In
Middle East, on Earth:
We are
born to empathize, befriend
Monday, 07 June 2010
"Perhaps
everything terrible is, in its deepest being,
something that
needs our love."
--Rainer Maria
Rilke (1875-1926)
Contrary to the Gaza flotilla brutality, mature humans are not
soft-wired for aggression, violence, and self-interest.
Our first drive is to belong. . .to one another, to
Earth.
BRAIN & SOCIAL SCIENCE:
We're born to empathize, befriend
We are quickly learning about human behavior -- and misbehavior -- from
brain research and child development.
To remind us we are one global family, all of us
humans are soft-wired with mirror neurons.
We sympathize and empathize -- emulate, reflect, and
sense -- what we see others doing and feeling.
We are primarily designed for sociability,
attachment, and companionship.
WATCH a profoundly important
video:
The
Empathic Civilization
Jeremy Rifkin
06 May 2010 -- Animated
11-minute video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7AWnfFRc7g
Changing human history is a story of expanding identification, widening
family ties -- de-tribalizing.
Our first, blood ties were to self and family,
then our religious circles, then our nations.
SEE "Expanding Identification" at http://traubman.igc.org/changechartsall.pdf
Today's technology allows us to further expand --
connect our empathy to the whole human race.
We are preparing the foundation for an empathic
civilization -- our natural, high destiny.
New technologies allow us to extend the central
nervous system (CNS) to identify "family" -- viscerally, not only
intellectually -- with the whole human race and biosphere.
After the Haiti earthquake, within minutes were
Twitters, within two hours cellphone videos on
YouTube.
Within three hours the entire human race was in an
empathic embrace coming to the aid of Haitians.
We saw who we are becoming -- beyond nationalism,
self-interest, pleasure seeking.
"To empathize
is to civilize.
To civilize is to
empathize."
-- Jeremy Rifkin
"The Possibilities of Friendship" was a Harvard University
oration this graduation season.
Historian Natalie Zemon
Davis concluded that friendship can be a resource in areas of great cleavage.
Zemon cited the gap between
Palestinians and Israelis as described in I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza
Doctors Journey, the memoir by Izzeldin Abuelaish, M.P.H. 04, recounting his life in Gaza, his
practice in Israel, and the death of three daughters when his house was shelled
by Israeli troops in early 2009.
See the story at http://traubman.igc.org/messages/614.htm
Palestinian Abuelaish's
empathic responsepromoting efforts to bring about
peace and humanitarian works, including his efforts to start a memorial
scholarship for emerging young womensuggest, Davis
said, that in such ways can the star of friendship blaze anew, promoting
truth, truth-telling, and understanding.
The
Possibilities of Friendship
Historian Natalie Zemon Davis
Orator - 220th Phi Beta Kappa
Literary Exercise
Harvard University --
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
28 min video
Audio
http://harvardmag.com/media/the-possibilities-of-friendship.mp3
Text
http://harvardmag.com/media/Friendship_nz-davis.pdf
Arabs and Jews find friendship
in each others' homes
We need a cultural revolution between Arabs and Jews, proclaims Said Abu
Shakra, founder of the first Arab contemporary art
gallery in Israel.
I believe art is a catalyst for social change.
It empowers communities and contributes to
progress.
Wherever there is culture, pride and a sense of
belonging, things proceed in the right direction.
Abu Shakra provides a
powerful example of how this transformation occurrs.
How
to get Palestinians and Israelis into each others' homes
by Carin
Smaller
Common Ground News -- 01 June
2010
http://www.commongroundnews.org/article.php?id=27912&lan=en&sid=1&sp=0&isNew=1
After October 2000, Jews would not come to his Arab town of Umm el Fahem out of fear and mistrust.
In response, artists initiated an exhibition called In
House.
Twenty young Jewish and Arab artists displayed
their work in peoples homes across the city.
For two months, Jewish people who came to the
exhibition found themselves entering Arab homes and meeting families.
It helped Jews and Arabs to look each other in the eye
and overcome their fears. It was a great success!
Also, by displaying artwork from Jewish artists,
Abu Shakra believes the gallery helps fight Arab
prejudice against Jews.
The exhibitions bring about an extraordinary
occasion for the Arab visitor to have a dialogue with a Jewish artist, to meet
him or her in person and even to get involved in a common project.
He also finds it interesting that while many
Palestinian artists refuse to display their art alongside Jewish artists, they
are often transformed when they meet Jews who visit the exhibition.
Today, the gallery has become a meeting point for
Jewish, Arab and international artists. This
month they are hosting an International Ceramics Symposium with creators from
the United States, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Israel.
The artists are encouraged to meet and learn about
each others culture, history, pain and aspirations,
explains Abu Shakra.
Ukuleles for Peace
in homes, schools
Teaching ukulele music and relationship building, for six years, the
husband-wife team of Paul Moore ( PaulMooreil@yahoo.com ) and Daphna Orion have
awakened Palestinian and Jewish youth to harmony through shared music and
living face-to-face.
Ukuleles
for Peace
The couple take youth and their families "from Conflict to Coexistence:
Creating opportunities for Jewish and Arab children to meet and become involved
with one another in their daily lives."
In 2010, one recent success is with youth of the
Democratic School in Hod-Hasharon and El Jajach school in Tira who meet in
both schools and homes.
Growing closer together, they and their families now
share picnics, green events like beach cleanups, and operas.
Now the mothers meet in-depth once a month,
alternating between Jewish and Arab homes.
Organizer Daphna Orion says: "When I see
them altogether, I feel that there is harmony there and they belong with one
another. . .it brings tears to my eyes."
VIEW both parts of their 2010 video:
Ukuleles
for Peace 2010 - Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYqv5zV7cxo
Ukuleles for Peace 2010 - Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2PPF-CfNTU
- -
- - -
These and hundreds of other success stories are preserved at http://traubman.igc.org/messages.htm