The stories of increasing Palestinian extremists excessive violence are rising to the point that even the most optimistic coverage is unable to avoid reports of gunmen firing fully-automatic rifles aimed randomly while marching through Arab neighborhoods, rock-throwing ambushes against school buses full of children, school children traumatized by the screams emanating from the Gaza government building next door to their school as Hamas tortures unfortunates suspected of any offense against their rule and other horror stories that often are represented outside of Israel as the crimes of the Israelis against the Palestinians when the truth does not fit the approved narrative of Israel is always in the wrong. These horrors are in addition to the terrorisms unleashed almost daily on the Israelis who have the misfortune of living in proximity to Palestinian Arab neighborhoods or the life-threatening experiences of those with Israeli license plates, whether Jew or Arab, who make a wrong turn and as a result fall into an ambush set at locations most likely to provide them with victims, as they are known routes that GPS systems direct the unknowing. The violence enters people’s lives in so many and various ways, some predictable and some almost randomly, but all are traumatizing and leave lasting damage. The reality which many are unaware as the news is slanted, if for no other reason than often the allowable sources are painting a tainted picture fitting a political viewpoint over the truth, and the reality desired is presented over reality as if every outlet tells the same lie then that becomes the truth. All of this will eventually result in an outcome which will not be concealable despite the inexplicable result which will seem completely unfathomable.
History is full of surprises where suddenly the going status-quo is turned on its head by a wave of revolution by a people who are completely fed up with the mistreatment coming from those who were reputed to represent the very same people but actually were stealing the very resources, absconding with the majority of the funding provided by a compliant world, and oppressing and intimidating the population in order to keep them repressed and compliant so that they can continue their misrule and mistreatment of the population. Such suppression of the general population by keeping them under thumb and compliant through force and stealing from the public trough in order to carry out aggressions which result in the destruction of the infrastructure which is left destroyed while the structures of their militant and terrorist structures ignoring the distress of the general population and eventually the people will tire and lose any support for those who have shown them such complete disdain. This was the truth that struck and spread through Europe with one revolution after the other removing Kings, Czars and other regal rulers. The original revolutions often failed to produce a new leadership which was any preferable and more attuned to the desires and needs of the people. These too would soon fall, some faster than others, and through trial and error, often more error than trial, and eventually they found governance which served the people.
The changes are coming to the entire Middle East centuries after it swept Europe, but coming it is. The changes will come because the world has become more transparent and interconnected. As nations who are emerging will face transitional forces that will only build as those who currently rule take whatever steps they believe are necessary to continue their reign and resist any transformations which would sweep them from their positions of luxury and power. What makes this such a sad and disturbing tale is that if the regal rulers would simply transform their positions from one of ruling as absolute monarchs into one of a ceremonial nature which heralds back to their historic past and serve as a link instead of becoming a reviled oppressor they could continue to enjoy their privileged lives while liberating their people and joining them in a new and positive future. This was the venue taken in the best known example with the royal family of England where the King or Queen has their privileged lifestyle and the people have their freedom and the old and the new coexist peaceably. The English Crown has even served as a positive force which can inspire the people beyond that possible by any from their elected government. During World War II in England while Prime Minister Churchill made rousing speeches and led inspirationally, the Queen showing up in southern London during the blitz and joining, even ceremoniously and not actually performing extensive manual labors, assisting by carrying some bricks and clearing a few pieces of rubble but also being one with her people did more to inspire the people than was ever possible by the actions of anybody in the government. Such can be the influence and healthy empowerment of those in regal positions who relented giving up their power to a people hungry to affect change and move to self-rule. The English example is, unfortunately, the exception rather than the rule as most absolute leaders refuse to step aside when the forces of history echo the calls for change and pay the ultimate price for their resistance and obstinacy.
This change is coming to the Middle East and even Islam will eventually yield to the desire of the people to live a better and more free life. There will be numerous trials and tribulations on the way into self-governance. The more the current dictatorial and absolute rulers resist the change, the more violent and the more turbulent the transformation to a governance that represents the wills of the people over the desires and personal appetites of their current leaders will be. The probability that the initial changes will produce a leadership not much improved, eventually the governance will represent the will of the people just as was proven historically by the European experience, a traumatic experience in most cases, but a productive eventuality. The one admonition is that any governance has the same property as any living entity, to grow, expand its footprint, increase its consumption, establish dominance over its surroundings, and eventually growing beyond the ability for its civilizations, its population, to comfortably support which will lead eventually to the need to replace the overgrown, voracious and usurpatious rule. Perhaps this necessity for periodic reform, or possibly replacement, was best stated by American Revolutionist and principle author of the American Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, when he stated, “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.” I can add nothing, nor would I even try, to such an authority, wordsmith and statesman as Thomas Jefferson.
Beyond the Cusp
Beyond the Cusp 