I loved this and will likely give it another read to fully digest and apply to my own online communities and communication. As a descendant of those indigenous to the Armenian Highlands, I am thinking of settler viewpoints and “how far back does one go” often. Armenians talk about Western Armenia a lot (and I certainly identify as a Western Armenian) but it’s been Eastern Türkiye since the 1920s and before that it was Ottoman Türkiye and before that and before that. We experienced a genocide that took our homes, families and lands and created a diaspora that has very different views on the modern Armenian state. But there I go, personalizing current events in Israel based on MY lived experience, which we all do to some extent. There are no easy answers, really, but heart meeting heart is a good way to approach it. Thanks for sharing your thoughtful take.
Thank you for reading and for your thoughtful comment. I've seen other people bring up the Armenian genocide in relation to current events in the Middle East, so you're not alone in drawing parallels to your own heritage.
I recently read two excellent (but quite different) books about the Native American experience in the US...The Indigenous Peoples History of the United States and Braiding Sweetgrass.
The description of what happened is very tough and probably most Americans are little aware of the scope and extent of the violence and betrayal. But there is also some discussion of potential pathways to "truth and reconciliation," just as there are ongoing discussion of reparations for American descendants of enslaved Africans. Is it ever going to be too late for such discussions and subsequent actions? I'd like to think not.
We are living in the results of the decisions of men. I have found it helpful to strip away labels that create “teams” and focus on the non-binary human element. What is the kindest approach?
Here in Canada, we’ve done a bit of T&R work. We now have land acknowledgments and while most roll their eyes at them, I do wonder what the long-term impact is of kids having to speak the names of traditional land stewards and learning about “residential schools” AKA kid prisons. You can “lease” land from Indigenous communities in some parts of “cottage country” and I think that’s probably part of what the Land Back movement looks like.
Having seen Killers of the Flower Moon last week, I am feeling all the parallels deep in my bones. I appreciate having spaces to express and discuss these viewpoints respectfully, so thank you.
I have been looking into the concept of deeding my house to a land trust after my death, but I'm not sure there is one currently managed by the tribe indigenous to my area. This would literally give my little piece of land back... and then what? I guess it would probably be sold and fund the current tribal priorities. That's what's on my list to research.
I read the book Killers of the Flower Moon, and it was a wild ride.
As always, smart and reflective. Thanks for posting this. These principles are possibly the most important things for people to learn in this day and age. I have posted a link to this on my Facebook page as more people need to read this.
Thanks so much, as always, for reading and taking the time to comment too Paul :)
Media literacy and social web communications are two topics I wish were required in school as early as 13 or so...if we're going to spend so much time in these here Internet streets, we should be trained on how to discern what we're consuming...and how to create carefully.
Loved this thoughtful post (gee, when I can't sleep I'm only stewing on homework assignments my son hasn't done, how I should have treated the rude guy at the airport, or what I'm going to say to my client tomorrow - you write a perfectly worded treatise on the elements of effective debate and perspective taking! :-) ou are a master at parsing through the emotionally charged rhetoric of a situation and bringing us back into rational balance. This particular issue has caused me angst about speaking out because of all the reasons you cite. I am trying to do a lot of listening and learning and sharing of voices as I can. But I don't know if I'm considering enough perspectives. I don't know all the history (but am learning through all of this), I don't always know where to gather the best data or source material. I also can't answer the question you ask: How far back do we go? But I try to stick to voicing what I know to be true, as you said. That is....every human deserves to live with dignity and in peace. That we need to protect and support our Jewish friends and neighbors right now AND be there for any Palestinians who have suffered/are suffering. Both/and. I hope and pray for a ceasefire to end all the violence. And that no terrorist group should avoid accountability for the horrors they've inflicted, nor should we assume that terrorist extremists speak for all the people they claim to represent. Thank you so much for this thought provoking post.
Thanks for reading and for your own thoughtful comment. And to be clear I didn't write the whole post in the middle of the night, I just wrote the list of building blocks so I could *remember* to write the post :)
I loved this and will likely give it another read to fully digest and apply to my own online communities and communication. As a descendant of those indigenous to the Armenian Highlands, I am thinking of settler viewpoints and “how far back does one go” often. Armenians talk about Western Armenia a lot (and I certainly identify as a Western Armenian) but it’s been Eastern Türkiye since the 1920s and before that it was Ottoman Türkiye and before that and before that. We experienced a genocide that took our homes, families and lands and created a diaspora that has very different views on the modern Armenian state. But there I go, personalizing current events in Israel based on MY lived experience, which we all do to some extent. There are no easy answers, really, but heart meeting heart is a good way to approach it. Thanks for sharing your thoughtful take.
Thank you for reading and for your thoughtful comment. I've seen other people bring up the Armenian genocide in relation to current events in the Middle East, so you're not alone in drawing parallels to your own heritage.
I recently read two excellent (but quite different) books about the Native American experience in the US...The Indigenous Peoples History of the United States and Braiding Sweetgrass.
The description of what happened is very tough and probably most Americans are little aware of the scope and extent of the violence and betrayal. But there is also some discussion of potential pathways to "truth and reconciliation," just as there are ongoing discussion of reparations for American descendants of enslaved Africans. Is it ever going to be too late for such discussions and subsequent actions? I'd like to think not.
We are living in the results of the decisions of men. I have found it helpful to strip away labels that create “teams” and focus on the non-binary human element. What is the kindest approach?
Here in Canada, we’ve done a bit of T&R work. We now have land acknowledgments and while most roll their eyes at them, I do wonder what the long-term impact is of kids having to speak the names of traditional land stewards and learning about “residential schools” AKA kid prisons. You can “lease” land from Indigenous communities in some parts of “cottage country” and I think that’s probably part of what the Land Back movement looks like.
Having seen Killers of the Flower Moon last week, I am feeling all the parallels deep in my bones. I appreciate having spaces to express and discuss these viewpoints respectfully, so thank you.
I have been looking into the concept of deeding my house to a land trust after my death, but I'm not sure there is one currently managed by the tribe indigenous to my area. This would literally give my little piece of land back... and then what? I guess it would probably be sold and fund the current tribal priorities. That's what's on my list to research.
I read the book Killers of the Flower Moon, and it was a wild ride.
As always, smart and reflective. Thanks for posting this. These principles are possibly the most important things for people to learn in this day and age. I have posted a link to this on my Facebook page as more people need to read this.
Thanks so much, as always, for reading and taking the time to comment too Paul :)
Media literacy and social web communications are two topics I wish were required in school as early as 13 or so...if we're going to spend so much time in these here Internet streets, we should be trained on how to discern what we're consuming...and how to create carefully.
Yes.
:)
Loved this thoughtful post (gee, when I can't sleep I'm only stewing on homework assignments my son hasn't done, how I should have treated the rude guy at the airport, or what I'm going to say to my client tomorrow - you write a perfectly worded treatise on the elements of effective debate and perspective taking! :-) ou are a master at parsing through the emotionally charged rhetoric of a situation and bringing us back into rational balance. This particular issue has caused me angst about speaking out because of all the reasons you cite. I am trying to do a lot of listening and learning and sharing of voices as I can. But I don't know if I'm considering enough perspectives. I don't know all the history (but am learning through all of this), I don't always know where to gather the best data or source material. I also can't answer the question you ask: How far back do we go? But I try to stick to voicing what I know to be true, as you said. That is....every human deserves to live with dignity and in peace. That we need to protect and support our Jewish friends and neighbors right now AND be there for any Palestinians who have suffered/are suffering. Both/and. I hope and pray for a ceasefire to end all the violence. And that no terrorist group should avoid accountability for the horrors they've inflicted, nor should we assume that terrorist extremists speak for all the people they claim to represent. Thank you so much for this thought provoking post.
Thanks for reading and for your own thoughtful comment. And to be clear I didn't write the whole post in the middle of the night, I just wrote the list of building blocks so I could *remember* to write the post :)