enjoy this moment, for this moment is your life: 30 days

It has been 30 days since I heard my first Code Red siren. Since that time, over 3,229 rockets have been shot into Israel. To give some perspective: today in the last four hours, 32 rockets have been fired by Hamas. All are meant to kill Israeli civilians. They also broke the sixth ceasefire, just like the last five they broke. Hamas is committing double war crimes by firing rockets at civilian areas in Israel and from civilian areas in Gaza. Terrorism is stealing, killing, destroying, and affecting innocent lives on both sides.

I have spent much time thinking about Israel, Hamas, this battle, terrorism, and the world, as a whole. While I'd like to share all of my above thoughts, the last topic in itself would be a never-ending post. And, nobody want to read that...so here it is in a nutshell. War and the potential of death cause a whole person to see life in a different way with a different perspective.

I have been thinking about those who are in the military. Taking away all opinions, judgments, and assumptions about why a person might join the military, they stand on the front line and do their very best to protect the people of their country. This is very noble. In this present situation, without the Israel Defense Forces, all of those 3,229 rockets could have hit the land. Those rockets would have killed more people that I'd like to imagine a number for.

This week while I was out on a morning walk, I saw a soldier leave a house on the same street as mine. He was shutting the front gate to his home. He began to walk down the sidewalk. He was about 20 yards from me. I, of course, had no idea where he was going, but he was in uniform. I didn't know he lived there, so close to me. In the present situation in Israel, I thought about what might be going on in his mind. His service is to protect his land and his people. His service is protecting me. He doesn't even know me and he is protecting me.

A few days ago, I happened upon the street where the children and I were walking when we had to seek shelter during a siren. Not purposefully, but I hadn't gone down that street since that day. As I looked at the spot where the five of us went to, I remembered how we all moved with peace toward the wall for protection. We had heard and felt the huge explosions as the Iron Dome intercepted the rockets. Afterward, we looked up could see the residual/contrails from the interception.

Thinking back on it now, I see it in a different way. Everything that happened in that moment was a life-impacting experience. Directly above my head I could see how my life was protected and spared. It was right there in the sky for me to see. It has been about three weeks since then, but seems like three months. A strange thing happens when the body experiences moments of trauma adrenaline. Time takes on a whole new meaning.

Standing next to the wall, looking up.

There is a banner honoring a fallen soldier in my neighborhood. His name is Omer and he is 21. He lived two streets over from me. He was one of three in his unit who died while fighting in the southern Gaza strip. Omer is one of 64 soldiers and officers who have been killed in the war against Hamas terrorists.

Terrorism is an ugly thing. How can it not be, it comes from the word "terror"? In all of its ugliness, terrorism is a weapon that manipulates people. It twists the minds of once innocent people. It uses bullying and indoctrination to pervert those once innocent minds. Terrorism is not friendly and not law-abiding. It is self-centered and goal-driven. Terrorism wants its power and will not stop short of achieving it.

Terror

:violent or destructive acts (as bombing) committed by a person, group, or government in order to intimidate or frighten a population or government into granting their demands or achieve a political goal.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terror

Terrorism is bad. That is truth and I imagine that most people agree with it. But because terrorism is such an ugly thing, it uses and manipulates. It will manipulate anyone and anything. I see it like a dark fog. It oozes and seeps through the land and world. Slowly, it clouds the people's vision and hearing. It plays on the human heart and mind to work its self-centered, lawless goal.

As I am personally watching terrorism work its manipulation, I can't help but see that good is being called evil and evil is being called good. Darkness is changed into light and light is changed into darkness. Bitter is called sweet and sweet is called bitter. I watch in disbelief as fellow humans say strange and thought-provoking accusations. For example, Navi Pillany, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, complained that "no such protection (Iron Dome) has been provided to Gazan's against the (Israeli) shelling". That is like saying that Hamas rockets intercepted 90% of the Israeli (Iron Dome) missiles. Iron Dome "missiles" are not for harming. It is not shooting rockets at Gaza. The Iron Dome is for protecting and defending.

Somewhere the line became blurred, the dark fog oozed in. Good and evil seem as if they are mushed into one word: "Goovil". I am wondering if any one else is seeing it? It seems like our culture has lost its senses. I voice strong words here but it seems like compassion toward Hamas-dictated Gaza is exampling the gross deterioration of human courage. What has happened to our moral compass? No culture, people, land, or generation has ever thrived with terrorist reign.

The below link will play the following video:

Why Does Hamas Use Palestinian Civilians as Human Shields?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffDoZrTtbhA&list=UUawNWlihdgaycQpO3zi-jYg

"This Gaza war is hardly over, and already the international community is screaming for war crimes investigations into the conduct of Israeli forces in their battle against the Hamas terrorist infrastructure. Very few of those calls are being tempered by demands that Hamas also be investigated for using human shields, and almost none are taking into account the supreme difficulty Israel faced in executing what was ultimately a defensive retaliatory action. Somehow, Hamas has succeeded in making people around the world believe that it is a humanitarian organization that justly “resists” the evil, colonial and racist State of Israel."

This is preposterous and condoning terrorism. It shows how evil is being called good and good is called evil. Again, I know I voice strong words here, but this seems ludicrous to me. Wickedness is being justified.

"If the world cares....it should do its utmost to stop these dangerous cycles of violence. And the way to do that is not endlessly attempting to drag Israel before the international community, but instead by exposing Hamas' strategy of self-imposed catastrophes. This conflict can only truly end when the terrorist dream of annexing Israel is seen for what it really is. Only when the world will understand this and act accordingly can it truly begin to advance peace in this region."

Quoted text by Tsvi Sadan and Ryan Jones, Israel Today, August 4th, 2014

Not to be forgotten during this time, the radical, extremist Sunni movement ISIS (now known as the Islamic State) is killing its way through northern Iraq. Children are being systematically beheaded. Mothers are being raped and killed. Fathers are being hung. In a single day last week, 1,500 people were killed. Christians are being murdered for their beliefs. Most have been forced to convert, flee, or have been publicly executed for their faith. Christians are being particularly targeted by the extremist terrorist group.

In response to the killings in Iraq and the continued focus on Israel war crimes, Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor addressed the UN General Assembly on Wednesday. Proser also accused the UN of complicity in the slaughter taking place in Iraq and elsewhere thanks to its “allowing organizations like Hamas to continue to exist in the Middle East.” He said, "...stand on our side in this battle between civilization and barbarism. Have the decency to swallow your selective outrage while Israel wages war against the extremist groups seeking to eradicate the values that we all hold very dear”.

http://www.idfblog.com/blog/2014/08/07/invisible-face-hamas/

The link above is for an article called "The Invisible Face of Hamas". It's a quick read but sheds light on the manipulations of the terrorist organization. The light exposes the violence, intimidation, threats, and lies used by Hamas against ALL people.

As stated in previous posts, I am not trying to stir up a political debate. I'm just living in Israel. I am seeing it firsthand. I am writing about what I am experiencing. Life is still going on. I am still teaching and exploring when I can. My life hasn't stopped. It can't just because there is a war. I just find myself thinking so differently. I cannot help but to write about what is forming a new perspective. My desire is for good to be called good, light to be called light, and sweet to be called sweet. It is also my desire for bad to be called bad, darkness to be called darkness, and bitter to be called bitter. I want to do all that I can to stop the line from being blurred.

Some good, personal moments of late: