Trauma For Life

The way Frederick Douglas talks about his life at a younger age being a slave in Narrative of The Life of Frederick Douglas is somewhat surprising. Not essentially because of what he explains his life was, and how horrifying times where in those years. But the way he talks about it, the way he describes it. Obviously everything he wrote about his past life is surprising and is extremely disturbing, even traumatizing. But what mainly caught my attention was how he wrote it with such normality, as if it weren’t that of a big deal. But I guess that if I come to think of it, those times weren’t as shockingly horrific for someone like Douglas, since that was what was expected from people; white owners treating black slaves like crap. Though what actually gets me is how atrocious those times where, enough to get a little slave boy thinking of such terrible acts as something being part of the natural. In other words, it must have been undeniably traumatizing, for that Douglass doesn’t put much importance to acts like this that for us, are of the greatest importance. 

A New Perspective

I cherish and value where I come from deeply, I’m truly proud of being part of such a wonderful community, the Jewish community. Except I have never really felt truly part of the real religion, of the core of the religion, but more like an outsider. Never have I really got too involved in it nor tried to be fulfilled to the religion until my trip to Israel. This changed my view of my history and my ancestors completely.

Don’t get me wrong, its not that I don’t want to participate more in the religion, but that not belonging to the Hebrew school and not going every weekend to the club where everyone form the community usually meets makes it harder for me to be more involved.

When I was younger, I took Jewish and Hebrew classes every week, and on top of that I used to go to the club every Saturday and Sunday. I had my group of friends that I hung out with, almost as equally as I did with my friends at school. With my family we also went almost every Friday to the synagogue. All this gave me awareness and basic knowledge of my history and where I, and the religion come from. Which for me is incredibly important and much more complex of what is thought in school, since this is one of those thing that you learn not at school but with your family, since its part of ones culture and values.

It was about in the 8^th grade that I gradually stopped socializing with my friends from the community, and not because of this, not any reason in particular actually, we also stopped going to the synagogue every Friday except for special holidays. Plus, my Jewish classes every week stopped too. Sadly I can say that I got quite apart from my community.

Last summer I visited Israel, and that’s where my perspective changes. Before going I saw the trip more like a socializing, meeting new people and places kind of experience. And don’t get me wrong, that was mainly the point. But beyond that, the actual significance of the trip was getting more involved with the culture and understanding how it works, in the place it all started. It was definitely something completely different in contrast of what I had formerly experienced in my life, or for that matter it was unlike anything I had seen anywhere else.

Seeing how the resident interacted with one another and with tourists (which by the way, where many of) was interesting and much different as it is here. Obviously being the Middle East, the scenery was dissimilar to what I had before seen, much less tall buildings and instead Middle East-like architecture. And how the way everything worked, mostly in the borders was focused more on keeping every one secure. You could see guards in every corner, and every couple blocks there were these small cubical yellow claustrophobic rooms that we learned served as shelter for when bombing occurred.

On top of that, the culture, the music and the ambience were truly warm and confortable. I remember being at the shuk, which is kind of a bazar where they had everything, and I mean literally EVERYTHING. From sections of cool shirt and boxers, to streets with only piles and piles of temptingly delicious looking nuts, fruits and vegetables all colors imaginable, all fresh and beautiful. And even though it was probably the moment I felt the most claustrophobia. It was also (and I know this sounds weird), a moment I felt confortable and safe. A feeling stood that although we were all strangers to one another, in a way we really weren’t.

  Most of all what really attracted me to this breathtaking country was how being there I felt enormously safe an accepted, even desired, as if residents there want Jewish people from all around the world to come to Israel and fall in love with the country (which is absolutely not hard to do) and stay there for years to come. I remember in one of the many talks about how the culture is, this guy talking about how they [Jewish community] wanted, even expected all Jewish people around the world to come and visit Israel, not only that but also to serve as part of the army. One woman who had been in the air force of the army told us: “Every citizen, men and women of Israel anticipates for the moment to join the army, when the time comes, with much excitement they do, and make it the best way they can”. And citizens there do it not as an obligation but as a desire, something that for me seems really beautiful and to look

 I guess that an experience like this is an immense privilege, not many get to have, and even being part of this wonderful religion and now country, also feels like a huge elation. Having had experienced this changed everything for me. My view of the past, and more importantly my view on the future since I know it for certain that I will return to Israel.  Because I know now I am no longer an outsider to my religion or my country, nor will I ever be, at least not know after experiencing it in the best way possible. Not just for a short summer but for a much longer time so that I can feel what it really is and to be a grater part of it by having the vast pleasure to contribute to my country. Never will I forget what a wise man told us on one of the many site seeing places: “ Ever since each one of you where born, you have been part of Israel no matter what, and Israel will always be part of you”.

Kite Runner Explication

Melodramatic Much?

    Even though Forrest Wickman is completely poised of what he says in his piece, in my opinion he is overstating the subject far too much. Probably for enthusiastic bloggers like himself this might seem just proper and genuine. But for average bloggers or average people, Wickerman’s article is far too exaggerated and may even be irrelevant. Since his main argument about calling a blog post, a blog makes you sound completely ridiculous and even, as he says: “makes you sound stupid” to us non-addictive bloggers is unimportant and so, making Wickerman’s piece far to melodramatic.