Good and evil

Every morning when I wake up and read the news, the only thing I can think about is the suffering in Gaza: it really distresses me. This is not surprising - I have been thinking and blogging about Gaza off and on since December 2008. I do what’s in my power to support Palestinians, which doesn’t feel like much, but all we can do in any situation is do our best to work for the good. We can’t control the outcome.

In any case, continuing to pay attention to the situation in Gaza is better than not.

In an email yesterday a friend mentioned Gaza and said “…Gaza, which is beyond belief, and I feel is also bringing a new sense of powerlessness, resignation and callousness into the world.”

Let us not be resigned to brutality and injustice. 

Let’s do what we can to make the world a better place, but we can also remember what my friend Het said “They want us to care, not to suffer,” and also to remember the Jack Gilbert poem I’ve shared with you before, Brief for the Defence. Here’s a quote

“To make injustice the only measure of our attention is to praise the devil.” 

Lastly, here is a poem by Maggie Smith called Good Bones:

Let’s do it - let’s make this place beautiful.

UNICEF GAZA appeal link here