No amount of Israeli firepower will ever be able to quell Palestinian insurgency when those who resort to terror have so little regard for their own existence and that of others. An utterly defeatist mentality perpetuates the suffering of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The belief that divisions are unbreakable and that conflict is eternal continues to poison us all. No matter how dim the prospects, one must never lose faith in the idea that rational discourse can be achieved and just solutions can be actualized.
Seven is a highly symbolic number that alludes to the infusion of spirituality and Godliness into creation. As a way to honor her memory seven years after her tragic death, I ask readers to take upon themselves one random act of kindness in my beloved grandmother’s honor.
It is always easier to destroy than to build, and if the world truly is built on acts of kindness, we all have a lot of work to do.
Damon Mathias, a graduate of Yeshiva College, is a candidate for Juris Doctor, May 2011, at SMU Dedman School of Law in Dallas.
