As I walked around our cottage two days ago, when the morning mist reduced the visibility all round, I noticed the tomatoes in our kitchen garden and a Bulbul in its usual flight station.
The distant view all around the cottage was masked.
During this intense Israeli-Palestine war, many reporters from the war zone, tell us of the terrible experiences of human loss, injury, migration to unknown destinations, homelessness, starvation, injured suffering in the hospitals which do not have electricity or water supply, etc.
Amidst this macro view of human suffering, there are some reports of personal conversations the reporters have had with some families who suffered loss. Such stories are so terrible that one can never imagine that hatefulness could reach such a state to shoot at sight innocent unarmed people. Such personal stories of pain, loss and trauma are covered by the macro stories of devastation of buildings and hide outs of terrorists.
Each human life, in that large number of three thousand people who lost their lives, since the war began seven days ago, is a micro story of personal loss and disruption of his or her family.
The American president talks about 20 Americans still missing; the Israeli prime minister talks about 150 still in captivity, other nations make preparations to fly out their nationals.... in the midst of all these necessary steps, I wonder whether we think bout a six month old baby who lost her mother and would not be breast fed any longer and grow up away from her family without biological parenting!
This war would cause devastation of property, residences, streets, public institutions, supply chain, fertile grounds, water supply sources, etc.
Them there are thousands who so suffer that their life time would not be enough to recover from the ripple effect of this trauma, which they suffered from. The more we show hateful and harmful intent, the more people feel revengeful and reactive.
I am still looking out for news of humanitarian activities in this devastated war zone, where acts of kindness and thoughtfulness refresh people with faint hope and trust in the chances of journey towards recovery.
The optic the world leaders give us in their pronouncements of the next step, are more aggressive steps to fight terrorism. I hope they would think about the impact of more aggressive containment activities. It would make some even more vindictive. This is a vicious cycle.
I have a suspicion that hate breeds more hatred. Love begets more love!
Is there not some evidence that children who grow up in deprived environment are more inclined to be radicalised! Why is that major large initiatives are not in place to make childhood more rich and rewarding for children! We spend hugely to create weapons, but invest poorly in making children's early years formative and purposeful!
The current war is in a region, where three major religions of the world have a shared past and heritage of memories.
All the three religions have so much in common in terns of their traditions of beliefs and practices. And yet that region is the battle ground of recurrent conflicts and wars.
I have also a suspicion that the leaders in position to lead the affairs of the nations have a misty outlook. They overlook the truth and reality under the influence of political or territorial ambitions. Otherwise, why is that the appeal of the United Nations to come to the negotiating table hastily was trivially responded to by the Israeli prime minister!
No matter how opaque might be one's sight and foresight in a misty morning, the Bulbul is still there and the garden has ripened tomatoes!
It is a world of prospects, opportunity and hope into which generations of children would be born to continue this earthly journey of pilgrimage. Some are to quick to claim the prophetic role and predict the end of times by referring to the Biblical narrative. It reminds us that we are in the tarrying season. The call is not for spreading euphoria about the rapture, but to do good and live by 'loving our neighbours as ourselves'!
I am glad that I found the Bulbul and the tomatoes in a misty morning. It brought to my heart a message: the truth might be hidden to those who have misty eyes or hasty mind, but those who 'seek shall find, and those who knock shall find the door opened'!
It is for this reason, the call to be meditative in mystical times, is all the more relevant and compelling!
To have our inclination towards God of love, is the beginning to have an alternative view of humankind, and to receive people as they are and be involved in making life on earth peaceful and fraternal!
M.C.Mathew(text a photo)
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