TW: This post may contain depictions of war crimes and horrific accounts of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Hi there, this post is a revival of my blog after a dormant two months but I am writing at a time when darkness looms the world. It is almost two weeks since the Israel-Hamas situation rebooted and the days that followed were nothing short of terror for the people in the region. As I write this, newer and more horrific accounts of war crimes are happening, and there is no value in calling this Four Eyes if I don't share my feelings.
About a year and a half ago, I published a post about empathy about a much smaller conflict but one that might have been more widely talked about: the Oscar slapgate incident. Why am I bringing this up? It's startling to see how many people are not speaking up about the urgent humanitarian crisis in Palestine. This is not the time to be silent, but it's definitely the time to reflect. I am chilled to my bones when I read the news and watch disturbing videos of babies, children and women on the streets in dismembered states. There was a clip of a young boy crying profusely over his nephew's critical state after a bomb was dropped in the area. Another gut-wrenching video was taken at a Gaza camp before the war, and young adolescents shared their wishes and simple dreams they wanted to see come to fruition. To think that these humans are in such a dire situation currently that they are recording their last words knowing that their wishes are, and have always been, unattainable.
I stand with Palestine. You should too, if you stand for humanity.
When I viewed photos of government buildings around the world displaying shades of blue and white, I was genuinely confused. I could see the plain hypocrisy when they supported Ukraine against Russia but not Palestine (because some parallels can be drawn). Given that we are in a dangerous era of information spreading so rapidly, it was no surprise that misinformation regarding the conflict became a real issue. That is why I feel it's important to iterate this: I stand with Palestine, not Hamas. Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people, who have been nothing but pawns in the hands of the terrorists. The hypocrisy does not end there. Western powers truly believe that they're the world's (uncalled) guardian angels, but the open secret is that they still have the imperial mindset to exploit the energy resources in the regions.
I could go on to talk about the unimaginable pain innocent civilians are facing in both Palestine and Israel, but we need to address the one thing that the world has collectively lacked this past few weeks: Empathy. Hearing about the bombings is very upsetting, but it's more distressing to watch people justify innocent people's murders. It is absolutely horrendous that people have been politically and religiously blinded and have taken extreme stances that endanger such minority communities. Empathy brings people together. Empathy defines humanity, but I consider everyone who has justified the murders in this unfair war to be equally dangerous as the Hamas terrorists and Israeli forces.
With respect to this, social media platforms like Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) have become intense virtual battlefields for many anonymous keyboard warriors. I do want to take a moment to acknowledge the consistent, faithful work of numerous social media pages dedicated to raising awareness and donations for Palestinians. It is also uplifting to see many people share important information online to bring a better light to the situation. Yet, it is shocking to read about the social media platforms shadow banning (restricting a user's content secretly) many Palestinian supporters. I was listening to BBC's Reith Lecture 2022 podcast on the Four Freedoms the other day and it's worth mentioning in this context. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, an acclaimed humanitarian and feminist writer, spoke passionately about the Freedom of Speech in today's climate and there were two things she said that stood out to me:
"Free speech is the language of the powerless." Palestinians have been silenced for decades and they need urgent access to humanitarian aid which many countries haven't given. If more people listen to their problems and acknowledge their blood-stained history, they will be able to break the notion that Hamas = Palestine.
"We need to believe in the resilience of the human spirit." The fallen and the pain-stricken survivors are symbols of bravery and humanity. We as a people have a lot to learn and reflect on the hope that many people still have. Hamas and Israel are officially hell-bent on wiping each other "from the face of the world" and no one really knows what will happen next.
It is vital we get educated on the war. Only then do we grant ourselves access to empathy and do what it takes to alleviate their situation. I cannot predict what the next political move will be, but I am scared because it seems like the worst is yet to come. One's faith in humanity can only be revived if we see it in action and that is only possible in a kinder world.
Peace.
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I hope to blog more frequently from now on. College life has been really eventful and the past 2 months were simply amazing. I am glad Four Eyes is seeing some activity again. Do like and share this post. Comment below your thoughts on this conflict and let me know what you would like to see me write about next!
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