Times like these

The weather is glorious today. Birds are chipping in miles of blue sky; flowers are blooming for an early spring after days of rain. This year has been the coldest winter we have had so far, but as March sets in, the good old sunny days, full of colors, have returned. I promised myself once the weather gets better, I will go for a jog (guess that will have to wait, once again).

This weekend is Purim, a happy Jewish holiday celebrating Jews' survival thousands of years ago, and lucky for me, a 3 day weekend.

Though when I look out my window, there is not a single person on the street, hardly any cars passing by, even in the midst of the holiday. After more than 100 rockets have fallen from the sky in less than 24 hours to the southern part of Israel, many celebrations have been canceled. We were all told to stay in, or to the nearest bomb shelter. Our fate.... unknown.



Unfortunately, times like these are not unfamiliar to me and my fellow classmates. Things could escalate so quickly in this region of the world. I remember the first time I have heard the bomb siren ringing across all the neighborhood of Beer Sheva, it sounded like a loud ambulance, but more dreadful, hollow, prolonged, dragging, nagging, begging... soon after, a loud boom shakes all the windows around the house while I carried on with my daily tasks. I was cooking at the time, and I simply thought, I must put more salt in my soup if I were to live not seeing the light of tomorrow.

And times like these, I feel fortunate that for me, this is a temporary situation. No matter how many times the siren rings in a day, how many times we get awakened in the middle of the night, this is not my country, and I will one day leave here, taking with me only memories and experiences that allow me to have a fuller perspective on the world. However, for those whose lives are here, they hear the siren long after it has been subsided. The children will have tarnished childhoods knowing they are growing up in hate; the citizens in the country cannot live in peace; one's full potential cannot be realized in such an oppressed environment. And for those who have been injured and lost their lives, the scars are permanent on their bodies as well on the hearts of their loved ones.

The worst part is that the people in Gaza must have it even worse than we do.

With all that brutality though, we barely made it to today's international news covering the Middle East. There are people with worse sufferings out there, what are you complaining about? Here is what the title of a small article buried under mass information said, "Latest Israeli airstrike in Gaza bringing death toll to 17". There was barely any mention of the 130 rockets that fell within our proximity. You started first; No, you started first! You stop it first; no YOU STOP it first!

Violence is not a justification for settling differences in religious beliefs, nor is it the mean to bring justice. I have gotten into a heated argument recently regarding the differences in political views with a friend, and the conclusions of that conversation also lead to the conclusion of the friendship. All I want to say is, if at the end of the day, no matter which God we pray to, which channel of news we turn on, if we cannot even agree violence is not the answer and both sides are wounded, what else can we agree on?

I wonder what happens if next time I wasn't so lucky, blasting fume smuggles me through the broken glasses, would I feel?

Most of the pain we suffer stems from.....  fear.