kar0ling

Pilgrimage. Is that what I did in Israel-Palestine? It was an easy answer for the border and customs officials asking the know purpose of my visit, accustomed as they are to the ranks of religious in that part of the world. My evangelical-Mennonite soul felt uncomfortable with the word, though. And in all honesty, my main aim in going was not to "walk where Jesus walked," but to see a country that has long fascinated me, and not just because it provides the setting for many of the events of the Bible. Were the tour entitled "See the Holy Land," "In the footsteps of Jesus," or "The land of the Patriarchs," it would hold little appeal for me. But "Ancient Stones, Living Stones"? That caught my attention. I wanted to interact with this convergence of ancient history and current affairs; with the juxtaposition of religious thrill-seekers and present political feuders. And perhaps that's half of what true pilgrimage is -- not only seekin...

Do I believe that words have power? Yes. Do I believe that information can solve a conflict? It can certainly help. Can I then stay silent about what I am hearing, and the people I am meeting? Rather than spewing my own emotion and opinion, let me open a window for you, to the people I have met and the stories I have heard. A shopkeeper tells me that he made no money from his shop for four years after the first Intifada. He is proud of the beautiful country in which he lives, where there is desert, snow, mountains, plains, beaches, and great biodiversity. For 17 years, however, he has not been able to travel much beyond his immediate environs -- has has not most of the above. He has no hope for himself. Yet he is not bitter. There is no rancour in his talk, though he cannot speak of hope, and the faith of his childhood has departed. But how does he describe a politician whose inequitable policies have greatly damaged his and his family's ability to make a livelihood? "He is a ...