MANY SIDES OF THE SAME COIN

Discussions and debate are an important way to understand the various perspectives that people from around the world bring on a variety of issues.  These discussions and debates not only educate us about a person’s views regarding the specific matter but also provides an insight on the philosophy of life in general the person might be following.

For some of us, such discussions are a way of connecting to friends around us, making new ones and trying to be a catalyst in creating an environment where each one of us has the freedom to express ourselves without being judged. I have a few friends who email a news- item or an article to a group with a view to do precisely this. One such email came from one of my friends, an American, a few days back which was addressed to a group of four people (Canadian, American,  Italian and of course an Indian).

The email  contained a news-feed by a Republican, Larry Gilbert about  President Obama making a point to attend the memorial service of former South African president Nelson Mandela yet skipped the services for Israel's former PM Ariel Sharon,. Mr. Gilbert concluded that, the US President may pay lip service to   supporting Israel but when it comes to showing  real support, to the region's sole Democracy this has no value to him.

To this, my friend & originator of the email responded by commenting that Mandela, was very much one of the greatest people ever.  Yes, he was part of the ANC and then became President of South Africa, forgave the brutality of the  white South Africans and put together reconciliation.   Mandela had very little choice, the white South African regime were fascists and  treated. People of Color as slaves.  He further commented that  Israel may be  a democracy  but it is also is the occupier of Palestine . It is treating others in the same methods as to  how the Nazis treated the Jews. The problem is that Israel was put into a hostile environment from the time that  it was born.  The Middle East to say the least is terribly messed up and may never change.

Both the News-feed and  the response were in the email. Each of us who were the recipients responded. One such response said that the  larger issue goes unnoticed because too many people are emotionally stuck in their beliefs of this or that i.e. religion and territories separate us into us and them. In these superficial perspectives we disallow ourselves from feelings of empathy, of compassion for others. Mandela knew this when he forgave those who enslaved the blacks. Jesus knew this when he said turn the other cheek. So we are put into artificial boundaries and are expected to be patriotic, or true believers when the reality is we are all one species just trying to find real meaning in life, like that of service to others.

. My response focussed on the various perspectives of an issue.   For me, for each incident there are always two perspectives, neither of them wrong. The one followed Gandhi or Mandela of  giving my other cheek if I'm slapped on one. The other being the one of Subhash Chandra Bose,  who, in my opinion was more radical than Gandhi of retaliating,.  My response further said that  yes, we are all first and more most humans and then anything else. Patriotism should not be at the cost of humanity. I am  very proud to be an  Indian but my humanity will always triumph over patriotism. However this said forgiveness is a precious gift and should not be given to the undeserving.

One of the recipients of the email  said  that Israel should have been put in Utah not in the middle of Arab or Muslim areas. Israel has outgrown their geographic and political boundaries and they aren't playing so nice with their neighbours. The billions of dollars the US pumps into the region has dire consequences to our own citizens. When every child in the US has access to healthy food, a college education, decent housing, and mental health services, then she’d say it's ok to ensure that Israel has the same. In her opinion the Middle East is sucking the US dry! Lastly she said that  she just wants health insurance for her daughter so she doesn't have to self- medicate by drinking alcohol and she doesn’t think she is asking for too much.

The discussion reveals the various stand points that people take on an issues, liberal, conservative, humanitarian. We may agree with some and not with others. We may find the responses too simplistic to a conflict ridden complicated history of Israel and Palestine but the bottom line is that these discussions serve as an important tool to educate each other and create awareness about diversity and opinion that a single issue can generate.

Let’s keep the discussion flowing...