Ali, I also am grateful to Martin. As you say, it is complicated. We can only plunge in and make a start —
But it is so heartening to find someone else who “speaks the same language,” whose eyes see a similar reality!
To pull out just one thread — you write: “These monsters are using our name and defaming us in their pursuit of mayhem and slaughter.” Exactly.
The greatest harm is being done (as usual) to the innocent, to people just going about their lives — The war is against them, they are the ones being hijacked. I guess I should be saying “you.” You, even in London, are right there on the front lines. You are very brave, though, because you are able to see so clearly.
Even though I have thought and thought about this, I failed to see the truth you point out here. As the phrase says, The truth hides in plain sight. These murderers need money for their hateful exploits, and for their own reasons, many states are happy to supply it. These states are so rich partly because of their Western trading partners — that is US!
So if we trace the thread far enough, we — all of us — are helping to finance our own destruction.
The Englishman Edmund Burke wrote, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
Wringing our hands in the end amounts to doing nothing.
But WHAT to do, how to do it — these are pragmatic political considerations. Do you have any ideas for practical first steps? The pen may ultimately be mightier than the sword, but there are times when “swords,” i.e. political action, is the needful power. An arena I have never been competent in —
I am glad to meet you and to know that you exist! Perhaps this is a first step in something ongoing.
If you look at my response to Gill of My Bright Life, written just before this response to you, you’ll find the image of the thread (and the monster!) again. “What I tell you two times is true,” says the Torah. Perhaps we can help use the thread wisely, and help slay the monster.
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Comment on In Solidarity by Touch2Touch
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