ignore all this noise because if I had to be realistic, I see no end to this in my lifetime. But I do have hope for the future generations, that each individual action as part of a collective will move the needle forward in the right direction. The importance of remaining informed, challenging personal biases or blindspots and acting accordingly cannot be understated.

 

My own experiences—and the divergent views of my closest friends and family on topics like politics, COVID-19, and climate change—have made me acutely aware of the complexities of human psychology and the echo chambers of social media. As Stanford, Geoffrey L.Cohen reported in, ‘Identity, Belief, and Bias,’ people often persist in long-held beliefs even in the face of evidence that invalidates them. They tend to accept the research that supported their prior beliefs and to denigrate the research that contracted those beliefs. As a consequence, they reported that the evidence made them even more extreme in their beliefs. The tendency to evaluate new information through the prism of preexisting beliefs, known as assimilation bias, is robust and pervasive. Although people acknowledge assimilation in others, they often fail to see it in themselves.’ If you can  imagine how hard it is to break or create a new habit for yourself, magnify that effort a hundred fold, trying to change someone’s mind about something they believe. And this is the true challenge of what is occurring in the Israel-Hamas war. People will believe what they want to believe and social media reinforces these beliefs on a perpetual loop. The people on the ground fighting this war believe with their entire lives and entire identities they are right, and the millions of  people sharing information on social media, just to fuel emotions but void of fair solutions, is why this war is unrelenting. 

 

I see that Israel and Palestine are hijacked by abolitionists from all sides, animated or fueled with a zealous hate or love for buildings and land. Both claiming they were there, ‘first’. The physical land preserves their religious identity and history. They use this argument to justify the killings, Zionist settlements, terrorist attacks, human abuse etc. But I think through harming other human beings as a means to an end to reclaiming their land, it is actually deteriorating the core of their religion.

 

There needs to be a resolution for peaceful coexistence, regardless of who was there first a hundred thousand years ago. They’ve been straining to hold the rope, but it’s time to release the grip. It’s a complicated issue but at the bare minimum, we can start with ourselves. We each need to do our own self-work, continue to travel and break bread with strangers who do have alternate views. We need to expand our world-views, and observe differences in a respectful, curious and unimposing way. Leading by example is the greatest form of activism. One can be patriotic and religious but also hold space for their counterparts and work towards meaningful change. It is important to remember that a minority of ‘insane and mentally ill’ bad actors, do not represent an entire group of good people. Us. vs. They rhetoric is destructive and is a catalyst for harm. 

 

There is a quote I really love. ‘Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.’  Martin Luther.

 

To me, it means, even when things seem insurmountable, we may feel helpless and we are way over our heads, there are small actions we can do to move the needle forward in the right direction. I’m thinking about all the people affected by what is happening in Israel and Palestine and just feel devastated for them, and feel compelled to do my small part to show my support. I am sharing some tips others have shared with me.

 

• Be informed, but verify your sources. Remember a) social media has algorithms to reinforce your personal biases and b) is meant to provoke emotions so again please verify your sources.

• Donate, if you have the means to an organisation, of your choice. I am a supporter of Doctors Without Borders Canada. I like that they are independent and impartial and will provide aid to anyone in need, regardless of nationality, religion or political affiliation. Years ago, I attended a panel discussion with staff who were providing aid in the Syrian War and Migrant Crisis and one of the panellists left a lasting impression on me as he said ‘there are things I can never unsee and can never unhear.’ Chills to this day. 

• Write a letter to your representative to call for a ceasefire. Here is a letter. You just have to put your name, email and postal code and it will generate a letter for you.

• Check on your friends, especially those who have ties to Palestine and Israel. 

• Continue to do self-work. Practising self-work is the best way to help the world. Continue to travel and expand your world views. Observe differences in respectful, curious and unimposing way. 

• It’s easy to be consumed by the news but we need to protect our energies and mental health. <3 If you need space and time offline, take it ungrudgingly and freely.