Last Saturday night, people were poised to jump ahead into a whole new year, I wonder if they would know the first week would contain so much. Already this year, with its brief narrative, the world has seen some incredible things. Breaking with their traditional views and rhetoric, the United States government has acknowledged the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt (who may very well win a straight majority without the need for a coalition), and Iran is threatening to cut off Oil supplies at the Strait of Hormuz. They have signaled capability through military exercises which included simulation of closing of the strait and displays of surface to air, surface to surface and anti-ship missiles. On January third, Iran issued a warning, “"Iran will not repeat its warning...the enemy's carrier has been moved to the Sea of Oman because of our drill. I recommend and emphasize to the American carrier not to return to the Persian Gulf.”
I’m sure most of you have seen this. I have seen reactions from worry at what an increasing agitated view of Iran may mean, to welcoming another conflict in the gulf. I know of no reason to really ever seek a war, as it is a terribly costly endeavor. Even Homer, the ancient Greek identity, knew the costs of war. At this point I wish I had my college papers with me to provide some evidence for this potentially contentious statement; however, I do not, and I do not possess the time to recreate that research. Perhaps there is a bit more worry here than in the states for the simple notion of proximity. Few people know that during the first Gulf War, that Saddam Hussein launched Scud missiles at Israel, about 42 according to the US DOD. What this translates as, if Iraq would retaliate against Israel or American aggression, why wouldn’t Iran? It would give it prefect credence, and as before, Israel would be pressured into doing nothing in retaliation.
But I can assume that you aren’t really reading this for my take on modern politics and ramblings of the ancient world. New Year’s Eve was special this year, not really because I was in Israel. People here do not really care. This is all essentially repetition of my last entry to reset the scene. Sunday, the beginning of the week here, and the beginning of the year I received my second present. It would be fun to call it a surprise; however, that would be quite honestly a lie. It had been planned out weeks, if not over a month in advance. A friend of mine from State had been thinking about going on Birthright at the beginning of the fall when I was still in the States. I am sure you can all see where this is going. We kept in touch, and I cannot reliably convert to words what it is like to see friends who you have not seen in four months or more.
I don’t wish to be misleading, and my words to be misinterpreted to indicate I have no friends in Israel. That would be pure fiction; what I intend to be understood is how nice it is to see people. In person is absolutely the best, but even my (I think it turned out to be an hour long?) chat with Beleaguered Castle was significantly inspiring. It’s not that great revelations need to be made; rather, it is the continued connection that needs to be fed.
So the Birthright Program had the group coming through Tel Aviv, which isn’t too far away and I took a bus down. I am not sure why, of all the places, they took them to Tel Aviv Namal. The port can be quite packed, busy exciting, ect when it’s open and alive; however, all the clubs were closed. Nothing was moving, and even by New York let alone State College standards, the drinks were expensive. So we sat to coffee and pastries just a block away; we talked, joked and laughed until their bus was taking the back to Yafo at which point I returned home (I discontinue there, it wasn’t quite so quick, but it is quite the boring segment). And so here I will pause. I hope that you have managed to keep whatever resolutions you have made thus far, just another 51 weeks to go! I’ll confess I did not come up with any resolutions. Is it too late for that? And a parting thought. Happiness, I believe, is nurtured by numerous things. I would love to hear your comments and thoughts on happiness. For me, I think the most important aspect, where the strongest roots come from is a very ancient idea: γνῶθι σεαυτόν. I look forward to your responses and mail!
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