Stuck

It feels senseless to write about the origin of cookies, and how adding protein powder to a batch of chocolate chip freshies can save money and increase energy out on the trail or the crag or wherever.  It feels senseless to write about climbing or hiking or camping.  Each time I try to write about anything my brain just keeps going back to the images of Hamas attacking Israeli Territories, and the subsequent response in Gaza.

I won’t begin to try and tackle the history of such a sensitive topic, I have no idea if a peaceful resolution is possible.  I certainly won’t naively advocate the idea that we just need to love and respect one another, or that we need to give peace a chance.

I’m sad and angry, I’m completely detached from the situation and I’m 8,000 miles away, I can’t even begin to comprehend the emotions of the people who are directly involved.

I have no philosophical words of wisdom, no practical advice, but I cannot subscribe to the adage that ‘If you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all’.  I have nothing nice to say, I have nothing important to say, I barely have anything to say at all.  But, no matter what I try to do, my attention will not focus on anything else.

I think my biggest frustration is that once again the lives of civilians are laid to waste because of the beliefs and goals of those in power.  There are a million unfortunate consequences stemming from that unfortunate yet persistent theme including the unfounded belief that there are two sides.  Reducing people and everything that an individual person is to being on one side or another is a dangerous, limiting, and manipulative dichotomy that has no place in reality.

That forced bifurcation leads to racism, bigotry, sexism, prejudice, and intolerance.  Friends of mine are ready to write off an entire people based on the actions of those in power.  From political to religious to monetary power, the narrative of ‘us versus them’ always seems to start at the top.  It’s a false narrative and letting it penetrate and permeate into everyday ordinary citizens is one of the most dangerous ways to weaponize a population.

People can be horrible, repulsive, ignorant, and atrocious, we can also be resilient, compassionate, thoughtful, and wise. Not just people in general, but each and every individual person. Good or bad, right or wrong, us or them, either/or is not how the world works. Good and bad, right and wrong, us and them (we), makes things a lot harder to understand and embrace, but the world is not black and white. It’s complex, confusing and messy.

So, right now, I’m going to go be angry, and sad, and torn, and confused, but I’m going to do everything I can to prevent getting pulled into these radical tribal dichotomies that don’t exist.

“Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you”

– Friedrich Nietzsche (Beyond Good and Evil)