THE MIDDLE-EAST CONFLICT - THE APPLICATION OF CRITICAL COGNITION
It is my opinion that as free-thinking critical thinkers we must enter the dialogue for peace. We must extend ourselves as best as we can, as we are able, in order to be heard, and recommend solutions. A resolution to this most recent issue is what is required. It is simply a small part of a much larger solution. However, we have to approach the situation critically, carefully considering the ramifications of various options, and taking into account the perspectives of all involved. This is an incredibly daunting task, but it is not one we should shy away from.
When I first attempted to write this from the
comfort of my kitchen, my beautiful daughter, Elle was reaching up for me with
both hands, eager to have me pick her up. I looked at my beautiful baby
girl, reached down, picked her up, and placed her in my lap. As I
continued to type, I was distracted by the report of more bombings in
Gaza. These events were on my television, to my visual right. To my
left, my wonderful wife Erica was cooking mushrooms, not because I wanted them,
but because she wanted them, and thought I might enjoy them as well. It
was then, at that moment, that Elle leaned back and pressed … something.
I still don’t know what she did, but I lost the entire blog entry.
I was dejected. I had written quite a bit,
and it was all gone. I couldn’t be mad. If you look at the pictures
of my child and see the love in her eyes you’ll know why. Still, in that
moment, in the comfort of my home, the sound of explosions echoed from the
widescreen TV. Who was I to even feel the marginal beginnings of
dejection when lives where being blasted apart on the other side of the globe?
I felt the need to speak, to express myself, to enter into this
dialogue. I have a responsibility as a free-thinking common man to
use what has been given to me in the service of human accountability. For
in this, the very service to humankind, I learn grow, evolve, and better serve
myself.
So, I point my mind towards the critical
consideration of the Middle-East conflict, towards the Arab-Israeli
generational war, towards Islamic Extremism, Jewish Militancy, the right
to exist, to live free, to avenge, compassion, and objectives, both strategic
and tactical.
In our so-called post-modern world we’ve learned to be quite jaded and
reactionary to that which is highly controversial and of the moment.
However, even as we grow to become more conscientious in some instances (which
is why we can’t stomach unrestricted warfare, which true old-style conquest
still requires) we tend to forget one atrocity in favor of the atrocity of the
moment. Hence, we common everyday folk can forget the fact that Hamas has
been lobbing rockets into Israel for quite some time, truly murdering innocent
men, women, and children.
I pulled the above picture from a website. Some of you may be able to readily tell the ethnicity of the lost souls in this image of human tragedy. I would ask you to cast that aside, and imagine them as the people down the street. Then, imagine them as the people next door. Then imagine them as your spouse, and children. Take a moment and imagine this happening in your own home. Then, whether you support Jew or Muslim, put yourself in the place of being the man that has lost his wife and children. For you, sides no longer matter. Unfortunately, you are lost at this moment, your soul has been dealt a deathblow, and we as involved individuals on the sidelines can't leave you, our fellow human being, alone to deal with this immense tragedy. It is up to us to strive to pull you to the side of the doves, and not seek retribution. This is an incredibly difficult thing to do. It is impossible, when critical thinking is nowhere to be found around you, and the people that approach you demand that your group (nation) go beyond defense and condemnation, but rather leap to swift and deadly action, that hawks be loosed, and killers and killing machines be given free reign to deal death to those on the other side, no matter the cost, no matter the result.
This is the continuing cycle of Middle-East violence, a tableau that has been played out on the canvas of human experience since our inception. We must grow, evolve, change, and be better. We need new hope, radical ideas for change, without compromising our ability to defend ourselves from those human anachronisms that exude violent and attractive charisma for the express purpose of spreading hate and dealing death in the name of faith and ideology, or personal gain. We must learn to see these people for what they are, and root them out.
Bear in mind, this is what Israel's stated objective in this current conflict is. Unfortunately, the leadership of the terrorists know it is best to live and act amidst non-combatants. The world has no stomach for unrestricted warfare, or defense that takes the lives of innocents and classes them as collateral. This is understandable and proves the case for human evolution towards a state of peace and away from war. Unfortunately, it does not rest in the reality of our world, taking into account the sociopathic tendencies of the human anachronisms, their leadership ability, and the violent might they wield when they take advantage of the double-standard, using humans as bombs and shields, but crying foul when the other side wails in pain, strives to maintain civility, and then finally gives in to human nature, defending themselves with blood, bone, bullet, and the other tools of modern warfare, tools that limit the collateral damage, but in no way eliminate it.
I’m asking you all, my friends, to take a moment
and really think about this situation.
I’m asking you to not instantly jump to an opinion.
I’m asking you to not immediately agree with me.
I’m asking you to not suddenly be filled with hate
for me or my words.
I’m asking you to Stop & Think, and then, only
then, render an opinion.
I’m asking you to be a positive voice in this
dialogue, and not an Internet refrain for hate
Arabs have killed Arabs, Jews have killed Jews,
Christians have done the same, and in the Middle-East conflict both former
groups have murdered one another in the name of idealology. They ignore
the truth, that the true objectives of the extremists on both sides can have no
foothold, no basis in reality. The ultimate objective of the extremists
is asinine and spoonish in the extreme. Israel will not be destroyed, its
Jewish inhabitants driven into the sea. The Palestinians are going
nowhere. Though Arabs in other countries support them, they are not
willing to take them in wholesale. These are all facets of the problem.
The only peaceful resolution requires stability and growth for Israeli
and Palestinian, tolerance, and eventual full acceptance, full rights for
Palestinians, peace and security for Israelis.
This conflict is an incredibly complicated thing,
made moreso because of the complexity of human emotion and our tendency to
eschew rationality and outright dismiss reality.
In order to delve into this effectively I used my Critical Thinking Tool for simple minds, 3FE: Find, Focus, establish the Fundamentals, and Execute. Men and women far smarter than I have ever hoped to be have combated this issue, and continue to work to bring it to an end. I've gone as far as Finding and Focusing. I have only some scattered thoughts, but no real Fundamental solution. Still, my belief is common free-thinkers like myself are obligated to be responsible. I feel it is incumbent upon us to use the blogosphere, the vlogosphere, any WEB 2.0 tool at our disposal to share ideas, thoughts, dreams, and possible solutions. We must do whatever we can to come together and HELP create a Fundamental plan for our leaders to Execute. We must aid those that we empower with authority to bring this conflict to a lasting resolution that preserves the souls involved and places them on a track towards enlightenment, a place well past tolerance towards complete and total acceptance.
Some of you have heard me say this before, and I will continue to say
it. I subscribe to Deepak Chopra's view of how we must approach terror.
The War on Terror is not a long term activity with an eventual end.
We need a new name for this, something that lends energy and power to the
goal of bringing an END terror. I don't know what we should call it; I've
thrown out a few ideas (see my blog entry on Mumbai), but whatever it is it
requires that we approach the problem of terror with a critical analysis that
is completely holistic in its approach. It occurs to me that even poor
people, with a goodly amount of education, instilled with our innate ability to
know right from wrong, will resist as a group, the power of the charismatic
anachronisms. What does this mean? This means even as we use our
weapons of war to combat those with guns and rockets, we use dialogue, and
grassroots efforts, critical thinkers on the ground, out among the people,
stopping hunger and growing minds. In Gaza this means we build networks
of free-thinkers. It means we make sure the food and supplies we send
pass through Hamas and get to the people. This means that we help build
schools that support the individual's ability to think, and consider, to grow
critical cognition, and resist the dogma of lemming-like group thought.
Again, what does this mean? It means that as a bullet in defense of
that which we hold sacred cuts down a soul lost to the evil of a charismatic
sociopath our diplomatic efforts will flank the terrorists, cutting off the
supply of new recruits. This needs to take place all over the world, from
1st to 3rd. People need to see for themselves, and understand that you
can do far more for a cause, a peaceful cause, with the application of ideas,
than with bullets. People need to see clearly that you get more with a
bond than with a bullet. People need to see that the power of financial
leverage is so much more effective in the world than a dead-end cause that
employs violence and deals death to those enemies both real and perceived.
You know me. I espouse the utilization of Critical Thinking.
I believe in questioning. I believe in rationality, even though I
have a vivid imagination. Again, I'm not that smart. I just like to
read, and I question. We should all endeavor to do the same. In
these pivotal times it is now more important then ever before that we think
before we act. That we hold our leaders accountable, and be engaged.
However, I beg of you all, be engaged in a productive manner. Do not be
ruled by your emotions. Do not simply leap in thought.
STOP & THINK!
Then, if you are so moved ... act!
With thought and concern
Your friend,
D.S.
Brown
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