Perhaps, like you, my current rhythms of life and daily routine have recently been interrupted by bits and pieces of breaking news about the latest violence in Israel. I\u2019ve been tempted to pay brief attention to headlines and press reports to have at least some sense of what\u2019s going on in the world \u2014 granted, that is before conveniently returning to the ease and comfort of my routine and to what I already know. Israel is some approximate 5690 miles away. Why should I care?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I do.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The challenge immediately stems, no less, from the difficulty of obtaining knowingly accurate news. As the Intramuralist engaged with caring others this past week, one concerned friend insightfully responded, \u201cI just wish I knew what was true. I also wish I knew where to find it.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n And there we have it. We don\u2019t know. And suffice it to say that seemingly many others with mics in their hands and keyboards at their fingertips not only also don\u2019t know, but, they don\u2019t know what they don\u2019t know.<\/em> That lack of awareness makes the problem worse and more difficult to comprehend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Too many have boldly asserted simplistic answers or edicts, presumably \u2014 semi-admirably, perhaps \u2014 to make the problem go away\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n One state\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Two states\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Can the Jewish and Palestinian communities overlap?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n (Or perhaps the most oft tempting response…) Could they please just stop fighting?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Others have offered input from their own, respectfully faulty filters\u2026 labeling Israel an \u201capartheid state,\u201d for example, forgetting that Arabs and Jews vote and stand equal under Israeli law, which thereby contradicts the definition of \u201capartheid.\u201d This is not a racist issue, friends. In fact, we serve our collective intellect poorly when we assume all can be accurately understood from a racist\/anti-racist binary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In discerning this issue, aware that we don\u2019t know what we don\u2019t know, the most important approach seems once again doused in humility. Humility reminds us we don\u2019t have a perfect understanding of the issue. Humility makes us open to new information. In humility, we ask more than we declare. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Hence \u2014 noting that the current conflict has been the worst fighting between Israel and Hamas since the 50 day, 2014 Gaza War \u2014 we offer the following, admittedly incomplete list of 15 questions\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Undoubtedly, the fighting here has gone on for eons; the solution isn\u2019t simple. In the most recent, 100 year dispute, the fight has focused on who owns the land and who has a right to live there. There is so much history. So much to learn. And when people struggle to get along and honor one another, there is so much humility that is necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Respectfully\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n AR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Perhaps, like you, my current rhythms of life and daily routine have recently been interrupted by bits and pieces of breaking news about the latest violence in Israel. I\u2019ve been tempted to pay brief attention to headlines and press reports to have at least some sense of what\u2019s going on in the world \u2014 granted, … <\/p>\n