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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.