Having traveled and lived in countries representative of truly diverse ideological, political, economic, social, geographic and otherwise distinctive settings, the issuing realities are dawning on me, and in the reflective process also are becoming uncomfortably clear to me.

The current dominant powers will continue to battle in the lands distant from their own, investing in or supporting those lesser players whom they judge as willing to subjugate to their national interests, or simply perceived as the lesser of the available evils. Except, everything is changing and fluctuating, both in these distant nations, and the corporate dynamics which dictate the major powers’ national interests, investments and strategic engagements. And so one day we support and finance a tyrant who the very next day may, for a multitude of reasons, becomes uncomfortable and therefore detrimental to “our” shifting whimsies. Thus “we” cause downfall of the old such in favor of the more beneficial, even if only temporarily, new. It is a power game played by the invisible, to most, powers and interests ordaining their governments, these in turn dictate to us, pulling the almost invisible strings attached to our lives, sending in  the name of patriotism young people to fight and die for their interests and benefits, tips of which we can only decipher, while most remains hidden under the deeply dark, mysterious and perilous, always fluid a surface.

This much delayed episode comes to you all the way from China, where I am now, invited here as a Professor & KoGuan Chair of Digital Arts & Design @ Peking University, known as the highest rated academic learning institution of China. Given many tunings I find myself undergoing as a result of this uproot, I trust that those who read my blog, and mostly those who miss it, will forgive the resulting delay. I am certain that such has been even tougher on me than on those back in their familiar settings. And now to the theme of this blog.

History has proven that humans are aggressive, domineering creatures who find it not just challenging but rather impossible to live in a lasting, peaceful and fulfilling coexistence. Our narrative vividly illustrate how every 30 years, more or less, the various political or religious factions or nations or other forms of social collectives, casts, diverse or competing interests, or corporations or conglomerates, end up engaging in hostile discourses, even subversive and adverse takeovers or traditional wars, whether military or not, with either their oppositions or competitor or neighbor or minor countries under adversary's sway.

 

I departed for Israel with great hopes and anticipation, and most of all in search of some enlightenment or even resolution to my inner dilemma. On one hand, watching the news from afar, as a Jew who has gone through own prosecution, I feel torn to see other Jews seemingly disrespectful of the rights of the others. I am not a believer in “do on to others what has been done to you”. As history has repeatedly illustrated, such an approach and way of thinking lead to a dead end, often literarily. And yes, as a Jew, I feel powerful commonality to other Jews, to our ancient culture, traditions, amazing heritage and history. And so, hearing of the wrong done by Israelis, even if under the claims for its own right of survival, I feel torn. I question my obligations to the Jewish people and to Israel as our tiny country.

 

There is a bright side. The West Bank is evolving, Ramallah is booming economically. Unexpectedly, in a middle of the West Bank a new development named Rawabi is sprouting in the mountainous land, out from the sand. This newest undertaking, clearly with some, even if only a silent approval of Israel, is special not only because it is design to bring a sense of stability, hope and prosperity to the Palestinians but also because of the green approach utilized in its current construction. Thus, as the mountains are being torn to make room for the city, the material excavated from them is recycled into the building blocks from which the structures are erected. Nothing, so it was explained to me, is being lost in the process by which one organic matter of the long past is being inverted into another, one of the future.

 

Jerusalem, this is a land that has inspired legends, myths and mysticism which have not just impelled the course and evolution of our humanity, its religious beliefs, cultures and politics but also, throughout our history, been the source of endless dreams, desires, conflicts and conquests. The issuing reflections are probably the most complex of all of those I have written until now, difficult and troublesome for me to reflect upon and even more so verbalize. Nonetheless, I feel a deep need to face a challenge of distilling and then sharing my personal thoughts and observations on this perplexing topics. At the same time I am well aware of the displeasure and anger, even wrath of those readers who, for their own personal reasons, will differ, disagree, be infuriated by or dismissive of my ideas, opinions, perspectives and analyses I am about to express. But intellectual discourse is not just healthy and crucial but moreover vital to our evolution as human and social beings designed to coexist with each other.

When invited to become a AWN expert blogger, my instantaneous reaction was - “why me?”

“I think you are perfect for the medium.  You are passionate about what you do, opinionated about what you care about and not afraid to express yourself. “ – was the offered answer.

Over the next days I reflected on my initial question. Does my life represent a role model for others? While there are many who have grown deep roots, achieved stability, accrued property and wellbeing, I am a product of a broken family, which I held against my father for the rest of his life. But then, like he, I caused a crushing of my own. And thus my life turned out to be an emotional, spiritual, intellectual and physical roller coaster. I love, some, roller coasters, but yet there are many who fear it or throw up on it.

From the initiation to this world, I have carried on the tradition of my ancestors, who wandered the desert for 40 years before finding the Promised Land. Yet after an extensive career, traveling to opposite ends of the world, living there, I am still at it. How twisted is that? Where is my Land of Milk and Honey? And this is not because I have not been trying hard. There are those who deem me to too passionate, too driven, too persistent, too motivated, too…. So, what does that say about me, how does it reflect on me? This I ask of myself, and so do certain others who questioning my impetuses and, at times, sanity.