Weeping

WEEPING
Written by Dan Heymann
(Copyright to Heymann/Cohen/Cohen/Fox)
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I knew a man who lived in fear
It was huge, it was angry, it was drawing near
Behind his house, a secret place
Was the shadow of the demon he could never face
He built a wall of steel and flame
And men with guns, to keep it tame
Then standing back, he made it plain
That the nightmare would never ever rise again
But the fear and the fire and the guns remain

It doesn’t matter now
It’s over anyhow
He tells the world that it’s sleeping
But as the night came round
I heard its lonely sound
It wasn’t roaring, it was weeping

And then one day the neighbors came
They were curious to know about the smoke and flame
They stood around outside the wall
But of course there was nothing to be heard at all
"My friends," he said, "We’ve reached our goal
The threat is under firm control
As long as peace and order reign
I’ll be damned if I can see a reason to explain
Why the fear and the fire and the guns remain"

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This is a South African Anti-Apartheid Protest Song. Please take the time to listen to it if you get the chance. Josh Groban recently put it on his album awake. It is essential to remember that our freedom is not the norm in this world, and we cannot forget about those who currently do not have those freedoms.

Cairo Slums.

There are many things about the Middle East, Egypt in particular, that I love, but there are many things that I also hate. The Middle East, like so many other places in the world, allows for the blatant injustices that are occurring today to hit a person right in their face. One cannot turn their face away from the poverty as easily as one could in most Western/developed nations. (Maybe that in a way is a good thing). Anyways, this article describes ONE of such instances. Check it out. I actually visited similar areas while I was in Cairo. Expatriates call the area that I visited Garbage City. I must note however, that the area I visited (while very poor) is actually not as poor as other neighborhoods (aka...the neighborhood I visited had sewage...for the most part and a few paved streets). They stink with the stench of rooting garbage, some of which usually is set on fire. The rest of the garbage is then sorted and sold to recycling companies; this is the families of these areas make their living, so you can imagine its pretty poor. It is amazing to think that these families are probably poorer than them (after all at least those families have been able to find work). (Please forgive my inability to rotate the silly picture. I am still very new with this...stuff. yes, I know I should have rotated the picture then saved it then uploaded it. I recognize my mistake...but I don't exactly know how to fix it know that I've already put it into place...o well!!!!)

Fear

I cannot help but fear the names that I know I will be called if I stand for justice. I am not pro-Palestinian, but I am not pro-Israeli. I have found that in this country if one is not pro-Israeli then they are assumed to not care about the Israelis, and they must not be a Christian. I fear the names I will be called. The labels that will be put on me, but what I fear more than all of these is what I will become if I do not stand for justice. Who will I be if I sit by and watch this happen? When the Holocaust occurred, those who did nothing had to live with the shame of allowing such a horrid act to take place. I do not want to live with the same shame.

I know it is hard to believe, but I truly believe that things can change for the better for ALL parties involved in this conflict. Am I idealist, maybe, but do not label me as such. I have become cold to the world. I expect the worst out of people at all times, but this I do believe can be solved. Please, if you disagree with me, share your thoughts, but do not call me unrealistic or idealistic, for that would be admitting that there is no hope. I cannot believe that there is no hope for these people.

I fear the names that people will call me, but I cannot stand by and allow this injustice to occur - on both sides.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vnaf8R_SJo

Please watch this video clip. It is about the Palestinians and their misfortunes. I know that this does not dive into the fullness of the conflict, but it does give insight to one part of the conflict that as Americans, we never see.