Israel

“No one can afford to assume that someone else will solve their problems. Every individual has a responsibility to help guide our global family in the right direction. Good wishes are not sufficient; we must become actively engaged.” ~The Dahlia Lama
In today’s world, individuals cannot afford to be apathetic. Apathy puts the lives of others at risk. Yet, Americans are typically thought of as being a red, white, and blue wave of apathy. I have chosen to actively engage myself in global issues and overcome America’s apathetic label. I thrust myself face first into the global scene in the summer of 2007 through a pilgrimage to Israel. It was a ten day trip that made apathy impossible.
Personally, I am strongly set in my religious convictions, and when I was surrounded by such diverse religious cultures, all of which are also very set in their religious convictions, I realized that world religions have a major impact on how the globe functions. People are often so fervent in their opinions that they refuse to accept the idea that issues are always shades of gray and never as black and white as they may seem. Religious disputes have led to wars and mass murders. In fact, religions are one of the main issues currently causing friction in Israel. For example, Ahkmed, our bus driver who was kind enough to take my pilgrim group all over Israel, told our group about the Hebron Mosque massacre of 1994. A Jewish man walked in to the Hebron Mosque and killed twenty-nine Muslims at prayer because he believed that all Muslims were evil. The capital of Israel, Jerusalem, finds itself divided into four quarters, Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and Armenian. People across the world cannot grasp that openness to the opinions of others does not mean admission of their ideals. This type of closed-minded prejudice is one of the barriers that keeps the world from being a more diversity-respectful place.
Americans are incredibly apathetic because the American system of politics has not been seriously threatened since the time of the Civil War. Even though many Americans complain about how terrible the country is, most are confident that democracy will not fail them. A visit to Israel showed me that every country that claims democracy is not necessarily as impartial in their governing as America. Ahkmed drove my fellow pilgrims and me to the Dead Sea one day. This part of the Dead Sea is within the land that some know as Palestine, or the eastern-most part of the West Bank. Ahkmed is a Palestinian Muslim who lives in Jerusalem. Even though he is a citizen of Israel, and does not even live in the West Bank area, he was not allowed to go to the Dead Sea with us. In fact, no Palestinians are allowed to be in the Dead Sea. As we entered, everyone was asked to show passports to prove that we were not Palestinians (apparently the white skin wasn’t enough). Americans moved past the last of this forty-some years ago with desegregation in the south, and the majority are mortified at the idea of separation by race; yet, in some countries it is still a common occurrence. Later on the same day, back at our hotel, a group of people tried to call a cab to go out. The cab driver said that it would be impossible to go out right now because the Israeli government had put road blocks on several major roads for the night. The next morning I asked Ahkmed why the roads had been closed. Ahkmed replied, “The government wants to remind everyone who the boss is. They do that every now and then just to tell people not to get any bright ideas.” One would hope that Americans would be furious if the government closed down roads for no reason. Yet, with the lack of response from recent wiretapping in America, it appears American indifference has reached a new high. The longer Americans continue this lackadaisical attitude towards politics and the world in general, the more susceptible the American system becomes to corruption.
NBC and ABC are happy to show viewers an interview with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, to show the fighting in Iraq, or the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. However, major news stations seldom show are the pains and struggles of the everyday person in those countries. I have yet to see a story about a man like Ahkmed, who is endlessly oppressed by his “democratic” government, and yet continues to be honest and non-violent. Ahkmed was enrolled in law school, but because of the way that Israel is right now, ended up becoming a bus driver. He has three beautiful, kind-hearted children who he raises to be non-judgmental and concerned for the welfare of others. Yet, rarely has a story appeared on the news about a man like him. He is one of millions who are misrepresented and ignored. Newscasters show the stories that will get ratings. The more apathetic Americans become to global events, the more shocking the news stories must become to catch the viewer’s attention. This results in the meager coverage of political unrest such as Darfur, Uganda, Myanmar, and Palestine. When these places do appear on the news it is nearly always about fighting or protesting. Knowing about current fighting or protesting is of vital importance; however, it is even more critical, and far more useful, to look not only at the fighting, but what has actually caused this strife. It is terribly important that humanity look at the everyday stories of those who are struggling to feed their families. Many Americans in today’s world are too self absorbed to truly look at the big picture and take action to promote justice.
On June 16th, 1963, John Fitzgerald Kennedy told East Berliners: “Ich bin ein Berliner”, or “I am a citizen of Berlin”. On that day President Kennedy told the world that when the citizens of one nation suffer, the world suffers. That is just as true today, although fewer Americans believe it. Israel revolutionized my world views. I took a major cultural step away from the American mind set of caring more about Britney’s shaved head or Lindsay’s rehab issues than the crisis in Darfur. I opened myself up to new experiences, cultures, ways of thinking, and new and fascinating people. America must take a stand and become concerned with the emotions and sufferings of the rest of the world before it is too late. Many foreign countries are already at odds with American policies and situations are not improving. Apathy is the American plague; it is time to step up and be the cure.

Share this post on:

 •    •    •    •    •