I wish people were also protesting the loss of human life in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, South Sudan, The Congo, our own First Nations etc. However at this time the Israeli- Palestinian conflict seems to be particularly magnetic. The others not.
I wonder about this. What causes our selective attention, how do media, literacy, attention and time interact to make this happen- such that waves of in-attention are punctuated by brief bouts of outrage?
I wonder about the terrible scourge of poverty, which without much fanfare kills many thousands every year. I also wonder about how much critical analysis people undertake- as they chant slogans. What thoughts and solution space are they contemplating for their causes, after the protests are over and the placards have been discarded? How do they intend to make things better over the long term?
I think a lot about how a dear mentor mentioned that peace is not the absence of conflict rather the ability to manage conflict. I think about how much time and energy it takes to truly manage conflict, or the fact that there are lots of ideas out there that could help- that range from political, economic, legal, educational, and humanitarian but very few people with capacity to implement and operationalize these ideas into action over years of gruelling work. Lots of hot air seems freely available not enough action that makes a long term difference.
I also think about the futility of posting this on facebook, or twitter. Sometimes I despair with this state of affairs. None of the solutions seem as quick as a protest, all of them require us to be gardeners - patiently planting, watering, weeding over months if not years, ideas. This viewpoint doesn't seem to be as appealing as a blood quickening, exciting protest that is over in a few hours.
On reflection perhaps, I don't want anyone to protest for the Congo, or Syria or the many other conflict stricken human populations- I would rather they did something that makes actually makes a difference in the long run.
