A man wracked by anxiety is calling for violence against a threat. He’s so determined to see the elimination of said threat that he has become a threat himself.
Sadly, I don't find this shocking. Complacency at the highest levels of society has bred dissatisfaction and resentment among, as one label depicts them, the 99%. The renewed rise of anger as a political tool is fostering fear and undirected resentment among the general public. Fear leads to anger; anger leads to hate; hate leads to oppression, crime, murder and war.
It doesn't have to be this way. We don't have to kill or be killed - "obliterate our enemies" is not a precondition for survival. In fact the opposite is true.
Israel is a great, global symbol of this. The threat of weapons might have helped keep opponents at bay, but it's the conversation that keeps the relationship between Israel and its neighbours going.
Warren Kinsella puts it well: "There are others like me, who see Israel's continued existence as a precondition to a safer, saner world."
It's the Libyas and Iraqs of the world that demonstrate where force of strength leads you; Israel's story has always been more than that. Its power lies in diplomacy.
What we need from our leaders is not fear mongering or despair; that comes to us naturally when there is a leadership deficit. Leaders don’t have the luxury of doubt; to be bold, to be inspiring, to be effective, our leaders must embody courage and embrace the audacity of hope.
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