Sunday, December 06, 2009
Prejudice
Sometimes it's hard being in Israel. Of course, there is prejudice everywhere, but it's so deep here. People don't even realize they are prejudice. Many times I feel my friends think I'm dumb or ignorant for not hating Arabs, Bedouins, and other non-Jewish Israelis, but I don't think I'm dumb or ignorant. I make a conscious effort to not hate and to not judge people and to not let other peoples' behaviors effect who I am or what I believe. I chose to not hate, the same way I chose to believe in God. And I believe that God created everyone: Jews, Christians, Muslims, atheists, etc...so why would God make one group superior...all the issues here seem so silly, so sad. How is it so simple to hate someone just because they hate you? Gandhi said, "An eye for an eye and the whole world goes blind." He was a smart little man. I guess my point is, I can't hate, or I won't let the "other side" let me hate because they are so willing to. I refuse to let hate into my heart and mind because someone hates me, that only let's them win and breeds more hate.
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3 comments:
Hang in there. Opening up a mind is a hard battle. Taking on a culture of misunderstanding and hate is an epic challenge.
A good quote is that -“Prejudice cannot see the things that are because it is always looking for things that aren't” - take care and keep challenging others to open their eyes
Wes
I think the same thing. People are sometimes prejudice against me because I wear a kippah. They think I'm prejudice and I'm not.
I personally am not a fan of Gandhi. Gandhi believed that the Jews living under Nazisism should have fought off the Nazis using non-violent means, as if that was remotely possible under such a circumstance. Personally, I find Gandhi's brand of pacifism to be unworkable in most instances, even though it worked for him in India. I also don't approve of how he objected to the existance of a Jewish state in Palestine. Any ways, this is why I am no Gandhi fan.
Regarding your points, I don't think that the people in our program are prejudiced against Arabs. Even if some of the Israelis that you met here are, they may have a legitimate reason to feel that way. They may have lost a relative or someone else they cared about to an Arab terrorist. You can never know why a person feels a certain way unless you have lived that persons life experiences. It is important not to judge, even if something does not make sense to you. Any ways, that is my two sense.
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