happy new here, have a great 2025

Even if pointless (to many), i will state it clearly. I am not anti-semitic. As an atheist, i have accepted that god, will probably, always hold a foot on some human's imagination. Conceptually, i have nothing against religion and the concept of god, as i, recognize that, to a certain degree i cannot be absolutely be sure. Yet, from my experience, and the available options, i currently, have not found solace in any of them. Maybe, it's god's will ;)

Personally, the mysterium tremendum of life is certainly prone to entice any living human being, to explore and understand the "reasons" for one's existence. In fact, i would say, that is inevitable. Either formalized or not, we all have a basic, essential story that can "explain" why we exist and ultimately... our purpose (if there is such a thing). This story is the background to many of our choices, as it holds the premises that inform our decisions. What is good or what is bad for us... for others. One could say that the world we live in, is the cumulative effect of our stories.

My issue is not with the religious framework of ideas. That is certainly a whole different post. My issue is with the religious institution and dogma that comes along when it crystalizes in the cultural fabric. Personally, i do not see many societal advantages to the religious institutions as a whole. While, i can recognize that history is filled with several instances where the power of religious institutions brought radical changes to the world, i do not think this can be seen as an example of the victory of good sense, but a reflection of the power these institutions have gained in their capacity to exert and even steer the "destiny" of the world (sometimes more temporarily, than others).

It is important to clarify that, when mentioning religious institutions, i am mostly referring to the adamic monotheistic religions (Jew, Christian, Islamic). As a "westerner", my culture is profoundly embed with these three.

I repeat, my main point here is to clarify that, i am not in principle, against any religious belief, as i respect it to be one of the many ways to cope with the mystery of existence. My main enquiry is into the impact of the religious institutions have in this day and age, in our present, ever connected and decentralized global village world. How these institutions cross the boundaries of belief and step into political and in some cases military power. In the end, the spiritual purpose is lost.

I grew up reading and listening to stories about the palestine-israel conflict. As a mostly christian country, i was taught that israel has been fighting for their right to have a country of their own. That, historically, they are entitled to that piece of land because that is the place where they initially emerged as a culture. For many years, i heard about the radical islamics with their suicide bombings and hate driven speech, committed to preventing the existence of israel at any cost. In that time, I also became increasingly aware of israel's technological might. That, even though beigh, a really small country, in an inhospitable area, it is an incredibly rich and sophisticated country, with significant contributions to the world-at-large.

In school, i learned about the history of jews and their influence in the shaping of our western culture. How they have spread across the globe and became part of many different kingdom's and nations. How, in many different periods of history they were persecuted and driven away and spite that, they remain a relevant, powerful and influential culture in the world of man.

In school, i was obviously taught on the holocaust and the horrific impact of nazi ideology on jewish culture and their people in europe. How technology mingled with radical hate-driven ideology can unleash devastating amounts of death and suffering upon specific cultures and nations. I learned how, after ww2, a world states organization was formed to try to bring all nations into an assembly to promote dialog, understanding and cooperation between them. That, through this organization, the decision was made to create the nation state of israel in it's present location. Only recently, i learned that from it's inception the arabs that owned the area opposed that decision. Yes, it is true that at the time, it was "managed" by british, nevertheless, to simply create a new nation within the boundaries of another, does not bode for a auspicious future... as it is plain for all to realize.

At this point, i need to declare that i am no expert on the matter. This is an opinion i have been working on, which i doubt will even be remotely considered.

I guess the recent chapter in this conflict has really made me rethink the whole issue. I am horrified by israel's "response" to the hamas attack. The degree of destruction and hate manifested by israel has no sane or reasonable explanation. And while, i can easily empathize with the pain and suffering of the people of israel, it goes beyond my comprehension, how is it possible to commit to such destructive energy without realizing how pointless it is. It must be stated that this behaviour is by definition, one of a very traumatized and wounded entity, clearly uncapable of better judgement. At the moment, objective dialogue is impossible and unfortunately, it seems to this unability is on both ends. Truce will only last so long.

As a "westerner", what shocks me the most is how little overall criticism has been surfacing. Even with a staggering body count, and an undeniable human catastrophe, all and any critical voice seem to be blasted by accusations of "anti-semitism". I am sure, what i am writing will be deemed as such, even if, i have not questioned the right for israel to exist in any shape or form. On the other hand, this will be taken to be pro-palestinian, just because, this is in some way criticizing israel's government actions. Yet, no where, have i declared my support for hamas or palestine. In a polarized world, there seems to be no room for neutrality.

Anyway, at this point, i think this conflict is here to stay. If, at some point, i thought israel as a modern society could bring about the necessary diplomacy and flexibility needed to find some sort of liveable coexistence, it is really hard to think now, that it is possible. And, its here, that i return to insitutionalized religion and the impact of dogma.

At the core of this issue, is israel's dream and wish to re-build their nation on their ancestral land of origin. However, as it seems to me, the whole process was a diplomatic disaster that has caused the suffering of generations, due, in large part, to immovable and clearly conflicting dogmas. And while, there seem to be moderates on both sides, they seem unable to reach the proper positions of influence required to actually be meaningful and capable of influence positive change. At government level, there seems to prevail the most radical and unchangeable ideas. To the benefit of whom? If there was a time that cross-cultural communication was slow, today, we live in a world of deep electronic connectedness. It's no longer possible to ignore the other, the neighbour, the stranger. Even if we wish to maintain some sort of historical inheritance, it will never be on the same premises as the original ones. This means, for change to happen, both participants would need to tone down on their convictions, both would need to forgive themselves and the other for generations of miscomunication. In the end, pursuing the dream may hold beautiful meanings, but, the art lies on acknowledging how much of the dream is actually possible. Like freedom, our dreams may be limited when they clash with other's dreams and, i think, it is fair to say that, today, no one culture can claim dream supremacy.

As an atheist, i keep imagining how this whole thing would be, if we just removed god from the equation. What dreams would there be?