occasional reflections on culture & politics
Whatever is happening in Gaza cannot make anyone happy. The situation is grim. People are suffering, starving, dying. This cannot continue. Saying this is easy, but thinking about how to solve the problem is less easy. The reason it is complicated lies, first of all, in the excessive brutality of Hamas’ attack on October 7,… Continue reading #252: Some Reflections on Israel, Gaza, and Protests
We are hearing terms like “Colonizer” or “Apartheid State” used to describe Israel. They are used for two reasons: Some are legitimately frustrated with the status of Palestine and Palestinians, especially those living in the West Bank and Gaza. They do not have their own state yet, and their political rights are not protected in… Continue reading #234: Israel is Neither Colonizer Nor Apartheid State
The current principle of attempts to change the world seems to be the following: “If I only scream loudly enough, I will be heard.” That is correct. But you will not be listened to. Hearing the noise and listening to the message are two different things. We know by now – rather definitively – that… Continue reading #133: Am I Really Not Paying Attention If I Am Not Outraged?
Most people who live with pets are able to somehow communicate with them. It’s not difficult. They teach you: all you need to do is to recognize that there is a little person in your animal just as much as there is in you. That little person speaks a different language than you, but you… Continue reading #129: Pets Teach Empathy and How to Live
How easy would it be to despair now! The world seems in shambles, whatever we have gained seems lost, and the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban appears like a symbol for our times. Covid is resurgent, the world is burning, and what future will we ever be able to enjoy? None, if we don't… Continue reading #109: We Cannot Lose Hope
Please let me preface this with a personal note: This is my current perspective on the matter. I may be biased, but I am always willing to learn. I have known people from both sides, and I know that the truth always lies somewhere in the middle. The clearest bias that I am willing to… Continue reading #95: For Israel, For Palestine, For Peace
If there is one thing that I have seen missing more and more in the world it is the willingness to take into account the feelings, thoughts, and perspectives of another living being. Too much of what is going on around us seems more and more built on the rejection of the perspectives of others.… Continue reading #38: Radical Empathy
Erratic Attempts 