5 starring Jordan on Expert
Three chaotic and amazing days in Jordan deserve a lot more thought and reflection than will be provided here, but also do not raise many new thoughts about the conflict and therefore will be served with brief recaps and some small reflections.
First, I will talk about both entering and exiting the country. I was blown away by how easy leaving the country was. With my American passport, I faced absolutely no questioning or challenge. I am so used to the process of continual apprehension that leaving from Ben Gurion airport entails. This was a relaxing emigration process that thoroughly shocked me. Entering the country was the usual mix of nerves of course. I was asked a few tentative questions in jest and told that I should come to Israel because its better than America, but the process was light and relatively carefree for me. For others in the group on the other hand, this was a hellish process of several hours. I was truly disturbed and disgusted by this. Honestly, it was just morally painful to see friends I’d made over the course of this course held for so long on suspicion of their nationality or background. The process once again seemed so arbitrary with a very lengthy time spent waiting for nothing at all. One would think they could expedite the process and make it more standard by keeping someone constantly in place to question those of Arab or Muslim backgrounds, but I think the arbitrary delays are part of the intended process. This is there to make individuals feel awkward and uncomfortable. The double checks I’ve heard about from Bedouin in Lakiya also serve this point. The intention is to make those subject to it feel different and ostracized. It is intended to make the whole process feel as non standard and unstructured as possible. This is in some ways thoroughly disgusting. Engineering tension and discomfort should not be the goal of national immigration.
Jordan was incredible and so relaxing and layed back. Our dead sea hotel was possibly the best I’ve ever been to. It was honestly just incredible. Three swimming pools, four restaurants and the dead sea make for an incredible resort. It was impressive to see the Jordinian side even more nicely adorned than the Israeli side. It was weird to be looking over the horizon and seeing the country of my birth from a distance. I’ve been on the other side of this sea so often, so looking from another angle was very interesting.
Mt. Nebo was interesting because it was a place of reverence for all three major religions. Unlike most of the other holy places, none dispute the value of this location to the other. By default, this place is Christian oriented because historically there was a Christian church here, but it was clearly revered by all the faiths. It was nice to see such a truly mixed historic site that has seen little if any conflict. It makes me cautiously optimistic for the potential power sharing of holy sites.
Jerash was very impressive. The Roman and Greek empires both inspire so much awe and reverence in my heart. Sometimes I feel that our modern culture can hardly parallel or compete with these ancient monolithic masters. Yet, they did fall. The potential for growth or decay is possible for each nation and individual. America’s position today is not guaranteed for long, and its arrogance and imperialism is likely to be its downfall. Only a just power can sustain itself for long. Otherwise, an empire built by force and terror will fall apart. We would be wise to learn these lessons.
Amman was a modern city in every way. This included the Popeye’s Chicken and Pizza Hut chains among others. This is a youthful city filled with students and schools, and this feeling is very strong. This is a country going through a renaissance of education and reform and even a visitor can instantly feel this dynamic. In Israel, in contrast, there is both the feeling of economic growth and social decay. Society is falling apart in many fundamental ways. Corruption has led to extreme public apathy. It is interesting to compare the two prospective societies for several reasons.
I met one of the sons of Salim, my Bedouin host father, while in Amman and we went out to a Nargilla/Cofee bar. I was amazed to see woman alone sitting and smoking. I’d not expected this society to be so thoroughly the same as the Israeli one. I’d expected at least a few more differences. I’d expected to find an at least slightly more traditional culture. Instead, the opposite if anything was true.
Petra was of course mind blowing and gorgeous. It truly defines the word wonder. No one can look at this city carved out of the mountain, and not be in awe at humanities potential. Mankind has near unlimited potential to positively affect the word around him. Yet, this potential can also be turned into something destructive. There is great promise and also great promise for destruction. This is never more apparent than when looking at one of the masterpieces of our achievement.
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