Hopes for Peace

The random things that happen in Israel are so glorious!

Today is the Sabbath and we're given the option to go to Jerusalem for a few hours in the afternoon. So some of my friends and I wanted to walk up to the Mount of Olives, since we haven't gone there yet. And boy, was it a steep climb up that road! Anyway, when we got to the top, we wanted to check out the Tower of Ascension, but we were getting turned around. And so this older Arab man, with the full red/white headress, comes up to us trying to give us directions to where we wanted to go. He started asking us a few questions and telling us a bit about himself. Very friendly man, like many people here. Eventually he started saying, "Come, come, come, I give you tea. Come to my house." In America, warning signals flash if someone says this. But in Israel, it's not nearly as suspicious. Nevertheless, as we followed him to his house, we were a little watchful of any...opportunities to be jumped or something.

I haven't been in someone's house yet and it was really neat coming in. He sat us at his table and started making the tea, all the while telling us about his family and what he's done. His ancestors have lived in the Mount of Olives area for 1400 years (which is when the Muslims took over the Israel). There are about 30 people in his immediate family, all with different stories to tell! And he's definitely a hospitable guy because he has people from all over the world staying with him. We met one guy who was from San Francisco, but had gone to a seminary in Tennessee and another guy from Holland who's studying for his PhD in Political Science.

And this man has been all over the US (he named off at least 20 states that he's been too), as well as Europe, India, etc. He said he speaks at various conferences and, from what he was talking about, he probably speaks on world peace. His philosophy of life was interesting to here. His basic thought is that if people would get to know one another, invite one another to their homes, understand the other person, and love one another, then peace could be solved, especially in the Middle East. He says that the problem going on now is because the Arabs and Israelis don't know each other. They will not open up their home to them and because of that they don't know what the other person really thinks, believes, or anything. If everyone would only put aside their differences, the whole world could become one. Then there would be no Muslim, Jew, or Christian, but one since we are all humans, we are all descendants of Abraham, and we all have the mark of God (since He created us). We should all be one in our love for one another.

He also was saying that the conflict in the Middle East is caused because there are so many people building the weapons for them to use. And they're making these weapons simply because they have customers that are desperate to buy them. The American government continues to supply weapons for the Israelis to use and is causing conflict because of it.

He was a really friendly guy, one of the most hospitable that I've met so far. The best thing about him is that he really, really lives out what he teaches. He said that if people simply knew each other, inviting them over, loving them, then they would know how to help another in need. If I had my newborn child and I had no money or milk to feed him with and you had your ranch with all kinds of animals in it, then it would not be stealing if I would come into your ranch and start milking your animal so that my child would have milk to drink. It would not be stealing because you should have already have come out to greet me and help me.

He said that we are friendly and such because we create a wall around us that separates us from everyone. And this is not a wall of stone or brick, but of fear. We are fearful of the other person, so we put up our guard and defenses so that no one can come in to help us and we won't let anyone in to help them.

I'm really thankful that we ran into this guy. Some of his ideas were good, but they themselves are not going to bring peace to the world. That is the work for someone else.