The frontiers of my own tolerance.
Being here in Palestine, hearing the stories of their suppression is difficult. Especially when you are hosted like a foreign king.
You can see them struggle with the occupation, and the emotions with the fact their land, culture and property is under pressure.
It is under pressure by israel, and mostly the religious orthodox streams of power that claim on dubious historical research that they were once the inhabitants.
At the same time there is a clash of culture. In a mostly muslim run society, you respect the leader does not matter what happens.
He is the leader of the clan, but one should not compare this to democracy! There are no checks and balances. It is another style of leadership and control. More based on the belly. Maybe one can vote, but there are no mature institutions that can protect the individual as we know it.
I met someone from Turkey today who works in a culture center and who came here in Ramallah to give funding to an art school. I asked him right away about the political situation of his country and we had a short discussion on democracy.
Coming from Western Europe i see the system we have as superior and free. And i feel the frontiers of my tolerance if i meet someone who tells me that Turkey they have a real Democracy.
But why this? Maybe it js the pain of my german ancestors..? Who were trapped as intellectuels, just like many intellectuals now in Turkey are trapped and fired (if the news is true).
Nevertheless the fact that they govern in different style, can not be an argument to take their land or see them as less worthy. American imperialism under G.W. Bush acted like this. And in israel you also hear arguments like, they don't have a democracy when you are asking about the occupation...
I guess there are advantages in both systems. Looking at the refugee crisis for example. Our society which wants to grant full rights to each member finds it hard to handle the influx of people.
But a muslim based society like turkey, which is more and more basing itself again on systems of patriarchy. Can handle such influx much better, because they don't want to give full citizen or human rights to every member of society.
Yesterday i also met a very intelligent doctor of philosophy who gave me great insights on the situation here. Even if inside the societies of Palestine or Turkey, they distribute rights differently. Property rights should be garanteed in every country.
Hearing stories about Palestinian land that is just taken by force or burned by settlers, is not nice to hear. And it shows you the true intentions which lies behind the different stories that are told in the news.
That goes further then a difference of opinion or culture. That is just outright colonization. Which is apparently still happening in the world...
Another thing i want to mention is that individualism, the fact that in our western culture we expect of the individual to take care of himself. Therefore we make out of him a human being that looks mainly out for himself, expecting institutions like social security to take care.
Here everyone looks out for everyone. If you sit by yourself they will invite you to sit with them. And because they are less individualised manifesting a career or personal succes is less important then the community.
These things also play a role here in the middle east. Because many israeli's live like we do, western and with a lot of individual freedom. Whereas in Palestine they live like a big community.
Being here in Palestine, hearing the stories of their suppression is difficult. Especially when you are hosted like a foreign king.
You can see them struggle with the occupation, and the emotions with the fact their land, culture and property is under pressure.
It is under pressure by israel, and mostly the religious orthodox streams of power that claim on dubious historical research that they were once the inhabitants.
At the same time there is a clash of culture. In a mostly muslim run society, you respect the leader does not matter what happens.
He is the leader of the clan, but one should not compare this to democracy! There are no checks and balances. It is another style of leadership and control. More based on the belly. Maybe one can vote, but there are no mature institutions that can protect the individual as we know it.
I met someone from Turkey today who works in a culture center and who came here in Ramallah to give funding to an art school. I asked him right away about the political situation of his country and we had a short discussion on democracy.
Coming from Western Europe i see the system we have as superior and free. And i feel the frontiers of my tolerance if i meet someone who tells me that Turkey they have a real Democracy.
But why this? Maybe it js the pain of my german ancestors..? Who were trapped as intellectuels, just like many intellectuals now in Turkey are trapped and fired (if the news is true).
Nevertheless the fact that they govern in different style, can not be an argument to take their land or see them as less worthy. American imperialism under G.W. Bush acted like this. And in israel you also hear arguments like, they don't have a democracy when you are asking about the occupation...
I guess there are advantages in both systems. Looking at the refugee crisis for example. Our society which wants to grant full rights to each member finds it hard to handle the influx of people.
But a muslim based society like turkey, which is more and more basing itself again on systems of patriarchy. Can handle such influx much better, because they don't want to give full citizen or human rights to every member of society.
Yesterday i also met a very intelligent doctor of philosophy who gave me great insights on the situation here. Even if inside the societies of Palestine or Turkey, they distribute rights differently. Property rights should be garanteed in every country.
Hearing stories about Palestinian land that is just taken by force or burned by settlers, is not nice to hear. And it shows you the true intentions which lies behind the different stories that are told in the news.
That goes further then a difference of opinion or culture. That is just outright colonization. Which is apparently still happening in the world...
Another thing i want to mention is that individualism, the fact that in our western culture we expect of the individual to take care of himself. Therefore we make out of him a human being that looks mainly out for himself, expecting institutions like social security to take care.
Here everyone looks out for everyone. If you sit by yourself they will invite you to sit with them. And because they are less individualised manifesting a career or personal succes is less important then the community.
These things also play a role here in the middle east. Because many israeli's live like we do, western and with a lot of individual freedom. Whereas in Palestine they live like a big community.
Anyways, it's hot and people expect me to sit with them here !
Take care
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