A state that recognizes that living amongst Jews in a civil manner can be more economically lucrative than constantly threatening them with extinction.
Sometimes, though, I'm reminded that the preacher/comedy genius we called Sam Kinison had an element of truth in his rant about buyin' the regionally impoverished all U-Hauls and screaming at them to MOOOOVE!!!! because it's always gonna be hunger when all ya have is sand there....<GG>
Without a cultural background in invention and engineering, but having one in fierce survivalist instinct, one should not overlook the biospheric element in the quest for a better understanding. Perhaps religious evolutions occur from such broader forces.
Consider that Christianity's growth was impacted one way over centuries as it spread north and west. Islam, once confined to the Middle East and North Africa, tries to spread in all four directions now, till it meets resistance from Eastern religions in India and China, and the Judaeo-mostlyChristian to the north and west.
Sure, it's made its way East to Indonesia, but after that, where? High population rates in Hindu India, Buddhist/Confucianist China can pretty much equal pop-growth rates with the Muslim world.
Advanced technology north and west stems the flow in those directions. Leaving the Muslims to spread south throughout harsh equatorial zones of Africa. It's the sorta luck of the draw that comes when you're the last group to arrive in a city where all the prime real estate is gone.
Viewed that way, and recognizing that Mediterranean access is about as prime as it gets, insofar as coveted territory within the region their destiny has left them with, this map displays the great expanse of port-possibilities: lib.utexas.edu
Turkey has the most coast (mostly Muslim, but a US ally), followed by Egypt (ditto), then Israel, with Syria/Lebanon holding the rest.
Viewed purely from a regional commerce standpoint, an impoverished 'tribe' seeking a decent foothold would likely view the Lebanon/Israel region as the only strategically sensible place to put up such a fight. Add to that a historically near-term displacement imposed by outsiders, which we've overdiscussed thoroughly, and one hardly needs a religion to blame. From that big picture of economic viability/sustainability, the mini-regional extremist evolutions of that religion could be more side-effect than cause.
I think more ills arise from the Idols that are truly worshipped alike among different men, than from the invisible Gods the different groups of men claim as superior. Which is not to suggest the idol is something as crass as vast wealth or greed, but simply economic self-sufficiency.
Such big-picture concepts may be hard to grasp to those caught up in the visible daily struggle to attain survival with dignity during short lives where harsh realities dominate daily decisions from birth. But certainly it's visible from societies not so caught up in the harshness, which is why it's easy to feel for the Jews of the world and the Palestinians.
So why is it that we can understand and feel and still find no answers to the dillemmas? Is all of civilization's advance still mere gloss trapped under the heel of a biological 'survival of the fittest'
paradigm?
Or is there ever the time that different men can agree to consider Montaigne's quote: "Man is stark mad; he cannot create a worm, but he creates Gods by the dozens." and shed their Gods for a week, long enough to discuss heart-to-heart what must be done to reach mutual coexistence?
I hope so, because it's the only real claim to civilization that can be honestly made. The error begins when we think that Gods think. Perhaps Gods or a God feels and reacts by instinct.... by simply BEING. Because such a God does not need to convince anyone of its presence to continue to be; it just IS.
Ah well, now I've strayed too far East, but my point is that real dialogue towards coexistence begins when the thoughts and ideologies are set down with the armor long enough to speak of the common positive things both sides wish to experience in their feelings as human beings.
Perhaps the wiser heads among the men & women in Israel and Palestine will have to strip naked in a sauna where all pretensions to perfection end and a common humility can strive for a cleansed reality going forward. |
