Don't be a bystander

"When we feed off the soul of the innocence, blood drench pavement ”-Matisyahu 

My agony cuts deep, echoing the despair many experience when faced with the constant cycles of violence, power plays, and human suffering. It's like I'm watching a tragic movie on a never-ending loop, and I can't find the remote to change the channel or even hit pause. Like many conflicts, the Israel-Palestine situation is a web of complexities that resists easy answers.

Let me be clear: The violence targeting civilians on either side is an absolute horror that can never be justified. Whether it's a carpet bomb or a rocket, both are just tools of destruction that reduce human lives to mere collateral damage. No one should have to live under that shadow. Ever.

I'm searching for the truth, diving into history to unravel the complexities. Questioning policies or actions isn't the same as belittling an entire race or faith. That note is crucial, especially when discussing complex and emotionally charged topics.

I am struggling to make sense of a world where atrocities like the Holocaust, 9/11, the Rwandan Genocide, the war between Ukraine and Russia, the never-ending bloodshed between Palestine and Israel, and enduring conflicts like Syria keep happening right in front of us. 

Each of these devastating events is like a scar on the face of humanity, each with its own painful origin. We can't forget that the Holocaust stemmed from a deep-rooted anti-Semitic hatred. Unfathomable ethnic tensions tore Rwanda apart, and 9/11 was born of an extremist ideology that saw no value in innocent lives. I'm not naive. I know there's a financial machinery that thrives on conflict, and I won't pretend it doesn't sicken me.

I caught myself labeling the entire human race as 'greedy' and 'disgusting'! But if I'm busy pointing out the horror, I risk forgetting about love and hope. Even in chaos, there are glimmers of hope—people reaching across, activists attempting everything to speak their truth. Sometimes, I need to remind myself that maybe not everything is lost.

Because if there's truly no hope for humanity, then what the hell are we all fighting for? What am I teaching my boys? Why am I even arguing for a better world?

We need to look the darkness straight in the eye and call it out for what it is. But let's also remember to turn around and focus on the light stubbornly breaking through the cracks. The cracks in our experience, in our soul, created by the storm we endured. Because if I lose sight of that light, everything is truly lost. And dammit, I'm just not willing to accept that. 

Are you?

As much as we'd love to believe otherwise, there's an ugly truth we've got to face: the big players at the top don't just play the game; they own the board. While we argue about which side is 'right' in conflicts, they're investing in the business of war. And company, let me tell you, is booming. Did you check the defense stock today???

I often pray under the silver moonlight, begging for peace in this fractured world. But the question remains: Is peace even profitable? Because if it's not, what chance do we have when those who hold the power also own shares in defense and gun stocks?

Every time a bomb drops and a gunshot echoes, it's as if they're feasting on the souls of the innocent. Those who suffer are always those farthest from power. The average public. You, your family, me and my family. It's mothers who've lost sons and children who've lost futures. It's a river of blood so deep and wide you could almost hear it roar, drowning the screaming victims for peace and compassion.

There's a tragic poetry to it, isn't there? The elite are a different breed. They don't flinch at the atrocities scrolling across their newsfeeds. They don’t change their social media profile, desperately seeking attention, showing the word without asking questions about which side they are taking.  They see numbers, stocks, and dividends. 

And yet, if we're ever going to stop this cycle of suffering, it's on us to say enough is enough.

The truth is, in a war, nobody wins. At least not the average public. We all lose when our streets run red, blood in the water, blood-drenched pavement. We can keep the score, but the numbers will always add up to zero.

So, tonight, when I look up at the moon—I will try to put my hope in a world gone mad—I'll be praying for something radical: A world where our leaders value lives more than their profit. Where enough blood has been shed to say, 'No more finally.'

Will you join me?"