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I don't deny I have pretty strong opinions on some issues, but there are some I refrain from simply because I don't feel qualified enough to speak about or I'm not involved enough to pretend I have a stake in it.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of those. I am not Israeli or Palestinian/Arab. I'm neither Jew or Muslim. I am, by pretty much any definition, an outsider to the issue.

I don't pretend to have a solution or know the correct answer. I don't have the means to untangle this frayed, bloody knot. All I can do is look from a foreign shore and see images of death and destruction.

So much blood has been spilled into soil that, if dug up, would reveal the remains of the past war. Dig deeper and you'll find even more, on and on until bedrock. That may say something about the human spirit, inevitability or continuity, but to me its just depressing, even as I find myself drawn to learn more about each layer and what it says.

There are thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people right now, who are not sure if they are going to make it until tomorrow. If they will live to see the next sunrise or sunset. It's a fear that permeates and extends beyond ethnicity, religion, language, or ideology. Many of those wondering that haven't even reached adulthood, and I think its terrifying that there are children out there right now forced to comprehend their own mortality when they should instead be learning to play, laugh, love and live.

And that is sad.

Description

I don't deny I have pretty strong opinions on some issues, but there are some I refrain from simply because I don't feel qualified enough to speak about or I'm not involved enough to pretend I have a stake in it.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of those. I am not Israeli or Palestinian/Arab. I'm neither Jew or Muslim. I am, by pretty much any definition, an outsider to the issue.

I don't pretend to have a solution or know the correct answer. I don't have the means to untangle this frayed, bloody knot. All I can do is look from a foreign shore and see images of death and destruction.

So much blood has been spilled into soil that, if dug up, would reveal the remains of the past war. Dig deeper and you'll find even more, on and on until bedrock. That may say something about the human spirit, inevitability or continuity, but to me its just depressing, even as I find myself drawn to learn more about each layer and what it says.

There are thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people right now, who are not sure if they are going to make it until tomorrow. If they will live to see the next sunrise or sunset. It's a fear that permeates and extends beyond ethnicity, religion, language, or ideology. Many of those wondering that haven't even reached adulthood, and I think its terrifying that there are children out there right now forced to comprehend their own mortality when they should instead be learning to play, laugh, love and live.

And that is sad.