by Franco Ponti

Created on: April 22, 2008

"Every story has embedded within it a grain of truth". These simple words convey one of the most difficult tasks in all of human history - the acceptance of truth beyond the limitations of facts gathered through our reactionary mindset.

The "Palestinian Issue" is neither, for the plight of these tormented people is not specific to their race, nor is it correct to reduce the assessment of sentient beings living in the shadows of despair down to a singular topic for discussion. They are part of the collective flesh and bone from which humanity was forged, and they are caught in a social coma of despair, hopelessness, greed, and anger.

Since the days of its earliest settlement in Byblos over seven thousand years ago, Lebanon has endured the subjugation or encroachment from one power or another, as it struggled to carve out its identity as a culture and country. Such growing pains have been a part of every civilization and race on this planet - from the Jewish Diaspora of the 8th century BC, to the Vietnamese boat people in the latter part of the 20th century. Every generation has witnessed the plea of the weak and disenfranchised, the cries of displaced war victims, and the heart-wrenching scenes of thriving cities and villages reduced to wastelands filled with the faces of people in agony, hunger, and despair. The pleas of the Palestinians are neither insignificant nor trite. What is of concern is that, after more than a thousand centuries of existing within this living organism we call humanity, we have yet to grasp the simple, fundamental truths of decency, compassion, and love.

No one individual chooses intrinsically to become a terrorist or agitator. The choice to wave the banner of hatred and destruction is born from the seeds of injustice and oppression that are allowed to grow unchecked through countless generations. In a recent study conducted at UCLA, researchers found that being treated unfairly activates a region of the brain previously linked to negative emotions. They further concluded that ethics and fairness affect the neurons in our brain; that constant positive or negative experiences have the ability to rewire the manner in which we process our thoughts. The cornerstone of evolution is to procreate into a grander copy of our selves from the cellular level. The way we choose to evolve on a social scale must be honor-bound to carry the same elemental goal. Whether through willful spite or an accidental rerouting of basal instincts, we as a species

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