HUMAN-to-HUMAN Interaction

What is the purpose of interacting online-- is it just to see our words in print?
An online community should be the perfect place to start treating others as individuals who deserve our respect.

The thought of going back to examine Martin Buber's I and Thou has been nagging me for several years, actually. I read it in high school (it was required), way back when, and it had an enormous effect on me. I only realize this now, as I have just managed a peek at its summary on Wikipedia. (By the way, I am thankful for Wikipedia: it is another sign that we can do things right and I consider it a symbol of the positive potential of online communities.) This recent peek proves that it deserves to be reread.

Take a look at this excerpt from the summary: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_and_Thou
Buber's main proposition is that we may address existence in two ways: that of the "I" towards an "IT", towards an object that is separate in itself, which we either use or experience; and that of the 'I' towards 'THOU', in which we move into existence in a relationship without bounds.
If "Thou" is used in the context of an encounter with a human being, the human being is not He, She, or bound by anything. You do not experience the human being; rather you can only relate to him or her in the sacredness of the I-Thou relation. The I-Thou relationship cannot be explained; it simply is. Nothing can intervene in the I-Thou relationship. I-Thou is not a means to some object or goal, but a definitive relationship involving the whole being of each subject. The inevitable fate of Thou is to become an It.
In other words, if we don't take the trouble to interact with the Other from within a nascent relationship, we inevitably OBJECTIFY the other, that is, sooner or later we're bound to forget his or her humanity. Doesn't that ring true?

I already described my own experience of sharpening thought through writing http://tidbitsnuggetsandbrainbabies.blogspot.com/2008/01/on-being-four-eyed-and-two-tongued.html. To my mind, interacting with others in writing is –or ought to be-- an extension of that experience.

My Father's Story

As I mentioned, I want to relay the story I heard recently from my Father, although I'm not really sure whether it flows well in terms of the logic of the sequence of posts, especially in light of what I have planned.


Nevertheless, being a new blogger, I am careful to follow Maria's advice Number 4 http://www.writersdigest.com/writersperspective/20+Tips+For+Good+Blogging.aspx

and keep my promise. So here it is.


Recently, one of my Dad's old cronies past away, and as some friends sat around remembering him, the role of the deceased as head of the would-be intelligence unit of one of the pre‑state military forces was mentioned. This brought them to remember a particular incident.

It was shortly after the 29th of November, 1947, when the UN resolution to end the British mandate and divide its territory between Arabs and Jews was passed, enabling the establishment of the State of Israel. Immediately following this event there were scattered attacks on clusters of Jewish populations, and my Dad never fails to mention a young woman in their group of friends who was killed from sniper attack on a bus.

At about the same time, the inhabitants of a small Arab village not too far from the town where my Dad and his family lived decided to run away, abandoning their homes.

The elderly group mourning their friend were reminded of the incident because the deceased had intercepted the fleeing group and tried desperately to convince the heads of the village to return. He entreated and gave them his word as head of the Intelligence that if they stayed they would not be harmed.

As my father tells it, this man, an important personality in the fledgling State, was sincerely upset by the decision of these people to up and flee their homes, and he subsequently set up shifts of women from the neighboring Jewish town to go over and guard the abandoned village from potential Jewish plunderers, so that the inhabitants would be able to return once things settled down.

They never did.

To hear it from my Father, my Grandmother returned from her shift horrified: she said “it was as if the food was still warm on the plates; they simply dropped everything and left, without a second's hesitation.” I know from the expression on my father's face and the note of urgency in his voice that this was uttered in a state of shock, disbelief and regret.

Why did they leave? Apparently it was a small village surrounded by several Jewish settlements and the people felt it was not safe. There was no triggering incident, just a general sense of unease, coupled with the recommendation of the Arab leaders of the time telling them they had better leave before the actual fighting began and promising that they would be able to return as victors.

So you see, there were people living here --it needn't be disputed, and there were those among us who wanted them to stay, intending for us to live side by side.

I feel like this should be the moment to wax poetic about the way tragedy begets tragedy in Human existence. Yuck! I desperately want to believe something, anything else.

Instead, let me tell you that having first heard this as a young child, the description of the ”food still warm on the table” became completely merged in my mind with what Goldilocks saw as she entered the cottage of the three bears. To this day I still flinch when I hear the story.

It's Not in the Stars- Part 2

Following the last post, the discussion on http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/-/world/middle-east-north-africa/ and Maya Norton's direct question posed in her latest post on
http://thenewjew.wordpress.com/ , I want to expand on the topic a bit more.

I want to take the bull by the horns and relate directly to Maya's question: “Can the establishment of a state change opinions on both sides?” My answer will also address the concern voiced by Polar Wind in a comment to Maya's post, namely, that Hamas wants the liberation of “all of Palestine”.

And then, I want to tell you a story I just heard from my Father.

I believe that the establishment of the state of Palestine itself can lead to a change of opinions, but ONLY if it brings with it a real sense of opportunity: opportunities to improve the standard of living; to produce and export freely and enter the global market; opportunity for social mobility; opportunity to freely elect leaders, define the government and oust it when the majority deems it necessary.

Now lest my words be skewed, let me say that this is not a preamble to a “look at us” lecture. My only intent is to say that people will consider change only if they think there's something better in it for them.

I liked Maya's example of inferring from a microcosm, and I'll use one as well: it is well known that an effective way to reduce violence among youths and eliminate gangs is to get those kids busy working and producing, and then giving them the tools to assess and measure the outcome or effect of their work. That includes showing them that even if they are not satisfied with the outcomes, they have non-violent options to address and remedy this. This approach is also recognized by philanthropic organizations that work on violence prevention or peace promotion, etc. Now think about the approach and substitute “terrorists” for "“gangs”, because they are both entities that choose violence as a way of life, a way of influencing others.

A significant number of Israel's leaders have come to change their positions; presumably because they have come to realize there's a better reality that we can carve out for ourselves. Many Palestinian leaders have also come to this conclusion. Former terrorists on both sides have shifted their approach. I believe the process will continue; Hamas has a small stronghold, which it maintains by imposing its way on the majority of the population. I believe it's a process that we can influence.

Unfortunately, our current leadership lacks the vision. Israel should be encouraging the Palestinians to pursue a more productive course, by offering opportunities: economic cooperation, letting goods and materials into these areas and opening their ports so that they can export.

Of course, this opens the door to fears: “if they have access to the sea, they will build a navy… if we let them become strong, they'll try to annihilate us…etc.” They might. But we too will remain strong; certainly there would be an ideological consensus around the need for a strong IDF in those circumstances. We know that the same fears accompanied the rebuilding of Germany after WWII, and it's our responsibility not to let our guard down.

And maybe, just maaaaybe, there's also an infinitesimal chance that some trust will be formulated in the process.

Oh! I guess my Father's story will have to wait for next time.

It's Not in the Stars

I can't not talk about what's going on in Gaza.
I hate it.
I hate it that we're contributing to an already awful situation.
I hate that we have our back against the wall so that this appears to be the only option left in trying to secure a peaceful existence for the CITIZENS of S'derot.
I hate it that the leaders of Hamas are out of touch with the reality of their people.

There are discussions going on here http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/-/world/middle-east-north-africa/ and I dash in with comments.

I was especially impressed with Iman's post, http://-a.com/2008/01/21/darkness/which I was glad to comment on.

The way to peace is PEACEFUL; there's really no other way.

As in the example of Nelson Mandela: "his switch to a policy of reconciliation and negotiation helped lead the transition to multi-racial democracy in South Africa." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela

It's not in the stars; it's doable: we just have to tell our fellow citizens and our leaders what we really want.
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On Being Four-eyed and Two-tongued

Is this phenomenon related to bilingualism in anyway?
Perhaps it's because I've always been so aware of language (which language to speak? which words can I select from? who am I addressing? can I code switch midway?), I feel as though I can't think unless I'm speaking or writing.
Anybody else out there have the same experience?
Theoretically, as I read about the great debate “Is there thought without language?” I prefer the camp that says “Yes there is,” http://pinker.wjh.harvard.edu/books/tli/index.html but practically, I have to confess that for me, good, clean, --and sometimes-- sharp thought requires language. It's like a sieve; without language, my mind is a quagmire where muck and potentially good seeds all float around uselessly.
Why do I think it's related to bilingualism? I guess I think of my bilingualism as a sort of prism, through which everything comes in and gets sent out. Now that I think of it, more like 2 prisms that function much like eyes: each one affords one perspective, and together they create my focus on reality.

But all of this is a prelude to my realization/confession that was prompted by a recent mini thread that developed on CIWI in relation to blogging and its purposes. One participant was accused of self-promotion/advertising/marketing (distinguishing the terms: to be examined in another post) and another responded that blogging is a way to show what you can do—as a writer, that is--, and I think someone said it's a way of flexing your writing muscles. It's that last one that led me to realize that it helps me flex my reflective muscles.

Here's how Calvin explains it:

http://hubert.mycomicspage.com/calvinandhobbes/1995/01/07

Isn't She Lovely?

This week the High Court of Justice ruled that "No," advertisers could not have a reprieve and they must remove the giant ads from the billboards along the Ayalon highway. As I heard it later the same day on a radio talk show, the jeans ad featuring Esti Ginzburg was prominent among those newly prohibited items.




This is clearly a battle between the reigning consumer culture spearheaded by the advertising industry, which makes us all slaves of the latest gizmo, fashion or trend, and the environmentalists.
But first let's say it: Yee-hawh! It's a good ruling and a positive development for Israel!
Now back to examining the culture that led to this in the first place: Take a look at Esti; rather, listen to Esti and notice her facial expressions (you'll probably need to watch twice: once just to get used to her radiance, and then a more scrutinizing review). She is one sad child, and she says as much: she wishes she had embarked on this career at a later stage in life. But that's what this culture dictates: grab as grab can and don't bother thinking about it.

The issue at the heart of this battle is apparently capturing voters' attention in the US, where it was invented and implemented so well that we all turned green (not environmentally green--the other kind: greenbacked green). A great NY Times article by David Leonhardt http:///www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/business/23wealth.html?_r=1&oref=slogin tells us that "the argument over wealth and inequality is likely to play a big role in next year’s campaign... " Not all that surprising, I guess, given the culture's side effects, such as giant billboards, lost childhoods, diminishing middle class, fewer opportunities, and let's not forget the undeniable influence of the weakened dollar.
Still, let's celebrate: here in our very own Israel, one small skurmish was won with this week's High Court Ruling.

Talk about brainbabies!

Hi,

I've spent a good amount of time in the last 2 days reading and responding to Shai Litt's proposal for the Bronfman Big Idea posted on the exciting "The New Jew" Blog, which is Maya Norton's brain baby! http://thenewjew.wordpress.com/2007/12/31/bronfman-big-idea-series-jewish-community-incubator-shai-litt/

I found Shai's idea interesting and rich enough to lure me into the discussion. So I want to share some of it here as well. Please check it out and comment here or there.