The Normalization of Fear and Acceptance?

Shalom everyone,

Ever since the deaths of the three Israeli teenagers and the Palestinian teenager, tensions between the two regions have been escalating to the point where both areas have started firing rockets at each other in an attempt to defend their citizenry and, from my perspective, gain a sense of justice for their respective victims. However, ironically, by defending one innocent citizen from terror, another innocent is killed on the other side, and so the cycle repeats itself.

What people do not truly take into account at times is that although everyone suffers from war, the masses suffer the most. And, right now, it is anyone's guess as to how long the current conflict will be going on, since wars are relatively unpredictable periods of time. Most would think that this causes trauma and panic, yet surprisingly after the sirens, most people, from my observations, returned to their daily lives.

Of course, that statement is a large generalization, and to be sure, many people do deal with anxiety and trauma after hearing Code Red Siren Alarms. But, it was interesting to see people go back to waiting for a bus, going to a restaurant, or resume shopping. It was interesting to me because, having come from a country where national attacks do not happen often, I knew that most people in America would be shocked and terrified. Here, it contrasts quite a bit. Although people take shelter and protest against the violence and the war, many do not necessarily let these warnings hinder their day.

In a way, when you live in a region surrounded by turbulence, I think that you have to become used to that kind of expectation but never let it damage your character or your way of life because if you do, then you'll never commence what you set out to do. One half of the battle is getting to a shelter, and the other half involves swallowing that anxiety and that fear in order to survive. That acceptance, resilience, and normalization, I feel, has become a part of Israeli culture - a culture that I am beginning to understand more, now that I have seen it in its good and, sadly, bad times.

Until next post,
Joel

PS) Thank you to those who have reached out to me in hopes of my safety! I was initially a bit anxious and nervous upon hearing my first Siren Alarm (which is a topic for my next post), but I am doing fine as of now.