Tuesday, September 2, 2008

One train window doesn't tell the whole story.


I'm constantly amazed at people's ability to be so completely myopic *.They will, for instance, make a statement such as, "Well the Palestinians deserve what they get because Hamas wants to bring about the destruction of Israel".

It is as the person who makes such a statement is standing, facing a stretch of rail track which goes from their left to their right, or vice versa.

The are holding up a digital camera, ready to snap a photo as the train passes. The shutter is set at a relatively high speed.

The train approaches, at speed and, with a roar, flashes by. The person snaps a photograph, then recalls the image on their LCD screen and proclaims for all to hear that "This is a photo of a train !"

In fact, if they would study what the lens has captured they will see that all that registered was one somewhat streaky and blurred photograph of one window of the entire train's length as it flashed by. A very long stretch of the train's length is still to pass while an equally long part has gone by. On this partial image the photographer is willing to claim that they have captured the true essence of the train.

The conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians has a considerable history, much of which is conveniently obscured. The Israelis would have you view the snapshot only, one which conveniently masks the roots of the Palestinians' distress. The Palestinians are asking you to see the whole train.

Ignore that which has passed by at your peril. Your present clarity of vision will very much affect what the future brings. Your delusions will cloud progress.

Educate yourself. See the whole train (of history).

* A visual defect in which distant objects appear blurred because their images are focused in front of the retina rather than on it; nearsightedness.

No comments: