Orphaned Land, Orphaned Soul

 

The Bedouin day in the Knesset was also for me one of personal discussion and debate. I keep being drawn to the topic of religion as

individuals ask about my Atheist beliefs and the attempt to convert me.

Today I was in the middle of a circle of six very devout individuals all trying to persuade me that my beliefs are profoundly immoral and misguided. I hate the condescending look a receive when I do not hold the same faith as others. I feel that it is utterly flabbergasting and somewhat irritating to be treated so differently because of faith. 

I am however, a very strong and passionate atheist and view my beliefs as a positive value structure rather than just a negation of a deity Therefore, I find it vital to continue explaining how view the belief in god to be thoroughly unneeded in the world and ultimately often times destructive and dangerous.

However, importantly, I do not think less of anyone because of his religious beliefs I do not think that any of these individuals I speak to are damned or condemned to suffer because of their lack of faith. At most I believe that moderate belief facilitates extremism just as the moderate or even left of center apathetic American facilitates the rise of right wing extremeism through lack of protest and inaction. However I belief that both because of and in spite of their religious beliefs individuals can be very moral and compassionate beings and can do much good in the world. It is undoubtedly true that a belief in god has led to many great deeds as well as many atrocities.

This day however, was also further religious tinged because I had another conversation on a Bus to Tel Aviv in which I was offered a prayed book by a very sweet lady on the bus, and promptly received an awkward look when I revealed my lack of faith.

Furthermore, I saw one of my favorite Israeli band in concert and found the whole show thoroughly incredible but also felt somewhat estranged during their song “find your faith, discover god”. Those of faith so readily assume that their way is good or even better than any other and that theirs is one that must be discovered through quiet reflection.

 Yet, earlier in the day when I was told that I must keep searching, my only response was: I have been searching for 19 years and finally found something that means a lot to me. I think this was one of the few things I said that left my locators speechless for a minute.

Knesset Kinesthetics

Starting the day in front of the Knesset and ending at a concert in Tel Aviv ensured that this was a very interesting and eclectic day  Today was the Bedouin day in the Knesset, and so I stood in line to get inside. The line was enormous, and so the security was checking everyone, but I particularly noticed that more attention was given to Bedouin then to the few Jews inline waiting to get it. I was not on the official list, but when Sulliman mentioned that I was supposed to go in, I was let in with no real problems. Meanwhile, those who were Bedouin and not on the list were faced with many more problems. I am used to this by now in Israel, but it is still in some ways sickening Inside the Knesset we listened to several speakers on the Knesset floor speaking about Bedouin issues. I found that much of what they said was utter generality, and that even those most sympathetic to the Bedouin often seemed to be ignorant about the Bedouin people. This was of course not all that unexpected but still frustrating.

We were then moved to an Audtorium where there was a large presentation and where Prime Minister Olmert spoke to us. Ultimately his speech was even more filled with banal generalities about the value of Bedouin in Israeli society and the birth of a new dawn of cooperation. He gave no particulars at all, but seemed very much like the typical political leader. He was articulate and seemingly intelligent but utterly vapid. 

Of course, this left me thinking about why politics so often produces such inept leadership. Is there something inherent in the personality of a person that wants to run for office that ensures that he ill be vain and self serving as well as effusive? What does it say about my personality when I have a profound interest in the political process and potentially running for office? Certainly, it must mean that I am overly confident and maybe even cocky to believe that I can do well and represent many people better than another individual. I think it is ultimately possible however to represent as an equal. It is so important in my opinion for politicians to believe that they serve the people and are a representative of the people. In this way I think parliamentary systems loose this essential touch as members of parliament serve the party first and foremost.  

The Bedouin day was very important for this reason though. I think that just having so many people show up and lobby and advocate gives a message that this is a group that can no longer be fully ignored. Simply put, politicians must often be reminded that they are serving the people and that to listen to them and their concerns is not a burden but a necessity and above all a privilege. Especially for a group often treated as second class, demanding this treatment from politicians is vital. We next heard from internal minister Shitrit who echoed every cliché about the requirement that Bedouin adapt to modern lifestyle. I just feel like everyone who makes such bland clichés must come and live with families and see how radically the modern world has influenced their life and way of thinking, and how willing they are to change if given the economic and education opportunities to grow and develop.

 However, most importantly, I think the fundamental question here is a matter of choice. Bedouin as well as Jews should be able to choose if to live in cities or on farms, kibbutzim or moshavim. This should not be forced upon them. Change should not be leveled by a legal carrot and stick process. Those who do not want to “adapt” to a forced city lifestyle should not be punished by the government in such a severe manner. 

From Darfur to the Negev

Two night of sleeping in the Rose Garden in front of the Knesset certainly was an unusual experience I did not expect I was going to have when I first came to Israel. Moreover, this whole experience was incredibly challenging to my notions of what a rally/demonstration could or should be, as well as emotional devastating in its sheer irony.

As we first arrived to the gardens, I noticed a big pile of clothing and other materials, but thought nothing of it. However, I soon found out that Sudanese refugees had been sleeping there just the night before and that this was their stuff. I later helped sort out this material and felt a bitter irony. These clothes and other items were going from refugee to refugee. On Tuesday, I wore my Stand (Anti-Sudan Gencide) T-Shirt and the whole process felt like a sham. Here where I slept and walked recently slept those that had run away from their country for fear of their lives. Their lot was undoubtedly less than I could, or even the Bedouin whose houses were destroyed could even imagine. There is something sad about protesting in the specter of individuals that had been tortured and hardly escaped with their lives. Their absence tore apart some of the legitimacy of the event in my eyes.

Yet, the whole process made me somewhat resentful of Israeli government policy. What had happened to the Sudanese refugees seemed to belly the fact that Israel’s claim to be a land for refugees always only extended to those of Jewish origin. Israel is just as capable of closing its borders and arguing that allowing more in would taint its demographics. In my eyes, the nation has lost the ability to collectively condemn other nations for not allowing holocaust refugees in. Of course, both of these instances are tragedies, but in Israel’s case, the cries of never again just seem like political conveniences.

Internally, the government of course has no problem creating refugees, and the RCUV managed to bring 17 buses full of Bedouin to protest in front of the Knesset. There were probably about 1,000 people holding signs and chanting. However, what struck me overall was the low key nature of the thing. Throughout the days I saw members of the Gush Katif Gazs Settlers group marching loudly and chanting, but the Bedouin seemed resolved and satisfied with low key slogan chanting and sign bearing. Signs that George and I made were held up by Children who could not read a world of English, which was certainly an amusing sight. They often held the posters upside down and had to be told to hold them the right way.

Despite my very strong leftist leanings, I have found myself defending America or Israel quite often especially over these few days. In a particular rude moment, one individuals immediately grew disgusted and refused to talk to me when I mentioned I was an American. He seemed to not consider the notion that to hold a nation collectively responsible for its elected leaders actions can often be foolish. Then again, I guess Israel and America have done the same thing in regard to Gaza on the whole. However, my integrity feels rather impinged whenever I have to go out of my way to explain that I never have been and never will be a supported of Bush or of the Iraq war.

Likewise, I have actually heard completely debunked rumors presented as facts. For instance, I have already a few times heard the “Jews were warned about 9-11 line” I feel that there is so much mutual ignorance on the side of the Jews and Arabs about the others cultures. Indeed, I have often heard “there are good and bad people among us” stated by members of a group only to see that thinking not extended to another group who are monolithically considered bad. This is the tragedy of a lack of a dual narrative and opportunity to interact and converse with what is perceived as the other. Unfortunately, Israeli society is structured in such a way that intersections of various groups become very unlikely and ultimately rare.

Harry Potter and the Israeli Palestinian Conflict

Today was solely and completely dedicated to the reading of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, so I will write about my feelings on the book even though it is not related to the course. Who knows, I probably will find quite a few analogous situations and themes.

 

For those yet to read the book who may read this, I will attempt to avoid spoilers but can not guarantee anything so watch out.

 

The thing I’ve always liked best about the Harry Potter series is how J.K Rowling so completely and thoroughly creates a world with its own internal rules and organization. In the first book this was just the basic edifice of Hogwarts and some extraneous views of other institutions and places of hospitality that serve Wizards, but in time this world expanded to include complex race and species relations and a overbearing and at times invasive government that often mirrors our own. In the Sixth book Rowling even connected the wizarding world with our own showing that the actions of evil wizards spirals and interacts with the terror and morbidity we find in our lives.

 

This is both the biggest strength and weakness of the new book.

 

Because this book no longer chronicles a year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, it is able to provide a panoramic excursion into places near and far-this is the book that finally takes us inside Gringots bank and into the Malfoy Mansion among other places- and therefore is able to tantalize the reader with the complex mosaic of relationships and antagonisms in the world.

 

Lord Voldemort and his minion death eaters soon take over the ministry of magic and begin impose race purification decrees. Statues that previously promoted harmony are destroyed and now promote the domination of Pure-blood wizards over all else, led by the slogan “Magic is Might”. This provides an interesting viewpoint on minority, majority interactions and allows us to consider such examples in our own world.

 

Relating to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I have to wonder, if Jews or Palestinians were given magic wands and magical powers tomorrow how many would instantly demolish the others very existence with an AVADA KADAVARA spell, or use a memory wiping spell to remove the others recollection of his land claims and historical narrative. Do we see grudging efforts for peace only because occupation or apartheid are both in the long run untenable, or can we forge an outlook for peace and cooperation not because it’s expedient, but because it’s right?

 

Furthermore, Rowling allows us to view the treatment of several second class citizens and to asses the long term damage this causes. House Elves as well as Goblins are among those species denied rights in the Wizarding world. Goblins are not allowed to learn at Hogwarts despite their innate magical powers, and House Elves despite showing curious powers of disapparition which even succeed those of Wizards are treated as slaves. However, because Rowling’s world is one of fantasy, these abuses on the part of Wizards always comes back to hurt them in some way. In book 5 Sirius Black is led to his death in part because of his poor treatment of the House Elf Kreacher. Harry is often saved because of his kindness to Dobby (who despite my prior dislike plays a very powerful and emotional part in this work).

 

In Israel, Bedouin are often treated as second class, but there has yet to truly be any sort of comeuppance. Many Israelis fear of an eventual Bedouin Intifada or violent revolt, but it is also likely that the moral cost of present actions will continue to decay the civic virtues of the Israeli government and state. Treating others as lowly and second class will inevitably lead to some kind of a confrontation. In our real world, the solutions are rarely as neat or perfect as in fantasy or the novel, but we would be wise to heed the need for real social change to avert potential catastrophes.

 

To look to the weakness of Rowling’s Latest and final chapter in the series, it must be said that the rules established in prior books are constantly changed, warped or added to almost arbitrarily. This strongly detracts from the overall consistency of her world. It seems that unforgivable curses have become much more trivial and common for one thing, and wand lore and possession is expanded in such a convoluted and circumspect way.

 

Of course, in the book we are dealing with a totalitarian wizarding government which capriciously changes its laws and decrees, and this is often the case in the real world especially in Israel (not the totalitarian part) but we expect more from our writers.

 

Significantly, the role of love, a central theme in the tale, is both changed and deemphasized somewhat. The final conflict strangely mixes the importance of love with the symbolic power of supernaturally powerful Hallows to mixed effect. Indeed, the final outcome is less tied into love than possession of a powerful artifact. This is significantly disappointing. Yet, the lead up to the final moments are emotionally powerful and involve all of the themes of self sacrifice and devotion that gave the series emotional depth, so this flaw in the final moment can be forgiven.

 

Additionally, character personalities change too dramatically and unrealistically. Hermione has been made into a crying, whining girl completely head over heels and therefore losing some of her prior independence and strength. Other characters also change so that they hardly resemble their old selves.

 

Most importantly, the powerful emphasis and reflection Rowling previously allowed for deaths in the series is absent. It may be akin to real life that important characters suddenly die in mid battle and receive little further mention, but it breaks a fundamental agreement of sort between the author and reader. When Dumbledore or Sirius died in the past we were heartbroken but able to grieve and feel anger along with the main characters who reflected and became bitter and frustrated. Here, we are not given the solace of grieving with others. Two late death books of series favorites in particular stand out as a disservice. We do not see their death directly, and only see their bodies for a few moments devoid of any depth and thought.

 

As a series end, this book works quite well. It provides a sense of closure while also expanding the Wizarding world. There are flaws in the characterization and usage of certain themes which certainly detract from it, and there is a grossly unsatisfying epilogue in which all of the powerful themes Rowling expound on are ignored and the reader patronized, but overall it serves as a fair conclusion to the series.

 

Ultimately, there is much to be learned from the series. Rowling has shown well the downfall of racism and hatred in her created world. Yet, such feelings continue to exist in ours. Either fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, we have no magical cures in our world. We must coexist with each other, and would be better off if we realized that all men and women truly are equal in this world. We all have the potential to cast our own sort of magic and improve the world. None of us are mud bloods or less pure or good and our common human heritage should never be called into question.

Judea and Sumeria

I visited my sisters this weekend and one of my typically farcical policy discussions with my Brother-In-Law inspired to write this equally farcial metal ditty. The intro to the song would be a metal version of the Hatikvah and the vocals are sort of in line with something that Behemoth would sing. They must be raspy and agressiveand belligerant, but above all they must have chutzpah.

All Hail

The conquerors

Of Judea and Samaria

All Hail

The mighty rulers

From the Jordan

To the Mediterranean

Erupting from the land of the Nile

Massacring the first born children

Crushing the armies of pharaoh in the water

Given strength to pillage

By the hand of G-D

 Upon the walls of Jericho

Circle till they fall

Slaughter the Men

Eviscerate the children

Bend the woman to your pleasure

Rape, Pillage, Convert, Massacre

In the name of your one true deity

The kingdom of David guarded by the shield

Arise and overtake the land

Force convert the Edomites

Slaughter the idol worshipers

Exalt the mighty temple of Yaweh

Two Thousand Years of exile

Now the time has come

To reclaim this mighty kingdom

The empire of the lord

 All Hail The Conquerers

Of Judea and Samaria

Masada shall never fall again

A land without a people

For a people without a land

Reclaim thy birthright

Ignore the indigent

This land was given by the

Kodesh Baruchu 

Occupy, Demolish, Evict, cleanse

Construct Facts on the ground

Establish the one truth

There are no other people in this holy land

Kill the Arabs

The only good Arab is a dead one

Kill the Arabs

The only good Arab is a dead one

Masadsa Shall never fall again

 The sword shall remove the olive branch from its root   For Mighty are the ways of G-d

Yearn for peace but only on your terms

All must pay homage and bow down to the heaven sent

Rage, Refusenicks and destoryed villages

Did the Bostan Negev unplugged tour today which was great and highly recommended to anyone visiting Israel.

We first talked to community members and planners in one of the seven recognized villages about the status of the villages and how planning can be used as a social tool of coercion. The planners views on his profession were interesting, because I don’t think I’ve heard many people badmouth the potential uses of their own potential so coherently. Indeed, social planning just like anything else in a society is most often used to preserve the social order. In Israel, it ensures the allocation of land to Jews and their continued financial domination. Unfortunately for the Bedouin however, this means the government is often probably not looking out for their interest. The countries interest is more often viewed as the desire to confiscate and cheaply sell land to Jewish settlers. The flagrant disregard for Bedouin culture or existence in government planning is not all that shocking but still rather appalling.  

We next met with a single family farmer living in the middle of the a mountain and owning a large tracked of land. It was so interesting to hear his perspective, and particularly nice to find an eco-friendly cooperative individual. Indeed, this man would be the model citizen for libertarians who want to show that lack of government can lead to peaceful coexistence and human harmony. Unfortunately, the experience of other farmers in the are belies this falsehood very clearly. Mostly, land is viewed as a prize to be coveted, and the existence of others viewed as a threat. Government must be a mediator, because individuals are equally prone to othering. A good government can rise above this inclination and inspire. Unfortunately, governments are rarely that good or that inspiring at all..

The interesting thing about the farmer, was how he seemed to have been used by the government as a stopping gap to the eventual full usage of the land. His livelihood is equally unsupported and in jeopardy. Indeed, this reminds me of America’s policy towards its pioneers which often treated them as Indian outposts and cynically exploited them in ways. It is so sad to be able to make such parallels, but they are very relevant and true as a sad reminder of the potential ends of policy.

We next heard the heart wrenching tale of home demolitions. We met with a Bedouin who had actually served in the IDF but now refused to go again for his term because his village was demolished. His anger and rage was palpable, but moreover, the scary and frustrating part was the feeling that Bedouin are becoming more and more frustrated and more alienated and detached from society. They are feeling less and less a part of the Israeli culture, and that is indeed a scary sign. Integration is a measure of progress and increment rather than an absolute measure, and it is clear that integration and acceptance has back slided in recent years. I wonder how much of this is connected to the Jewish Israeli resurgence of hatred for Arabs and Palestinians after and during the second intifada. Even though the Bedouin are not Palestinian, how much of the backlash of the conflict do they receive?

 

So many complicated feelings come from this experience. There is nothing clear cut here, as it is clear that the government while biased against Bedouin is also truly just attempting to achieve a policy of forced relocation of land. Ultimately though, the disproportionate balance comes when some land is available only to Jews. This is the fundamental source of inequality in land terms. There are also lots of questions about environmental issues and the best protection of the land which ultimately fall far outside my realm of knowledge. The Bedouin plight is clearly complex and not black and white. The Bedouin are not always right, as was shown when the single farmer mentioned having to ward of Bedouin thieves of his cattle, but they are also often victimized and lowered in status by the state. It is clear that the situation could erupt with much fury if something is not done.      

A wedding or something like it…

Bedouin Weddings, I’ve come to the conclusion are utterly insane. To be fair, I only went to a bachelor party, so the Hashish filled nargillah insanity may have just been a way for the guys to enjoy themselves before committing to wedlock. However, the general crazy and maddening feeling of the party is still exceptional.

The party was a very large one that was hosted by a very rich family, and this sort of made me realize that weddings have always been a great way to boast and show off wealth. Traditionally, the amount of camels you had or could give as a wedding gift revealed a lot about our social standing, but since then, things have become a lot more complicated.

Indeed, this wedding needed a black Bedouin dancing troop (more on this later), fireworks, and a live band to show its vast monetary input. Indeed, the fireworks were utterly impressive and more than made up for the ones I did not get to see on July 4^th, and the music was loud and inspired many to dance. However, this whole experience felt somewhat more shallow than a small casual wedding. It just felt like everyone, even though most were family, were more distant than usual. All of the spectacle and the hallucinogenic soft drugs just left the feeling of a bunch of drunken guys at a social hall. There is something to be said for the cozy family feeling that one usually gets in Bedouin gatherings that was sorely missing in a way.

The music was loud and extremely repetitive to me, but the dancing was pretty ferocious and intense. In many ways it reminded me of Jewis dances at weddings of Bar-Mitzvahs such as the Horra. Often, the groom was hoisted up in chairs or rose to dance on top of tables, and the dizzying dance often encircled him in its center.

Indeed, sometimes this similarity is what I most strongly feel. This feels a lot less foreign than one would expect. I’ve been to these huge Bar Mitzvahs and Weddings and even had a rather large one myself, so this just feels familiar. Indeed, since my family has not really had a good reason to celebrate in many years, it was in that sense almost refreshing.

This similarly was indeed most acute in the portion where the bride received his close family under a covered altar that had a sofa at its top. I just remembered the chupah in Jewish weddings I’d seen and felt strangely culturally connected.

The smoke and the loud music left me feeling sick and I truly appreciated that the Bedouin like to keep mattresses around for relaxation. I lay in a separate covered tent and fell asleep for a few minutes away from the cacophonous singers booming voice. Sometimes being solitary and alone is the best possible policy. Despite the focus on family and community, I think Bedouin still understand the need for a good amount of time alone. 

Global Othering and the pursuit of happiness

So work today was again a repetitive mix of emailing trusts and getting no response. Tomorrow I hopefully will be given something more constructive to do. It is kind of frustrating having your job supervisor only be there for a few days total so far and to never really assign you much of worth. There’s not too much that can be done though I guess.

We went out for Chinese food for Lunch in Beer Sheva and it was sort of interesting. They had this display with a camel in front of Chinese letters which I found really funny. Globalization truly is having an interesting affect on the world. I wonder if society will ever truly be united and the nation-state will disappear. It seems unlikely that identification with the human race as a whole is enough for people who are hungry for division and others to hate. I think it would take an alien invasion to truly unite mankind and get it unified under a single government and army. Alas, if that happens it would probably be too late to do much.

In case of an alien invasion, I think the human race would finally get its act together, but the lack of cultural ties and the lack of common languages will ensure that our tower of babel will remain unbuilt. Humanity together has not had a large success, and by the time it comes together it may not be able to succeed in anything. Of course, if its not aliens, then perhaps it will be the environment. Here there is hope, because the environmental threat is one that can possibly be prevented. The environment is not malicious but merely neutral and does not “want” to force mass extinction and suffering. In that sense, it is possible that our attempts to stop global warming if they begin early enough may be successful.

The global connections now binding the world became ever more clear to me today, as my family had friends visit from the United States. The husband was a government employed doctor of some sort who was born in the area, while the wife was a lady from Virginia named Lennifer. Their two daughters showed an interesting mix between Arabic and western cultures, and linguistically listening and speaking to them was a treat.

It is interesting though to note how complex simple identification has become in the modern world. Indeed, it used to be easy to say you were part of a particular culture or society, but now that has become almost impossible for most. Few groups such as the Jews have attempted to maintain cultural insularity by restricting marriage outside of the culture/religion and emphasizing groups vulnerability and identity. However this has not fully stopped the decline of cultural identification. Indeed, it seems like an impossible process to truly stop.

Of course, the Bedouin’s minority experience In Israel, or even the Sephardim experience shows how difficult and painful for individuals this dissolve in national identity can be. It is a process resisted on all sides as all groups attempt to maintain their singularity and their unique identity in the world.

 Othering is the other vicious component of this process, as it enables us to reduce in our minds the commonalities we share with those around us. This is the vicious circle of diminishment which allows for our cognitive dissonance to disparate when we harm another common human being.

The Bedouin Diaspora

Two very uneventful work days on the whole. I hope that tomorrow George and I will begin to work on something else, because today was almost a total waste. Two undergraduate summer interns are just limited in what way they can find and request funding, and trying to do so is utterly tedious.

I keep making the parallels between Bedouin culture and Judaism and Islamic Culture and Judaism and its led me to imagine a universal religion or even a non-religion that takes the best elements and the essence of each culture and removes the deity specific trappings of exclusivist hatred and violence.

I was laying down on pillows and drinking tea at a family gathering when I thought about the Passover lyrics “Halaylah Hazeh Halaylah Hazeh Culanu Mistachvim” from the Ma Nistanah. This part of the seder has the youngest member at the table asking why is Passover different from all other nights of the year, with one of the key differences being that on Passover you are expected to be relaxed and lean throughout the meal.

I quickly imaged a Passover seder with everyone lying on Bedouin style rugs with pillows and conducting the typical Jewish seder. This image was particularly euphonious and went well in my mind. I began to imagine a Passover as a general celebration of human freedom from bondage and a chance to celebrate our powerful natural environment and promote a desire for better labor conditions in the world. What a better holiday it would become. Instead of a trite celebration of the liberation of a people by a vengeful God who would practice the ultimate collective punishment to excise his chosen few from bondage, the holiday would become a plea for human compassion and consideration and action.

My family had me don a Kafiya and full prayer outfit and take pictures with them, and this only further cemented the cross cultural links in my mind. The Muslim faith has a headpiece so similar to the Jewish Kippah that the similarity was almost shocking. So may prayers sound so universal and similar. This was the ultimate cry in my mind for human harmony and commonality 

 

The Bedouin Diaspora connections also keep growing in my mind. Bedouin culture is at a crossroads between assimilation and preservation of culture similar to that faced by European Jewry for hundreds of years. Similarily, both cultures have put a high value on education and on non employer required jobs such as doctors and businessman. Both people are attacked regularly by ill-informed propaganda and even labeled as traitorous and a fifth column in their countries. Both groups struggled to assimilate and were not fully allowed, but also lost bits of their culture.

Of course, diaspora is a misnomer for Bedouin because their diaspora is one within their country of origin but away form their traditional land. It is also one away from a society ruled by their own laws to one ruled by the often alien and detached laws of others. It is a group forced into a smaller space and forced to form community links where there were previously only links on a smaller family level. Yet, there are many appropriate comparisons that should be expanded upon further.

In many ways, the Bedouin diaspora ( or dispersal as it is snidely called by the government often) is actually a source of opportunity. It has provided families a chance to organize on a community level and force a collective consciousness. Yet, this hope is only true if there is a light at the end of the long struggle and Bedouin can eventually be accepted while able to keep their own culture in part. Unfortunately, the legacy of Europe does not seem promising. 

Marxism, Angst, Pool and Radio Theft

One  extremely uneventful and boring day and one exiting in a very unusual way day. Staying in Lakia for the weekend was probably not a great idea. One of the family’s cousins said he would take me horseback riding but then he had to go and I was stuck doing nothing eventful on Friday.

This gave me lots of time to reflect on the weeks events and become utterly cynical and despondent about the world. A mix between seeing Bedouin houses demolished, hearing and reading about the Scooter Libby pardon in the US and feeling the intractability of the Israel-Palestine conflict due to stereotypical and racist thought on the part of the politicians of my birth country will do that for you. I am usually a humanist with a profound trust in the power of human beings to change the world, but days of researching NGOs has left me feeling that while so many noble and dedicated people are trying to change the world, that it is truly resilient to change and imperturbable.

If thousand of people are currently working to make the world a better place, and all of their diligence is hardly paying of in the slightest, then what hope is there really?

There’s not much more to say about Friday…It was just an angsty day on the whole.

Today was a bit more interesting on the whole. First, I helped package food for the children of the village in a summer camp. An elderly woman paid for the meal out of her money and there were huge pots of meat and rice for 200 kids. This made me think about a few things. Firstly, it is nice to see some extracurricular enrichment in the community. I hear they even went to a swimming pool in Beer Sheva a couple of time which is definitely positive. I wonder, however, where is the state when it comes to these things. Why doesn’t the state help create and maintain such activities for the kids of the villages and etc. It is clear that the government is much more concerned with the enrichment and placement of its Jewish inhabitants…This is truly sad!

 

Next, my mind of cours turned to Marxism and the idea of the alienation of laborer from labor in assembly lines. As I stood and put lids on meal boxes while people before me in the line put the meat, rice and sauce, I could imagine how numbing a lifetime of putting lids on boxes could be. I was continually enticed by the delicious smell to keep working, but I imagine even that would eventually wear off. I only had to produce less than 150 of these boxes, but I could already feel myself focusing less on quality and more on quantity. This is no way for a person to live his life. I realized how many individuals must be involved in the production of good I consume on a day to day basis without a single regard. This of course has nothing at all to do with the conflict or Bedouin, but it I a basic life lesson that I can take from the experience. It is essential to always remember how much labor is put into the smallest morsel of food one consumes and to realize how fortunate we are to be born in the right society and to the right parent. Life should not be a game of roulette. We should improve the world so that everyone can life a good and fair life rather than some getting to experience wonders as an accident of birth.

I went into Rahat, the Bedouin city, Twice today and each experience was very different. Firstly, I went with Salim and Rasha and we drove around and saw the various stores. Impressions- It is a very cramped and slowly developing city without enough potential. The shopping district is rather small and quaint, but at least offers some promise, but the residential areas are so claustrophobic. Indeed, it is no wonder so many Bedouin do not ant to move here. Each house has little to no land and no opportunity to expand. Commercial establishments are obviously a source of jobs, but these are limited and traditional agriculture is utterly impossible. I would certainly not be comfortable living in this city because it is cramped but not metropolitan at all. Mostly, it is an urban sprawl of houses with little structure or proper development. Yet, of course it is still nice to see Bedouin restaurants, shops and etc open in the first place. The city is clearly one of mixed blessings.

Later, I went back to the city with Rasim his cousin Sayid and some friends of theirs to play pool. While we were inside, someone broke int  the car we drove in on and stole the car radio. This was shockingly random and very strange. Indeed, however, what struck me more was the informal investigation conducted by the people at the pool alley. They broke into someone else’s car through the trunk to find the make and model and fit of the radio for instance. In the end, of course, nothing could be done as the location of the car was out of the range of the camera.

My immediate response was to think about the desperation it would take to decide to go and steal car radios from a parking lot. Indeed, it just seems like something that someone without any other job opportunity would do, because the chance of failure is so high and the reward not so great. If the radio is worth more than 200 dollars, I would be surprised. It is frustrating for the one whose radio is stolen, but in the long run the chance of being caught negates the long term gain; inless of course no other option are available. It is also possible that the act is steered on by boredom which is another very salient factor. The sociologist in me wants to always try to understand why a certain action happens and what human emotions lead to it.

More interesting even was that the owners offered to even pay for the radio or give us his personal radio as a replacement. Of course, the driver turned this offer down, but it just shows how community oriented Bedouin are on the whole. In America or even in Israel, the prevailing attitude is a sense of buyer beware as well as of human isolation. Negative things that happen to one person do not affect another. This is of course a limited way of viewing the world. Each persons pain impacts us directly or indirectly though we can’t often see how. This offer showed that one can take responsibility and feel pain in the loss of another. Indeed, this was inspiring.