A Methodist minister in Palestine sent out the email below which gives a detailed view of
Palestinian reaction -- which is a lot different from what I had seen on television. My son and daughter-in-law had received it via a long daisy chain. I wrote the author, asking for verification and permission to quote. Both are in The note below her original letter. Let us all be prayerful and reflective -- in my tradition, from the Book of Common Prayer, an extract of the prayer For our Enemies -- "Lead them and us from prejudice to truth; deliver them and us from hatred,
cruelty, and revenge; and in your good time enable us all to stand reconciled before you." Love to all in these hard times,
Byrd ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From: Sandra Olewine
Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2001 9:54 AM
Subject: The Sorrow unseen, the Story unheard...
Dear Friends,
In these days when much of the world reels from the heinous actions of hijackers using passenger jets as 'flying bombs' into major buildings in the US, likely killing
thousands, certainly injuring 10s of thousands and leaving families the world over grief stricken and lost, words and images should be carefully chosen, particularly by those in leadership and in the media. These acts raise the term 'terrorism' to an unprecedented level. Most acts ever given this designation pale in the face of the massive human lose and destruction. Never again will any of us step foot on a plane and not remember, at least for a fleeting moment, what happened in New
York City, Washington DC and Pennsylvania. For many, and particularly for many Americans, the recognition of human vulnerability has never been as clear as it is in these days. We humans often don't live well in the midst of such vulnerability. We try to create a sense of stability and security in our environment by whatever means necessary in order to cope with disruption, death and grief. Retreating to 'safe spaces' and finding someone to blame, someone towards whom to direct our
anger and despair, is not difficult to understand. But, sometimes such 'retreating' can lead to a strong urge to 'protect ourselves against them' whomever 'them' might be. As I watch the scenes which are displayed on television and listen to the words of some of the American leadership, I am dismayed by the careless and blanket statements concerning Muslims in particular and Arabs in general which are being expressed. The need to create 'security' by blaming evil deeds on an entire
tradition of people does not do justice to the lives of those killed. The work of 20, 50, 100, or 1,000 should not lead us to make blanket assumptions or statements about over a billion people. In every country, in every tradition, in every race, there are people who act out of malice and hatred to destroy others. Surely we Americans have not forgotten that the last horrible terrorist act carried out in our country was by ourselves. I've had numerous emails from people asking me to help
interpret the scenes they have watched of Palestinians 'celebrating' after the event. Yes, there were some gatherings of people, particularly in Nablus, who were shown in the very early hours of the horrible attacks in the US on the street, dancing and cheering, and passing out chocolate. But, these expressions were few and certainly did not represent the feelings or mood of the general population. The deep shock and horror of the Palestinian people, the real sorrow for all the dead
and wounded, was, and continues to be, unseen by the world, particularlyin the USA. It is the story unheard. Because those few scenes were disturbing, the easy response is to cast judgment on the participants, naming those 'celebrating' as inhuman, despots, or despicable. The more difficult response, though, particularly in the midst of grief, is to ask the questions about what might drive people, men, women and children, to such actions. One might remember that the people who were seen
'celebrating' are a people who for almost a year have been under a brutal siege, who due to the siege have been unable to feed their families and hover on the brink of poverty and despair, who have watched their children and their parents killed by bullets, tank shells and guided missiles, most of which are supplied to the Israeli Occupation Army by the USA. One might remember such things as one watches those images. Attempting to understand motivations doesn't discount our feelings of
anguish at such scenes, but does allow us to keep humanity a bit more in tack in a time of such utter brokenness. But, more importantly to me is what has mostly gone unseen by the American public. I have to ask why these scenes of a few Palestinians been shown again and again and again, as if they capture the 'truth' of Palestine. How few cameras have caught the spontaneous sorrow, despair, tears and heartache of the vast majority of the Palestinian people. As the news unfolded here on
Tuesday afternoon about the extent of the attacks, people gathered, as people did everywhere, in front of television screens to learn as much as possible. My phone rang and rang as Palestinians from around the West Bank called to express their horror and their condolences. Yesterday following a prayer service held at St. George's Anglican Cathedral, I talked briefly to the US Consul General in Jerusalem. We talked about the scenes from here which were most prevalent on the TV.He told me
that his office had received a stack of faxes of condolences from Palestinians and Palestinian Organizations 'this high' (indicating a stack of about 12 inches). He asked his staff to fax a copy of every last one of them to CNN to give a different visual image from Palestine. When we left the cathedral after the service, we drove by the American Consulate in East Jerusalem. Gathered there were about 30 Palestinian Muslim schoolgirls with their teachers. Looking grief-stricken, they held
their bouquets of dark flowers and stood behind their row of candles. Silently, they kept vigil outside our Consulate. But no cameras captured their quiet sorrow. When I got home, my neighbor explained that her son who is in 8th grade came home in the afternoon and talked to her about the students reactions at school. He told her that everyone was talking about what had happened. He said that many were asking "how could someone do that?" "Is someone human who can carry
out such acts?" He went on to tell her that many of the girls were crying. Friends, then, began stopping by my home. Palestinian Christian and Muslim came together, visiting me to express their sorrow and to ask what they could do. Again, the phone rang incessantly with Palestinians asking if everyone I knew was okay and asking if they could do anything to help. As we talked many went on to tell of stories of their loved ones who are in the States - relatives they were worried
about having been injured or killed or who had been subject to harassment in the last couple of days. Others talked of having received emails from people who had been supporters of their work who wrote saying "I can never again support the Palestinian people," as if somehow Palestinians everywhere were suddenly responsible for the attacks in the States. The remarkable thing to me, though, was that despite such messages, these same people still wrote letters of condolences, made
phone calls to friends, and asked what they could do to help. Despite the world, and particularly the American world, not seeing them or seeing them only as 'terrorists', Palestinians continued to express their common humanity with people everywhere as they shared in the heartache and dismay. In a separate message I will forward to you some of the condolences which have gone out. I pray you will share them widely in order to share the sorrow, in order that this part of the story also
might be heard. Lastly, I also want to express my gratitude to the many of you who have written notes of concern, expressing your prayers, for the people here, worrying about how this situation will impact the lives of all living in this region. In the midst of your own suffering and anxiety, your own horror what has happened, your heart was large enough, your vision wide enough, to still see the suffering and anxiety of others. This is no small gift and is a true mark of the grace of
God. Trusting in God's everlasting presence,
Sandra
Rev. Sandra Olewine
United Methodist Liaison - Jerusalem WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW..
(On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, a group of Ashland friends met with Jean
Houston to just be together and voice some thoughts about the happenings of
the day. Jean challenged me, as a physician who works with cancer patients,
to apply a metaphoric version of cancer treatment to the present situation.)
Hatred is the cancer in the psyche of humanity. Like its physical
counterpart, it starts with a few cells, and if unopposed, blossoms into
death. As with cancer, a small proportion of hatred may have a familial
tendency. Some children learn to hate from the cradle as they are taught to
embrace the ideology and actions of their families. But the greatest
percentage of the etiology of cancer (80%) is environmental and the same is
no doubt true of hatred. The environment in which both of these conditions
grow is one which identifies other cells and other people as different---as
somehow not deserving of our respect or our love.an environment in which the
"other" is overtaken and eventually "killed". This environment is not
limited to Afghanistan or the Middle East---it is worldwide. Hatred knows
no country borders or boundaries. The world is reeling this week in the wake of the
death of a portion of the global body from the disease of hatred. The response of many is to destroy the perceived primary cause of that death by unleashing the weapons of retribution to fight hatred with more hatred. This can be likened to killing cancer cells with harsh chemicals and radiation. The innocent will also be injured. With this treatment, pockets of cancer cells remain hidden to appear again another day. The same is true of hatred. We have not addressed the root cause.
Weakening of the immune system through environmental assaults is one of the prime factors in allowing the cancer cells that course daily through our bodies to "set up housekeeping." A strong immune system makes this colonization much less likely. Love is the immune system of the psyche that, if nurtured and kept strong, can erase pockets of hatred. All of us, everyday, on a microcosmic level, are subject to circulating cells of hatred. Erecting boundaries around our selves, our
property and personal belongings, our expertise, our compassion, and a host of other material and non-material "possessions", we stifle the love that is the answer to the cancer of hatred. We are all responsible. We are all called to change---change of a magnitude never yet experienced in recorded history. In our small town with more than its share of educated and enlightened citizens, a man from a large city buys property and labors long hours to build his dream home. A few
disrespectful people walk upon and deface his property. The seeds of hatred are planted. He builds a fence---they tear it down. Threats are exchanged. Hatred "sets up housekeeping" as love's immune system is overwhelmed. Where will it end? I bring my attention to my own behavior. How many times a day have I responded to those I perceive as "others" with irritation, judgment, arrogance, lack of attentiveness, lack of love? In the big picture is my micro-level behavior
significant? I believe it is. As a matter of fact, it's the only thing that does matter, because it's the only thing over which I have direct control. I can choose to love.or not. In the last few days, as pictures of the end result of terrorism flash across my brain, I am continually drawn to focus on loving. This love is not weak and passive, but strong and active. It requires great courage to be a peaceful warrior. For some years, it has become apparent that the war on cancer---bombarding
it with drugs and x-rays---has not worked. We have more cancer than ever before and it is estimated that in a few years approximately one out of every three people will be challenged by cancer at some time in their lives. Prevention is the key and the foundation of prevention is changing the environment, i.e. what goes into our physical bodies. Likewise, the key to overcoming hatred in our world and the death and destruction to which it leads is building a strong psychic immune system
based on love. Every human action, every day, every minute, every second, continually infused with love. Love that extends to everyone including children, mothers, fathers, the oppressed, the oppressors, the leaders, the followers, the people we perceive to be unlike ourselves. My prayer is that as we go forward into this new world order which has been thrust upon us, we will not be talking of victims and vindication, but of healing the wounds of war through strengthening our collective
immune system with the transforming power of love. It's what the world needs now, as the old song goes. Submitted by:
Karen L. Wright
LeaderWise
509-891-6602 phone
509-891-6607 fax
Spokane, WA
karenwright@leaderwise.net "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." Marcel Proust | 
