I once wrote about respect being a right.
But I don’t believe that hate is a right…
nor is it, ever, right.
Take this once again inflamed and never ending conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
Yes, Israel has the right to defend itself.
And equally yes, the Palestinians have a right to be respected as a distinct nation of peoples, free from the grip of Israeli quasi-colonial control.
Neither has the right to hate the other.
And what is this really all about when you get right down to it?
Religion…
Ah, religion…don’t you just love it?
Religion and hate tend to go hand in hand.
We are suppose to hate anyone who doesn’t believe like we do.
Hate them, convert them, or exterminate them.
I mean, who would do that for, say, the theory of relativity…
even though that one has a lot more empirical evidence to support its basis in fact.
Religion and border protection seem to be the hate “conflagrators” of choice these days.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it once more…
Big proponent of faith I am…
but not of religion.
Nor of borders for that matter.
I have two words that I like to use to describe religion and its influence on us humans…
And right now both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict appear to be blind to the impact of what they are doing to each other and the environment in which their children will grow up.
But I do have faith nevertheless. The following Face Book page helps keep my faith alive…
Jews and Arabs Refuse to be Enemies
Not faith in religion. Faith in the human capacity to bridge religious divides.
Faith in love.
I read a lot these days about how the U.S. needs to “stand with Israel.”
Here’s a novel alternative…
Why not stand for peace?
And stand against hate.
image credit: turkpanzer via Compfight cc