Are we addicted to Death?
Every day we hear on the news about the new casualties of war. Death …destruction ….bombs …terrorists…are becoming the facts and the vocabulary of our days.
Yet, we hear the news, like what's going on in Gaza and still go on. Go to eat out, go shopping, chit chat on the phone as if …..as if we are watching a movie not the NEWS.
I find it alarming that we are used to the news of death, that we feel that it's not real ( or act as if). We continue to master more emotion watching the World Cup!! You would here people screaming and cursing, feel so moved and effected by a football game, more than I have seen any one get moved with the news of dead children in Palestine of Iraq.
For me it is so alarming to see all of Amman moved emotionally by 22 men running after one ball for 90 minutes, than the death and killing of innocent women and children. An entire city will live in darkness for at least 6 months, they will have to get water out of wells, they will have not work\ jobs or trade for Allah knows how long, which will result in families sleeping on empty stomachs for a long time. And still to some a yellow or a read piece of paper in match will cause more effect.
I'm sitting in my safe environment, sipping my morning coffee and writing this. I know I'm not so much better than the rest….but at least I have a question in mind what can I do to help? And I get up every day and do what I feel is the thing I can do about it.
I hope this will make all who read this…think what can I do about it?
All for now....
9 comments:
People have grown numb and insensitive about these matters. And I assure you Israel selected this time in specific because they know the world is way too busy watching the 22 men run after the ball
Qwaider
I agree that they have chosen this time in particular …it just hurts me so much that the nation of (conspiracy theory) does not see this one!! And if they do they still go back to watch the game or continue the game of cards on hand.
Life goes on I guess ….
Tamara, excellent analogy, unfortunately that is, for it hallmarks our despicable deceit.
Its striking to know how we came to orient ourselves & our perception of the news we’re fed with constantly, as if it’s all but too normal for a dozen of our Iraqi brothers & sisters to get killed by American mercenaries in cold blood, or its no-big-deal to know that striving Palestinians across the river are perpetually living in miserable conditions without any foreseeable solution in hand!
Allah knows I wish no one any harm, but try to contemplate the loss of the Gaza beach girl (Huda) when a relative, a brother, a sister or parent of yours die, how your world will seize to revolve as you to try to comprehend the loss, even the utmost pious of us fail to accept the reality of death, but apparently, we’re able to feel deludingly sorry for the mass killings of others with a relative ease! Huda’s world as she knew it seized to exist yet to alone to revolve… but not a speeding heart pulse is dedicated in us.
I know of a family that used to spend a couple of hours outside their home across the street ever time they watched the news of Palestinian homes being demolished, it’s a futile attempt to comprehend what it’s really like to have your home demolished and spend the night on the street… but at least they have a taste of it.
You know Basem, I still cannot really put my finger on what make us drift so easily, over such terrible crimes committed towards our brothers and sisters in Iraq and Palestine.
Is it that we got used to it …is it because we cannot do any thing about it …is it because we are so fixated on what's happening to us personally. Are we selfish or emotionally detached ….I don't know.
I just know I hate the passiveness of this situation and the feeling of injustice.
I always ask my self what I can do to help. Doing nothing importnat to our homeland and to these important matters makes me feel so empty and weak because I believe that thinking of them doesnt make me better person than the others. What we do makes the difference!
7ala
Just thinking does not help. But it does make you a better person than the people, who don't give a second glance at the screen if its any thing about our brothers and sisters, who are being brutally killed and their homes destroyed.
Personally I believe the change in our current situation begins from the bottom of the premed. I change my self and help those around me to change them selves, and be more involved with our society, where ever that is it does not matter.
If we will become more positive and involved citizens, we can cause durable change, in politics and foreign affairs of our countries. I'm talking about the very long run ….but what are 10 and 20 years for nations ?! we have been suffering for far longer than that.
Maybe I'm over optimistic …but I know that the change starts with me and you.
Helo Tamara..
Your post was impressive.
I lived all my life in Palestine, except for the last 3 years now in Jordan.
It is very strange how different is it here from here. I mean not the people or the life, but the way i started to think soon after i got out from that very tense place.
Few months and i started thinking again and again : i am away from my homeland, what should i do ? Then I was thnking : what was i doing at the first place when I was there ? this is a more important question to answer !!
away from stupid philosophies and theories I will just hit the nail on the head and answer you : I was doing NOTHING. Of course I was working in one of the hospitals where we saw intifada casualties daily, but this was part of my professional duty, not something that i was DOING for my brothers and friends and people.
It is very irritating, to have such a feeling .
Only recently that I have started viewing my self as part of a culture and a people. A people that surly deserves to live and have the most basic human needs ; safety, respect, freedom.
Anyway, back to me :
I decided that I should do something. I though and thought and i decided that I should go on with writing about what happens in Palestie and telling more people, in a systematic way, about the injustice that we live.
I started writing posts on websites, internet magazines and stuff like that.
Then i started a blog 3 months ago. I also started another blog writing about the health difficulties in Palestine, now i have 3 blogs.
I do believe, Tamara, that you are ALREADY doing something by simply writing about it. Explaining to th public and to the world about the palestinian problem is something that we miss, and its something that is of extreme importance I believe.
I liked 7ala's posts since in som of them she talked about palestine in a PURELY PERSONAL way. this is, I believe , what we need most
I think that you have wonderful writing talents for which you can surely use to affect th atitudes, and consequently behaviours, of significant others who will bring this suffering to a point closer to the peaceful end.
I do urge you to keep writing. Keep reading other peoples blogs, keep adding comments, keep commenting on other peoples comments. this will let the whole know that there is a LIVING people standing to defend its cause and this is itself something that warrents respect.
give it a 20 minutes daily from your time and aftr few months you will see the difference
good work.
wish you th best
Note ; the commments you added on the commenters above were fantastic
:)
thanks and good day
Osaid
sory for the typos.!
Osaid
Thank you for your kind words and I'm glad you like my writing
There are many levels of making a difference ...writing and blogging is only one of a million ways.
Good for you to be taking the initiative.
And yes ..welcome to Jordan
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