by Joe Martino, The Pulse:
Over the last 5 days since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct 7, 2023, we have been asked many times to share our thoughts on the issue at hand and what’s going on.
I have been tracking this situation with some attention but not my full attention primarily because I am heavily focused on a project at the moment.
In this piece I will:
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- offer some thoughts on the spirit of empathy, curiosity and sensemaking as it relates to this situation
- provide a link to meaningful dialogue that looks at multiple aspects of this situation that need to be integrated into the whole
One of the first things I will share is I have seen a lot of things being spread around social media that are not true or accurate. So if you do hear something, take some time to double-check it before sharing it. A lot of old footage and made-up ‘official documents’ are going around and muddying the waters as per usual.
That said, in the hours I’ve spent making sense of this situation I’ve come up against a lot of complexity and feelings that something about what we’re being told is ‘off.’
Make no mistake, this situation involves grief, sadness, barbaric actions, and innocent people dying. It involves many moving parts, much history of death, destruction and conflict, but also very reasonable inquiries that are not often discussed in mainstream dialogue.
During difficult-to-process moments like this, it’s easy to step into mass population generalizations like “Israelis are all X” or “Palestinians are all X.” I believe we must rise above that rhetoric and be mindful of not choosing black and white sides. It simply does not serve us and only narrows our understanding.
To solve a problem one must first be able to define it clearly. To define it clearly requires us to take a step back, remain grounded and empathetic, listen to different perspectives, and slow down enough to consider the layers involved in the situation. Let’s not lose sight of the complexity of our human story in exchange for hastily wanting ‘the truth.’
Once a problem is well defined within the public consciousness, a meaningful solution can emerge. I’m not saying it’s easy, but it’s better than constantly turning to violence, war, and division which will only create more of this down the road. In our narrow mind, we then believe a solution has occurred only for the cycle to repeat.
Similar to the Russia-Ukraine war, or even if we think of the more recent US-Iraq conflict following 9/11, we are being asked to step out of simplistic thinking put forth in mainstream media narratives. We are also being asked to move beyond patriotic thinking and instead observe what is driving actions within our collective more deeply.
We are being asked to question HOW and WHY situations end up the way they do. To avoid just looking at them in one moment and deciding who is right or wrong.
Geopolitical agendas are also important to consider here. They are often not conveyed to the public honestly and are instead replaced by propaganda or half-truths spread through mainstream media.
When I heard the reports of this attack and very quickly it was repeated over and over “This is Israel’s 9/11” I couldn’t help but feel yet another horrific moment was unfolding and likely for geopolitical, power and profit gain – just like we saw with 9/11.
While making sense of these situations it’s important to not lose empathy for those moving through very difficult times. We can become so caught up in who the liar is, who the good guy is, who the bad guy is that along the way we dehumanize people, don’t offer the support required, and end up repeating the cycle over and over without a solution.
