Dare to be opinionated…
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Marlies
04 September 2012 | Libanon, Beiroet
Dear all,
This will not be my usual blog with chitchat about the weather, Lebanese lifestyle or funny incidents at work. Today I have something to ask from you. In these times of elections (in the Netherlands at least) I hope people are more involved in politics and start thinking and debating which political party represents their views best. I do too, and since I live in the Middle East for the moment, I look into the views of Dutch politicians on the situation here. I would really appreciate it if you all did the same…
I know for many of us Europeans the Middle East and the Israel-Palestine conflict is something in far, far away land which always passes by on the news and therefore we must know enough about it by now. But do we? Do you? Because I sure didn’t when I came here! I started reading and listing to people and trying to understand what history had brought people to do the things they are doing to each other. This history is especially important for understanding the Israel-Palestine conflict because it can be difficult to find an objective source. If I thought that my knowledge was either objective or sufficient, I would give you a quick and to-the-point overview concluding with how you can help to make things better. Unfortunately (or fortunately) there are very few people who would be able to do this, so my request might require some substantial effort from your side to deepen your knowledge. I don’t want to sound condescending or assuming you have no knowledge about it at all, but in my experience very few people really know how things begun and to what point they have evolved since then. Also, I am not trying to get you to adopt my opinion, as long you make sure you have A opinion. Please do not think of this as something far, far away that passes by on the news at least three times a week! This conflict has destroyed the lives of millions of people and it will continue to do so for years unless we decide where we stand and what we do and do not find acceptable to be done in our name! You do not need to have studied law or history to make up your mind here. Just read and imagine yourself on both sides, arguing both points of view and decide how you feel about it. I am urging you to do this because I think we are led too much by what politicians say about how to respond to events that took place recently (‘they hit us yesterday so we will hit them back tomorrow’), instead of tackling the origins of the problem. Don’t choose a side if you can’t or don’t want to! Just don’t be loyal to religion, guilt or prejudice without having a well-founded opinion on the actual problem, and decide how you think people -all people- should be treated. And then go back to the politicians and see if anyone of them ever did the same!
This was my favor to ask from you. Sorry if I have been too subjective after all; I really tried not to! Good luck and enjoy implementing your right to influence what happens in your name; many would love to have this privilege.
Thanks!
This will not be my usual blog with chitchat about the weather, Lebanese lifestyle or funny incidents at work. Today I have something to ask from you. In these times of elections (in the Netherlands at least) I hope people are more involved in politics and start thinking and debating which political party represents their views best. I do too, and since I live in the Middle East for the moment, I look into the views of Dutch politicians on the situation here. I would really appreciate it if you all did the same…
I know for many of us Europeans the Middle East and the Israel-Palestine conflict is something in far, far away land which always passes by on the news and therefore we must know enough about it by now. But do we? Do you? Because I sure didn’t when I came here! I started reading and listing to people and trying to understand what history had brought people to do the things they are doing to each other. This history is especially important for understanding the Israel-Palestine conflict because it can be difficult to find an objective source. If I thought that my knowledge was either objective or sufficient, I would give you a quick and to-the-point overview concluding with how you can help to make things better. Unfortunately (or fortunately) there are very few people who would be able to do this, so my request might require some substantial effort from your side to deepen your knowledge. I don’t want to sound condescending or assuming you have no knowledge about it at all, but in my experience very few people really know how things begun and to what point they have evolved since then. Also, I am not trying to get you to adopt my opinion, as long you make sure you have A opinion. Please do not think of this as something far, far away that passes by on the news at least three times a week! This conflict has destroyed the lives of millions of people and it will continue to do so for years unless we decide where we stand and what we do and do not find acceptable to be done in our name! You do not need to have studied law or history to make up your mind here. Just read and imagine yourself on both sides, arguing both points of view and decide how you feel about it. I am urging you to do this because I think we are led too much by what politicians say about how to respond to events that took place recently (‘they hit us yesterday so we will hit them back tomorrow’), instead of tackling the origins of the problem. Don’t choose a side if you can’t or don’t want to! Just don’t be loyal to religion, guilt or prejudice without having a well-founded opinion on the actual problem, and decide how you think people -all people- should be treated. And then go back to the politicians and see if anyone of them ever did the same!
This was my favor to ask from you. Sorry if I have been too subjective after all; I really tried not to! Good luck and enjoy implementing your right to influence what happens in your name; many would love to have this privilege.
Thanks!
-
04 September 2012 - 15:46
Els:
You are totally right, I was doing the' stembreker' today to help me decide on which party to vote.. there was a question: 'Should we give our support to Israel?' I decided to hit the 'I don't know' button, because I have no idea... Time for some research indeed! -
04 September 2012 - 20:46
Juul:
Lieve Lies,
Het is inderdaad een groot probleem waar ik ook veel te weinig van weet...
Hoe weinig eigenlijk, merk ik nu ik het boek 'Geen vijanden" van dr.Anne de Jong, antropologe, aan het lezen ben. Het fijne van dit boek is dat het niet pro-Israëlisch of pro-Palestijns is, maar juist de kant van de mensenrechten belicht. Er zijn heel veel Israëliërs en Palestijnen die weigeren elkaars vijand te zijn.
Voor iedereen die nog tijd heeft om te lezen een aanrader! -
04 September 2012 - 21:53
Roel:
Dear Lies,
I read your blog and I was very impressed.
The problems in the Middle East are complicated, and you are absolutely right that they deserve our attention.
In these rough economic times, we are easely just concentrating on our own internal problems. Almost no one is talking about our foreign policy, exept about Europe. And it is for sure right that what happens in the Middle East is extreemly important, for us in Europe, for Africa, for Asia, for the world.
Your blog made us focus again on very relevant questions outside Europe.
And dear daughter.....................it was a very, very good blog!! -
04 September 2012 - 22:17
Dirk:
While watching the debate between the representatives, I just can't make up my mind. They all seem to have rehearsed their onliners very wel and not taking a stand to preserve possible coalitions. One thing is sure: no outcome will be pleasant. At this moment none of the parties deserve my vote!
And Lies, the Middle East Conflict doesn't have any priority as far as I see.
Els, the question that lies above that: should we fight someone else's war? The answer should be 'no', but there are too many 'peace missions'. How does a department designed for violence keep it peacefully? -
05 September 2012 - 08:48
Marlies:
Thanks for the comments :) Dirk, of course this conflict is in no way more important than others! Please do read about those as well! I am more involved in this one because I am living it and because I see more prejudice and discrimantion against arabs than againt others groups. Also, please read about peace missions and remember that we owe our peace to another country that stepped in on our behalf years ago! -
08 September 2012 - 17:46
Jantien Rotshuizen:
Hai Lies,
I read your blog and I recognised thinks from what I am learning right now in Lund. I agree with you that we all should have more knowlegde about what is going on in the world, rather than only focus on our own problems. I must hounestly say that I too, do not know enough about this conflict. I hope, by taking the classes I have here (about the history of development from economic, social and geographical point of view) I get to learn more about this. For me, the most important thing is to be openminded when learning about it and trying to put yourself (and thereby myself) in their position. that is, I think, the only way to be able to make a right decision. I hope you are well, actually kind of beiing in that position....
Love you!!! -
19 November 2014 - 20:43
Nawar:
" Good luck and enjoy implementing your right to influence what happens in your name; many would love to have this privilege". --- So True .. since the french revolution (1789-1799) until the Syrian revolution, millions of lives and souls had been paid to have this privilege, this right and the feel of being free, - each part has its opinion, these opinions are not absolutely right, but also not absolutely wrong, like liberalism and socialism, no one is absolutely right or wrong, while mixing them could be the ideal solution for the time being, the most important thing is respecting the humanity in each part ... respecting the other parties' opinions and the ability to live in peace ... differences are always required to keep the evolution continues .. and elections is the only way in present to guarantee this evolution to keep ongoing peacefully .. which really as you said " many would love to have this privilege" and will add, many would pay their lives for it.
in somehow in this conflict, both are oppressive and oppressed in the same time, each part looks at its government and people as heroes, trying to defend them in all possible ways, this kind of fears, insecure, nonacceptance of living with other partners etc., generate the hatred which leads to this conflict and/or wars .. when everyone do believe that there is nothing could be called "absolutely" even 1+1 it's not necessarily = 2 in general - when they do understand this, I think they will start to understand that they must live together in peace ..
I'm impressed Marlies ;)
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