Seeing Red in My Country

Red is not a color that suits my country. Our national colors are pure blue and white like the sky above us here practically every day. This is a photo from my neighborhood.

So I was quite shocked to see a young woman in the bright red t-shirt the protesters are wearing as part of the "Women's Struggle" on my walk this morning. But the hate is spreading, and you can feel it everywhere you go now. We've gone from being the most open-minded country in the world, to a place where people are afraid to talk to other people or speak their mind.

Now the protest movement has even taken out massive billboards in every city with what looks like a bigger budget than any election campaign:

No Winners in Internal War ... Except Hatred

Since I moved here in 1978, I can only remember a single time there was such a high level of hatred dividing Israel in half, and that was when Prime Minister Rabin was assassinated in the center of Tel Aviv. Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin (1995)

There have been other moments in our short history where the country was torn apart by hate and destruction:

Black Panthers (Yom Kippur War - 1973)

Wadi Salib riots (1959)

Altalena Affair (1948)

Hatred is winning this clash we have in Israel at the moment. You can see it in peoples' eyes - it wasn't there before all this started.

Running in the streets or after money and pride honor, these are things that are here today and who knows what tomorrow will bring?

At the moment this is mainly how we treat each other: with hate, separation, control and more. We won't succeed in bending the purpose of man and the world, until we lift life up. Otherwise we'll continue to despise each other with this destructive contempt.

And the obvious question needs to be asked: isn't it time to figure out why we were given a mind to think, and a heart to feel?

Everyone's Searching for Freedom

Do we really need reminding that there are basic principles to building a healthy society in all areas of life? In order to rebuild, you have to look for a new place empty of other people's property. Also without harming any method that will work in reality. We have to keep all ways of life according to the status quo and according to the freedom of the individual, and also understand that the new building is not just about the economy.

It's time to learn how to run a social economy, which is kind of an oxymoron. But in reality, this is the next big startup. We'll learn how economic and social calculations connect to one goal.

Likewise, there is and will not be another way to escape from the manifestation of hatred except through love. Only the effort of loving others can provide the individual freedom we're all searching for. It's freedom from constantly thinking about ourselves that we're all yearning for.

And with this new awareness, when the hatred is revealed we will learn to control it and not let it take over our lives. So if we really want to know someone's beliefs, we need to ask the people who love them and the people who hate them. Because the lovers only knew the person's virtues and no shortcomings, and the haters only know their shortcomings.

Hate and love are two opposite sides of the same coin. Hopefully soon we'll learn to flip it.