Molly's Musings- October 27, 2024

on genocide and the US election

I just listened to this interview between Frank Barat of Belgium and Gabor Maté that moved me to write a Molly’s Musings tonight. Here’s a description from the website: “In this conversation, Frank Barat and Gabor Maté delve into the complexities of trauma, guilt, and the ongoing genocide in Gaza and Palestine. They explore the psychological impact of witnessing atrocities, the historical roots of violence and oppression, and the emotional responses that arise in the face of such horror. Maté emphasizes the importance of acknowledging guilt and rage, while also recognizing the helplessness felt by those who wish to help. The discussion also touches on the normalization of violence and the implications for the future of Gaza and global society.”

Needless to say, I highly recommend listening. I learned a lot about the why’s of the genocide in Gaza, the West Bank, and now into Lebanon. And I am moved to write to all of you on my Musings list, to join with you in mourning and rage at the atrocities taking place in our world today.

Unhealed trauma often leads to violence, perpetrating more trauma and subsequent violence. Maté speaks of how violence and sadism escalate if not stopped early on. And clearly the level of brutal violence that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) inflicts on the Palestinian people heightens every day that the USA and other countries support it with arms, money, and propaganda. Now people are being burned alive in their tent camps, while all aid and rescue groups are prevented from entering northern Gaza under threat of death, adding starvation and medical crisis to the atrocities inflicted on everyone still alive.

The violence is increasing in the West Bank as well: Isreali settlers attacking their Palestinian neighbors and bombings by the IDF. And now the warfare spreads to Lebanon and beyond, as Netanyahu deliberately provokes retaliation from Iran, apparently hoping to spread the war and violence throughout the region—relying on a steady stream of weapons flowing from the USA and other complicit countries.

This is madness! This is not self-defense and brings no safety to the Israeli people. All it does is keep the corrupt Netanyahu in power a little longer. Maté suggests that the continuing and escalating violence might even increase anti-semitism in the world, as people blame the Jewish people for these atrocities. (That would arise out of the same absurd logic that calls people antisemitic who protest or even speak about the Israeli government assault on Palestinians.)

At the end of the interview Maté says that the normalization of violence will continue “until a sufficient percentage of humanity stands up and says, ‘No. We will not accept this new normal.’ So that’s why we’ll keep talking.” So as helpless as we may feel in the face of such implacable governmental policy and action, speak up we must—wherever we can safely do so, and even where it isn’t so safe. And even when our speaking up seems to have no effect. We can never know what undercurrents our actions are feeding into, before they break into view as a trickle, and then a stream—and then a river.

A related dilemma is the election in the USA. I like Kamala Harris in so many ways: her domestic policies and her obvious intelligence and good humor. However, she is still giving the Biden administration line about “supporting Israel’s right to defend itself,” as if slaughtering 100,000 Palestinians is necessary self-defense. So I haven’t been able to fully support her, even knowing Trump’s policy on military violence at home and abroad would be even worse. Then the latest Buddhist Peace Fellowship newsletter arrived in my inbox with this election reflection by co-Director Kate Johnson, referring to a meditation + action conversation she recently participated in:

During the conversation, I offered a reflection I’ve heard from people who’ve spent much of the past year calling for arms embargo, an end to apartheid and a liberated Palestine:

“A lot of folks I know aren’t inspired to get involved in this election, to canvas or even to vote, because they have significant, meaningful policy differences with the candidate who is closer to their values, but still so far away... What do we do when the “better” candidate still isn’t good enough?” 

The response of one of the organizers has been ringing in my ear ever since:

“In this election, she said, we’re not voting for a person. We’re voting for a context. Societal transformation will always come from the grassroots. So then… which context would you rather be organizing in?”

Which context will bring us closer to the end of this genocide?

My answer to that question is unequivocal: From all evidence, a Harris administration would be far more responsive to grassroots pressure than another Trump administration, which promises to go full-on fascist, violently suppressing all opposition or protest. So I voted for that context and hope any of you living in the USA will as well, if you can in good conscience. We live in very complex and challenging times.

Keep breathing.

May all beings be happy. May all beings be at peace. May all beings be free from suffering, and the causes of suffering: greed, hatred, and delusion.