his hand against everyone and everyone's hand against him
I don't remember where I was or even which city it was. I was walking alone and I noticed a group of ants on the rock to my right.
Once I had sat and had a picnic in the rainforest outside of Kakamega, Kenya and spent most of the afternoon on the jungle floor marvelling at the efficiency of the ant.
I stooped to get a closer look at the ants on rock. It took a few seconds for my vision to narrow enough in order to reconcile what was taking place in the miniature world.
It was a battle. A horrific battle that brought the bile to my throat. I saw ants with pincers. Enormous weapons as large as any of the segments of their bodies. I watched an ant cut another in half and the top half of the doomed insect continue to struggle with its opponent.
This is Israel.
Once I had sat and had a picnic in the rainforest outside of Kakamega, Kenya and spent most of the afternoon on the jungle floor marvelling at the efficiency of the ant.
I stooped to get a closer look at the ants on rock. It took a few seconds for my vision to narrow enough in order to reconcile what was taking place in the miniature world.
It was a battle. A horrific battle that brought the bile to my throat. I saw ants with pincers. Enormous weapons as large as any of the segments of their bodies. I watched an ant cut another in half and the top half of the doomed insect continue to struggle with its opponent.
This is Israel.
posted by sparklestone at 9:38 PM
3 Comments:
interesting analogy. But do you mean that it's the nation of Israel (the tribe) fighting among itself? Do you mean it's the land of Israel (the state and all of the people who live within those borders) and all the inhabitants are doing that? Israel means so many different things that I'm not sure what you're getting at. Or are you getting at all of it?
What was it that made you write this now? Did something happen?
Take what ever analogy you want, you reader person you.
The ants did happen just like that tho far more gruesome than I described.
As you know I witnessed a minor traffic altercation escalate to a ridiculous level of anger the other day.
There are two memories from my year in Israel which live in the same place in my brain. The ants and a traffic altercation I witnessed that escalated to a fullscale rock throwing melee. Truly scary.
While I watched the ants, the thought occurred to me that the cause of the agression was seeping up through the rock itself.
Israel is a lot of things to me. One of them is anger and rock.
When you and I were getting to know each other, you talked about Israel a lot. You hadn't lived there for many years, but that place obviously became a part of you and your love for ha-eretz is also a big part of you.
In fact, your love for Israel was my gateway drug to a heritage that I've committed myself and our family to.
I know that your love for the land has many aspects and I know that you are capable of loving in spite of pain. However, when I read your thoughts about a place that you love so much, it makes me ache. Am I aching for you or for the land? I'm not sure, but I want to know what I can do to help.
I also know enough to know that there's nothing that I can do to help. In the same way that I struggle with Faith, I don't see possibilities for peace there.
But I do know that I love you. When will you take me there?
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