Good Morning June! I am not sure there is an easy answer to your questions. I believe it has to start with knowledge/education. It is through knowledge that our ability to empathize increases. There is a direct correlation, and as one increases, so does the other. That being said, after watching the 60 Minute segment, I scrolled through the comment sections. I was shocked at people’s ignorance on the subject. The inability to accept a different world view, or process the information presented to them was mind boggling. It was disheartening to see people so entrenched in their paradigmatic ruts. As a result, they were unable to have compassion on the people suffering, let alone recognize and acknowledge the injustices going on. All that being said, I believe that issues like Israel and Palestine are symptoms to the underlying systemic problem taking place in America. The ability to think deeply, is largely absent. Movement within our culture happens so quickly that there is no time to process, synthesize, reflect, rationalize, or fully understand the underlying arguments/debates that are happening. Movement within society happens rapidly. We move to consume or be entertained constantly, and by anything that catches out fancy (I am not immune to this accusation, and am in fact guilty myself). Therefore, if we are going to be able to solve/avoid issues, like Israel and Palestine, then we not only need to change the way we think, but the way in which we go about thinking. In essence, we need to think about the way we think, and learn how to re-think the way we think/engage the world.
The irony is in the movie itself. The movie portrays a society lavished in extreme wealth, overly indulging every desire and appetite, while being so consumed by entertainment, that they themselves do not reflect upon what is taking place around them. Is this the problem that I am alluding too in America? Are we so distracted with ourselves, consuming, and entertainment that we miss what is really going on around us? Are we moving to fast to acknowledge it? Do we fail to reflect upon what is happening around us? I believe so. As the movie ends, the two main characters are able to reveal the realities of what is taking place around them. They are able expose the oppression and exploitation of a marginalized people for the sole purpose of entertainment and power. They eventually become the poster children in the resistance against the system which feeds upon power, wealth, and entertainment.
Where does this leave us, and how does it relate my illustration to our Israel/Palestine conflict? Furthermore, how does this illustration speak to the larger systemic problems of our society?
I believe we must re-think our process of learning/educating if we are able to answer your question "what are we to do?" We must focus upon logic, rational, and the process of learning and thinking, and less upon facts and memorization. In essence, we must move away from the "correct" or "right answer," and towards "why it is the solution", and "how" we reached that conclusion. This is not easy or quick. I can only see it taking place through discipleship, which is simply another way of saying living and sharing life together while asking hard questions. This "re-thinking" must entail experience and exposure to things outside of our comfort zone.
This is where my trip to Israel comes in view. I am hoping to learn, first hand, from Israeli Jews, Israeli Defense Forces, Messianic Jews, Palestinian Christians, and Palestinian Muslims what is happening on the ground. I want to experience life (be discipled) as they experience it(through their worldview). Ultimately, I want to have my eyes opened to the reality of where my tax dollars are being spent, how they are being spent, and what comes from my direct contribution to the problem. If we are to find a solution, we must find the antagonist (is it me?). If I relate my situation to The Hunger Games, I want to expose myself, and the people around me, to the realities that surround us. I don't want to live under the guise "everything is okay." As I stated above, the answer to our problem is education. It is education through the paradigmatic assumption that we could be wrong, and that everything we know might be based on a falsehood. This education begins by moving outside my comfort zone, and is the beginning step to discover "what I can do."
In closing, and trying to tie everything together, I will reference The Hunger Games one more time. There is a very surreal moment in the movie when President Snow (chief antagonist) is talking to the Game Master (the orchestrator of the death games) about the two main characters. President Snow asks the Game Master if he has ever been outside of the Capitol to the outter sectors. The game master says, "No, I have not," which President Snow responds, "If you had, then you would not be rooting for them." By limiting the experience and exposure, or re-directing the focus of the viewers, the Capitol is able to control, manipulate, and distract their attention. I do not want to live within the safe confines of "the Capital." I want to learn, live in the reality of what is really going on, and thus begin to start the process of reconciliation. Will you join me?
