There is something about the act of taking a knife and sticking it into another human being's body that totally dumfounds and disgusts me.
All politics, opinions, religion and who is causing what and when aside, this very act is a terrible, terrible thing.
As I see and feel, the minute one takes another's life, and not in the act of self-defense, one is also losing one's own life.
To take life is to lose life, and the reverberations go far, wide and deep. How pitiful and sad…
My colleague and friend, Naftali Arbel, a man well past the age of 80, author, poet, teacher, man of the book and culture wrote the following.
Naftali is "salt of the earth", born and raised in Israel, fought in the War of Independence and is a member of our group of Jews and Arabs who meet monthly to forge bonds, relationships, learning and discussion.
The poem, translated from the Hebrew, moved me greatly.
What are we worth in the end if there is no love and no chance to develop that love of life…
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The mother of life
Don’t let him hate
Don’t destroy his heart
Don’t make him miserable
From birth to eternity
Because one who hates is a walking dead
Don’t lead him to die
He was enabled by God
To live and create
And to shine light in his heart where the dark may lie.
Hearts bring light to where lies the darkness of the world
Not for binding he was born
But to freedom he was born
Isaac or Ishmael, both
are brothers – of their great Father
Don’t slander him with your poisoned tongue – let him live
Teach him to love
To know only good
Happy as a child
Enlightening others as a grown up
Love brings life to man
Never darken his sky
Allow him to live with happiness in his life
He was born with full rights to live, laugh and to love
Love is the mother of all living things
"I love" means - "I am alive"
