by Emil Baldwin, Jr. LSW
Will violence in the middle-east ever end? Personally, I doubt that it will and certainly not in my lifetime. Violence and revenge is a way-of-life that has been ingrained into the culture of that region for centuries. It is seen by many as a necessary strategy to survive, preserve possessions/property, and protect the status of their race/religion. The historic clashes between Jews and Arabs serve as an example that the Biblical concept of "an eye for an eye" is still alive and well in that part of the world.
Although the behavior is most vividly staged in the middle-east, it is not exclusively a trait of Israel or Arab states. It occurs in the U.S. and every other country on the planet. It occurs in every community and it occurs in every family. The only difference between the categories above is in scale, scope, and severity. Retribution for damage done to you, your family, or your country is seen as a way to obtain justice. In some people/families/countries, it is the only way to heal the injury. In others, it is only one of several approaches to be tried.
Clearly, from a historical standpoint, violent
responses have not shown to be effective as a long-term solution...yet it
continues. In Israel's case, they have evolved from a tribe into a
powerful nation but it has not changed their status with Palestine and
others. Violence, destruction, and retribution is a daily occurrence. It is...as
it always has been. Retribution begets retribution until revenge has devoured
its participants.
On a personal level, the results are the same. A child is beaten up and seriously injured by a school bully, but the system cannot do anything to stop the abuse or punish the offender. As a result, you give the bully a "taste of their own medicine" and have extracted "an eye for an eye" punishment for the crime. However, the bully's family doesn't agree, the situation escalates, and they shoot you. Your family is outraged and burns their house down...killing two adults and three children. That retaliation creates another...and another...and another. At what point does a person...a community...or a nation...say, "Stop...enough!". When and how will it all end...one nation at a time...one community at a time...or one person at a time?
© Copyright 2004 by Emil Baldwin, Jr.