A man sits on the balcony of his third floor apartment observing the view below, his naked girlfriend. He is not sure how he feels about what she is doing, or the way that people are stopping and looking at her as they pass by. He has never been good with understanding how he feels he decides. He then muses about times he has spent with his friends when they have asked him to take a side on his argument but he doesn't care enough to develop an opinion. I do not relate to this story. In most situations I do know how I feel.
I think the author is speaking about ignorance. When things get too confusing or it is too difficult to pick a side, people often give up all together. This is very bad. People need to be informed about what is going on in the world around them. If they take the time they might just find something that they don't like, something that they could change to make the world a better place. I relate this not so much to Israeli Society, but to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Jews are spread out all over the world, so are ignorant people. People who aren't connected to the conflict don't have a lot of motivation to become informed. Therefore, it is very important for us, as Jews, and for Israelis, and Arabs too, to be well informed so that we can, in turn, inform others and help them to make educated decisions.
The story could be seen as Jewish literature. Many people relate Jewish people with strong opinions. It is interesting that the man in the story did not have strong opinions. His friends however did. The author describes them arguing over important topics when they hang out. I believe that it is also important for us, as Jews, to be informed especially when it comes to our history.
I really agree with your viewpoint of this story and how the ignorance can be used to explain the lack of knowledge someone knows about the conflict between Israel and Palestine. We do need to be better educated on topics such as this because we as humans have an obligation to make decisions based off of facts and without knowing enough we cannot make choices that will be right because we will not have enough information to support them.
ReplyDeleteThis story could be a metaphor for a foreigner's opinion about the state of Israel. When confronted with an unfamiliar environment/political structure, someone who might not be ready to confront the challenge will often freeze, unable to draw conclusions or make decisions. The modern state of Israel might be so confusing to some that instead of inspiring action and thought, it prevents it, because so many just aren't equipped to deal with the problems facing Israel today.
ReplyDeleteI agree that ignorance is something that needs to be changed. I think that all people should be informed about all perspectives of any conflict so that ignorance dissipates and solutions can be reached (hopefully). I think that opinions are also something that need to be looked at from all sides. Differing opinions are important in general and also a crucial Jewish value.
ReplyDelete-Rachael Coleman