While we figure out how language sustains conflict in the head (and perhaps catch up or re-read — in my case — Benny Morris or Efraim Karsh), perhaps it’s time to transform the Hamas and Fatah sense of civilizational mission in a way that serves rather than ravages their respective communities. 1948, 1967, 1973, the First Intifada, the Second Intifada — these were not about justice but the elimination of Jewry.

The middle east conflict is not the only conflict in the world; X vs Muslim (Burma, Congo) is not the only cultivated paradigm for conflict — nor is ambitious monotheist succession such a great cause for humanity overall, although I like this “one God” thing.

Let’s stop this fighting here.

Five virtues might help with our nurturing our developing global society: compassion, empathy, humility, inclusion, integrity. Dictators and wealthy narcissists use the image of identification with those values to manipulate their followers (track Assad on that, or Robert Mugabe), but they don’t really embrace them. We, however, might and we’ll wind up helping one another.

The wisdom is probably old, but the act of writing includes the writer’s rediscovery of old standbys and themes.

The same words may be incanted by way of the top of the column to the left of this article.

They’re their to help create a world in which a common soul may know what is going on around him with some reliability born of the dignity of being spoken to honestly.

The inspiration for the note was a thread sidetracked toward the middle east conflict, and on Facebook there are plenty of hate-peace peace groups, and some collegial peace groups, and some anti-Semitic peace groups: a place for everyone at the git-go!  One hopes, however, for fewer of the hateful — and of the hateful to anyone — over time.

As suggested by this blog, what we call bigotry or prejudice may be a function of earliest language uptake and, for each language culture, the manner of listening (programming) conveyed from one generation to another — some ears obey all; some question all — and then norms and ambitions supplied (scripting) to those ears.

One does not “win” in the world by leaving himself exclusive and isolated in it.

There is in that the tragedy of the “malignant narcissist”.

Some cultures having derived cultural self-concept along similar patterns may lead themselves to similar suffering.  By person, place, state, and region, may we turn that inclination away from ourselves, collectively, worldwide.

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