My sons love video games, as do, I suppose most boys who are around their age. They love them, and I love to watch. And they play and die and play and die endlessly until finally they conquer the game.
This woman had one life. These women and this soldier had one life. They can not begin the game again, and neither can their families. Their families must go on without their loved ones; a parent, a sibling, a child.
The IF has passed Prime Minister Sharon. The Palestinian have had ample time to reign in terror. They have had years of time to find a different path, a way of behaving that diddn't involve blowing up children and grandmothers. (see here for more evidence of Palestinian peace.)
I have one son who will begin his service in August, another son who has just finished training. Most likely my oldest son will end up in Gaza, and and the IDF chief is not sanguine about the expulsion, fearing it will come under fire. I only have two sons and I do not want them hurt. I wish them to grow old, to roll their eyes and sigh at what they see as my foolishness, to do better than I have done as a parent and a human being.
But I am not a liar about life, nor a fool. I do not want my grandchildren and my great-grandchildren to fear what I fear.
I want the terrorism ended. I want my children's children to look back at this time with sad wonder and confusion as to how it could have been like this. I want my children to know peace. Real peace.
The Palestinians have no real motive to reign in their murders of innocents; they are treated like game players, as if they have endless chances to get it right. What do they care for the blustering of the world if the world ends by damning Israel for protecting herself and urging Israel to give up more?
If has passed. If passed a long time ago. Abbas is either unwilling or unable to stop the terrorism. If has passed. Stop these murders from their evil. That is why you are a leader and I am just a mother who worries and cries for her children.
Posted by Rachel Ann at July 14, 2005 07:54 PM | TrackBackI will be praying for you Rachel. I have a toddler son who whill some day become a man--and I could not imagine what kind of courage it takes to send them off to do something so dangerous and yet so noble--it hurts for me to see him fall down let alone go to war.
My heart is with you and my prayers.
Be of good courage though--we have a wonderful Father who will look after them.
Posted by: samantha at July 15, 2005 02:39 PMMy heart goes out to you, Rachel Ann, as well as all the mother, all the families, that have to send their kids off to protect their countries. It is most certainly noble....but most certainly scary. Arik needs to pull a rabbit out of his hat because this just seems like lethal folly.
Posted by: esther at July 16, 2005 08:38 PM