Beyond words

Compassion in action

As I sit down to write this, no words are coming to me. I am not inspired to write, but the pain in my heart is so sharp, and I am unable to sleep, unable to feel the pain anymore. So I sat down to write, hoping the words would come on their own.

Countless words filled this past week. Words spoken in Zoom calls, podcasts, and interviews. I embrace diverse perspectives. And I find it challenging to maintain this openness. I struggle with it as I face the atrocities in my homeland.

The customary greetings of "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year" ring hollow in my ears. My heart bleeds in solidarity with the birthplace of Christ.

I keep reminding myself of Rumi's field. The field beyond right doing and wrongdoing. Yet, I am challenged to reconcile this with the harsh realities of the world around me.

The ongoing genocide in Gaza weighs on my heart. The impunity of crimes committed by settlers in the West Bank burdens my emotions. The lack of accountability for local authorities within Israel's apartheid is troubling. This is especially true for its Palestinian citizens. Moreover, the "superpowers" indifference leaves me feeling profound despair.

It is not a sense of kinship that moves me, but a recognition of the shared humanity that unites us all. The anguish is further compounded by the distressing remarks of some individuals. Those who advocate violence and oppose any efforts towards peace.

How can one remain neutral in the face of such grave injustice? The situation becomes even more harrowing. I hear some Israeli friends justifying these actions. They oppose a ceasefire. They boldly state on international TV, "I don't care for Gaza; we should wipe it."

This dehumanization of the Palestinian people is unbearable. Their immediate association with the Hamas terrorist attack is unacceptable. It is our humanity that we lose when we dehumanize the other.

I've held four Zoom meetings this week. One was in Hebrew for Israelis. Another was in Arabic for Palestinians. The third was in English for peace-building organizations. The fourth was open to the public. The purpose is simply to bring people together from diverse backgrounds and perspectives. They can share their feelings and find common ground in our shared humanity.

My efforts to facilitate dialogue and understanding are an attempt to activate peace. However, the violent scale overshadows these efforts. It makes me question their impact. It feels like a mere drop in an ocean increasingly stained with blood.

Without effective international institutional intervention, is there a place for individual action?

In the Zooms, brief moments of individual transformation bring me back to hope.

During our session on victim consciousness for Israelis, a powerful moment of transformation unfolded. A participant bravely raised a poignant question. He asked, "Do you consider Palestinians in Gaza as human beings? They are all terrorists." His inquiry sparked a profound conversation to humanize both sides of the conflict. When I introduced myself, my story helped shift the dynamics in the virtual room. The Israeli participant was visibly transformed. He listened with empathy and openness. He embraced another perspective on the complex narrative of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We called for a higher level of consciousness. One that is rooted in the understanding that we are spiritual beings having a human experience. This is the purpose of One Whole Peace, a movement I initiated in 2016 with my friend Dalit Eliyahu, to teach spiritual psychology skills to Israeli citizens.

This encounter serves as a compelling example. It illustrates the need to transcend our identities without forsaking them. The struggle at hand goes beyond the labels "Palestinian" and "Israeli." It is a quest for both freedom and security. It is a yearning for a sense of belonging. At this moment, we hold onto our identities tightly. They provide a sense of belonging amid shared trauma.

The Arabic Zoom session, on Resilience, was tailored specifically for Palestinians worldwide. It served as a space for individuals to come together. They expressed their emotions, experiences, and resilience. They did this in the face of ongoing atrocities. This initiative aimed to foster a sense of togetherness and understanding. It used our native language to communicate from the heart, rather than the mind. It helped us connect to our backbone. We encountered our unity beyond the diversity of our individual experiences and geographical distance. One participant shared a poem called "Verses from her womb." The poem also connected the bleeding of the land to the bleeding of the feminine womb.

Every day, I pray for an end to this, for a new world to emerge.

I pray for a deeper understanding that eludes me at this moment.

I pray for these lives not to be "lost" in vain. This collective pain should serve at least as a catalyst for transformative change.

The suffering of Palestinian children, women, men, and elders should disrupt. It should prompt a deep transformation in our community and the world at large.

We bear witness to these harrowing events. I am left pondering how long we can watch without taking meaningful action. It has become evident that institutions are inadequate in addressing these issues. The idea of self-defense justifying this violence has lost its moral footing.

The common feelings expressed in the Zoom rooms are a sense of shame and guilt. This connects diverse experiences, regardless of language or theme. Shame for witnessing and guilt for feeling incapable of doing anything.

As Hawkins wrote in "Power vs. Force" love is the highest vibration. To elevate our vibration to love, we must release the lower feelings of shame and guilt. To achieve this, we must let go of our victim consciousness. Only then will we be able To gain back our Power over the Force of impunity.

I yearn to believe that compassion is taking action. As individual transformation requires a deep crisis, a dark night of the Soul. Collective transformation necessitates a similar upheaval of the Ego. The empires controlling the world, today, are Israel and the US. They are orchestrating this genocide in the name of fighting terrorism. They will fall, eventually. Like all other empires in HIStory.

People have become accustomed to witnessing atrocities unfold. In Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Ukraine, Sudan, Mali, and many other countries. Now, Gaza is yet another chapter. Let's hope it's the last.

I feel a sense of urgency. The human toll of the conflict is unbearable. It calls for empathy and meaningful change. We need a plea for collective responsibility. It should address the root causes of all conflicts. The separation and the division. It is a plea for compassion and meaningful action.

What we are witnessing is not a distant tragedy; it's a human tragedy that resonates within us.

The world faces a great awakening. One that we have been resisting to see. Broadcasting violence on our screens will ignite the spark. It will propel us to the next level. Or so I hope.

We are standing at a critical juncture. Many people see it as a judgment day or the culmination of events prophesied in religious texts. This moment signifies the end of patriarchal systems and international structures. They have undermined the fundamental human rights principles. We have nurtured these principles over the past 75 years. To no avail now.

I strongly believe that we must awaken to a new level of consciousness. This level transcends mere dialogue and external actions. This awakening necessitates an internal introspection. It is collective soul-searching. It compels us to confront the underlying causes of these conflicts. We need to work together towards genuine reconciliation.

Let us strive to cultivate a deep internal transformation. It will, in turn, manifest positive change in our external reality. This internal awakening is not a passive endeavor. It is a resounding cry for inner reflection and personal accountability. We can bring an end to external turmoil and suffering.

The Israeli participant's transformation and the poignant poem shared during the Palestinian session serve as powerful reminders. They show the potential for understanding and healing. They highlight the importance of transcending identities while embracing them. Not only that, but they also highlight the need for a deeper, internal awakening. This awakening must transcend external actions. While navigating the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. These Nobel enemies. Let us continue to seek empathy and understanding, not violence. May we share a journey toward healing and peace.

I hope that by embracing this internal awakening collectively, we can pave the way for a more harmonious and just world for all.

"Peace activation” aims to be this beacon of hope and a catalyst for change. Through our platform, we seek to foster dialogue, understanding, and, most importantly, action. I invite you to join us in our mission. Whether it's participating in our Zoom sessions, engaging in dialogue, or taking individual actions, every effort counts. You can also activate the peace inside of you. Together, we can be the driving force for a new world. Compassion and empathy will reign supreme, and every life will hold immeasurable value. Let's take action, not just for the people of Palestine, but for humanity as a whole.

In peace