{"id":38042,"date":"2024-08-29T21:10:31","date_gmt":"2024-08-30T04:10:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=38042"},"modified":"2024-08-29T21:10:31","modified_gmt":"2024-08-30T04:10:31","slug":"empathy-is-just-the-beginning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/empathy-is-just-the-beginning\/","title":{"rendered":"Empathy is just the beginning"},"content":{"rendered":"

As I gratefully and thankfully enter into my third year, I am approaching everything with the mindset, \u201cTodd, you have more to learn than you realize. Therefore, intentionally look for what you do not know and what you do not see.\u201d As I read The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict <\/em>by Martin Bunton, I thought about what I knew about Israel and what it was based upon. Here is what I thought I knew:<\/p>\n

\n

    \n
  1. The Israelites are God\u2019s chosen people. I based this upon what I was taught in bible college, Christian magazines, sermons, and Scriptures such as:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Deuteronomy 14:2<\/p>\n

    For you are a people holy to the\u00a0Lord\u00a0your God, and the\u00a0Lord\u00a0has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.1<\/sup><\/p>\n

    Deuteronomy 7:6-7<\/p>\n

    \u201cFor you are a people holy to the\u00a0Lord\u00a0your God. The\u00a0Lord\u00a0your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the\u00a0Lord\u00a0set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples.2<\/sup><\/p>\n

    Romans 9:1-5<\/p>\n

    I am speaking the truth in Christ\u2014I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit\u2014 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.3<\/sup><\/p>\n

    \n

      \n
    1. I have heard many things over the years about Israel, which I have believed. I have believed Israel will never lose a war because they are God\u2019s chosen people. I have believed the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is the longest in history because it dates back to the book of Genesis \u2013 with Sarah giving birth to Isaac and Hagar giving birth to Ishmael. I have believed Isaac represents Israel and Ishmael represents Palestine and just like Isaac and Ishmael struggled to get along, the conflict still continues today in the middle east. I also believed part of the problem was over the land, but I had no idea which land.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      \n

      Reading Bunton\u2019s book has helped me to understand a few things. One important thing it helped me to understand was, \u201cthe constant but evolving challenge of sharing a relatively small but geographically varied strip of land sitting between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.\u201d4<\/sup><\/p>\n

      I had no idea that was the issue that was causing so much conflict. Another thing the book helped me understand was the intense hatred between the Palestinians and Israelites that brought on so many wars. I also had no idea there was a \u201ccivil war\u201d5 <\/sup>in 1975. But I would say the biggest take away for me was \u201cthe fact that this hundred (or so) years\u2019 conflict is neither rooted in ancient and religious animosities.\u201d6 <\/sup>For decades I connected Genesis and the conflict between Sarah and Hagar and Issac and Ishmael to the modern middle east conflict. I never questioned my belief until I read the book.<\/p>\n

      I was also oblivious to the British influence and how it \u201cruled over Palestine for three decades\u201d7 <\/sup><\/p>\n

      The British government supported the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine, leading to increased Jewish immigration. For a long time, I wanted to know why the Jewish people immigrated to Palestine and now I know it was because of the British government.<\/p>\n

      This book helped me to understand why the Palestinians feel like second class citizens and the conflict is a long standing and multifaceted dispute centered around territorial claims that in my understanding make the Palestinians seem like the bad guys most of the time.<\/p>\n

      In the past, I have navigated the Israel-Middle east conflict by always agreeing with whatever Israel has done. I have believed Israel has always done what\u2019s best for their nation and the world. But the truth is no nation can always do what\u2019s best for their nation or the world. I have put Israel on a peddle stool simply because of believing they have always been and are God\u2019s chosen people.<\/p>\n

      Now, I am navigating the Israel- Middle East conflict with a more open mind. First of all, there is no reason to think all the Palestinians are bad people and wrong. I even struggled to write \u201cPalestinian-Israeli\u201d conflict because I felt it was wrong to write Israel second, which shows my bias toward Israel. For me to have an open mind, I am starting with:<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Empathy\/Compassion \u2013 Having compassion and empathy for someone\u2019s anger, fear, viewpoint, and pain surrounding the conflict is a priority. Even if someone believes this is all Sarah and Hagar\u2019s fault, it will be important for me to show and give compassion.<\/li>\n
      2. Delicate Words \u2013 It\u2019s easy to come at this with a \u201cright vs wrong\u201d or \u201cus vs them\u201d mentality. The Palestinian-Israeli conflict does not fit into a binary framework. There is over 100 years of history behind this conflict. Delicate caring words after listening will be helpful for me to navigate this discussion.<\/li>\n
      3. \u201cI was wrong\u201d \u2013 Sharing with others about the areas I was wrong about and how I came to this conclusion may be helpful in navigating a discussion.<\/li>\n
      4. Not resolution but understanding \u2013 This conflict has never been solved and just quoting Scripture and saying this or that is what needs to be done, most likely won\u2019t solve the issue. Therefore, I will navigate this issue by seeking to understand those I am talking with in order to learn.<\/li>\n
      5. Cite reputable sources \u2013 One thing I can do is read reputable articles, blogs and books and listen to knowledgeable podcasts and videos. I will do this with a critical mind.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Reading Bunton\u2019s book has been like being in this program. It has really changed my understanding on so much including myself. This book has helped me to realize how uncritical my thinking has been in regard to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. And it has encouraged me to never stop being a critical thinker.<\/p>\n

        \n

          \n
        1. Deuteronomy 41:2 \u2013 English Standard Version<\/li>\n
        2. Deuteronomy 7:6-7 \u2013 English Standard Version<\/li>\n
        3. Romans 9:1-5 \u2013 English Standard Version<\/li>\n
        4. The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A Very Short Introduction. xii.<\/li>\n
        5. 83.<\/li>\n
        6. 2.<\/li>\n
        7. 15.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          As I gratefully and thankfully enter into my third year, I am approaching everything with the mindset, \u201cTodd, you have more to learn than you realize. Therefore, intentionally look for what you do not know and what you do not see.\u201d As I read The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict by Martin Bunton, I thought about what I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":176,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2310],"tags":[3227],"class_list":["post-38042","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-doctor-of-leadership-3","tag-bunton-dlgp02","cohort-dlgp02"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38042","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/176"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38042"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38042\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38043,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38042\/revisions\/38043"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38042"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38042"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38042"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}