The unquestionable human tragedy of war is on full display on the daily news. Both in Ukraine and Israel there is a cognitive dissonance between people experiencing the bloody carnage taking place and those of us fortunate enough to simply think and talk about it.
The empathic part in me feels deeply appalled by the horrors reported. The pacifist in me is dismayed by violent conflict of any stripe anywhere.
More disturbing by far is rhetoric which is intended to divide people into taking sides. Before October 7th there was a clear unity against authoritarianism among my friends. Granted, it is a modest number.
From the limited sample of my Meta news-feed I have seen friends I admire, respect, and love post things which seem completely out of character with the people I thought I knew. I cannot find fault in them for their passionate feelings. Nor do I care to argue right and wrong. That argument has made us vulnerable to those who exploit war for fun and profit and it takes only but little gasoline to turn a flare-up into an inferno. And we are dealing with a wild fire.
And if you don't believe there are people out there intentionally working to divide us...I have a bridge in Brooklyn I would like to sell you.
Comments