PROTECTING CHILDREN SHOULD NEVER BE UP FOR DEBATE

Yesterday I put my kids to bed, sat on the couch, and just started crying. Since the tragic events of October 7^th, 2023, I’ve been following a photojournalist on the ground in Gaza, and the images I have seen are no less than traumatic. But what gets me right now is how divided everyone is. How, in the eyes of many, you need to choose a side. Either you feel rage at what happened to innocent lives by a barbaric terrorist organization, or you feel hatred towards a country that is dropping bombs in retaliation with thousands of children suffering the consequences. Either you support a nation’s right to defend itself, a people’s right to exist or the quest for freedom. You are criticized if you stay quiet, you are criticized if you speak up, or if you break your silence when others deem it untimely. But the fact is, some of us are often left speechless and then driven to react when faced with the most inhumane realities. To make matters worse, separating fact from fiction, and understanding context and credibility is challenging in today’s online environment where, it’s important to remember, we are not all fed the same information.

It’s difficult to reconcile having to place blame when all I want to do is protect those who cannot protect themselves. Why can’t I just feel for the children who have lost their lives and who will continue to lose their lives, many of whom are dying horrifically? Why does compassion for innocent children mean anything but love for the most vulnerable who are caught in the middle of a war they didn’t choose? As a mother of two young kids, this is the only sentiment I have right now. I don’t care for politics (we are constantly lied to to protect the interests of those in power, truth often being revealed years later). I’m not oblivious to the history but I don’t presume to know what the solution to a century-long conflict is. I’m also not going to guess what living in a warzone is like or what it does to the mental state of an individual. I do think it’s safe to say that war accomplishes nothing but death and destruction, fueling more hatred and desperation and thus continuing the cycle of conflict. Peace shouldn’t be an imaginary resolve that exists only in a perfect world while we continue to live in one so utterly imperfect. What does turning a blind eye to the suffering of so many innocent lives do to our humanity?

In the middle of all this chaos, we lost a friend last week. A young life that could likely have been saved if those walking past him as he lay collapsed on the floor didn’t turn a blind eye. There are consequences to losing empathy and allowing ourselves to justify and rationalize the death of innocent people.  I am not a religious person; truth be told I think religion has caused more harm than good and was created to divide and conquer. I do, however, believe that great people existed. Saintly people who, despite what others had done to them, stood on the side of love.  Isn’t that what we should aspire to? In the face of children being decimated, drowning in blood, their small bodies disfigured, crushed and blown to pieces, shouldn’t we be riddled with the desire for it to stop?

We cannot undo the horror that was done 19 days ago, but we can prevent further horror from happening. We can advocate for peace, support and shine a light on those looking for viable long-term solutions, we can reinforce love for one another, and acknowledge that innocent people are gravely suffering. If we continue to witness children losing their lives and justifying it under the guise of collateral damage, dare I say, we are not a species worth saving.  People from different backgrounds and faiths need to come together for the sake of our shared existence.  If that is naïve and small-minded, then I fear we’ve already lost our humanity and it fills me with a sadness that I can’t overcome.