They say when the guns roar the muses are silent. It’s true. War is bewildering. Shocking. Can I really continue to write about networking, business, education and a brighter future today?
Can I do it and stay clear of politics? Can I continue my writing and my startup development and ignore the current affairs?
Well, not quite. But I will do my best… My muses aren’t at their best, and so what’s left is to share some fractions of thought.
What if education was different there? What if kids, of all ages, where given superior education, allowing them to develop professionally? What if education was to concentrate on such topic as global preservation and local development? What if Iran and Syria would allocate budget to schools, computers, teachers, universities, campuses, lawns, school equipment, books and crayons in stead of missiles?
What if?
In my mind kids from schools in Gaza do field trips in Jaffa, Haifa and visit the children’s museum in Holon. Kids from schools in Tel-Aviv do field trips to Gaza beach to explore nature and visit sites in Bethlehem. This could be the best place on earth to live in!
How I wish I could somehow contribute to the education of this region’s kids. Kids, really, want to play, socialize and study. They want to grow, develop and make friends. I’d just like to connect them all to one net, and study math together. Or history, geography, literature, poetry. And open discussions, calm and pleasant about anything: from football to fashion. And sing together. There’s such a huge potential here. Look!
And one more thought, the very basic thought that nags me all the time:
WHY?
Or-Tal's Writings 
December 29, 2008 at 17:49
The heart of your hopes for the children of the region of the world you call home is moving and desperately welcomed by all of good will, whose peoples are in cold or now hot war with one another. We all around the world must find the ways to create the real community of peace you seek, assisted by our new digital communications capabilities. I have faith that a day will come when we’re able to learn to know and love one another, sharing songs and foods, instead of insults and attacks–that we are not alien barbarians to one another, but friends who speak from our own mouths in our own languages a universal language of freedom and justice for all and who collaborate as peacemakers. These are days for tears, but yes we can make new lives full of laughter and joy. Your friend, Skip
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December 29, 2008 at 21:38
Thanks, Skip, for your kind words and for being a friend and for sharing this vision.
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December 29, 2008 at 21:59
Or-Tal, our prayers are with you all!
I do not know what the future holds for the people of Iran. Their fate is yours, as Hamas gets its rockets and funding from that government. Personally, I cannot believe that Iran the theocracy can endure much longer. The pressure from the people who see their brother Shia in Iraq voting will prove too great. After that you may have other problems, but not so much Hamas.
Meanwhile, stay safe!
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December 29, 2008 at 22:44
Hi Or-Tal,
I warm to your ‘What if’s…?’ And why not? Where are the voices for humanity, healing, and where can we place our support? Why is it that our world will bankroll bloodshed, but cannot invest in the future?
I can make no more comment from my cosiness, except to support the transition from “What if ..” through “Why not…” to “How…?” – and to echo “WHY?”
Well, just one comment more – Are we in the grip of old men with long memories for the past – and no heart for the future?
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December 30, 2008 at 10:05
Ed, Ian, thanks for your support. I am not getting into political discussions… My eyes are set on the future. All I want is to promote education in this region. Through it, change will come. I am sure of it.
I am calling all teachers and students, especially those who are stuck at home, to collaborate on study groups at http://kids4kids.ning.com/. Talk math and history, science and literature. No politics.
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January 4, 2009 at 02:31
I think education is something we must focus on. I used to look down on any notion of education as “socialization” but it can’t be ignored. Something will be formed, transmitted.
I think we must bring students together to see each other in similarity. Curriculums focus so much on how everything is different (even just think of the all too typical brainstorming exercise! – we are hardwiring ourself to see difference constantly) when we should teach how similar we humans really are. Culturally, we share 99.9% similarity (I wish I had handy, my human universals chart from my anthropology days).
Or-Tal — when you write,
What if Iran and Syria would allocate budget to schools, computers, teachers, universities, campuses, lawns, school equipment, books and crayons in stead of missiles?
I think you get it wrong. The U.S.A. and Israel have the biggest missle accumulation in the world. I also taught Iranian students in Toronto a number of years. Some of the best educated in the world and Iran highly educates poor and rich alike. They spend money on education and actually a much higher /GDP value than Israel ever does when comparing it to defense and the military. So please don’t make it a finger pointing exercise and create “There” or “Them”. I really think we should all “cultivez notre jardin”…
The rest of your post , I fully agree with!
Shalom,
David
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January 4, 2009 at 09:43
Thanks for you comment David.
I was not referring to “them” or “there”, I was referring to the actual guns shipped to Gaza and thought that what Gaza needs is not more guns, but rather investments in education and infrastructure, allowing all of us to grow and evolve peacefully together.
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