What if I choose both sides
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I want to clear up something that seems to be a common misunderstanding. The premise that you can support only one side of an argument, conflict, disagreement, etc., that loyalty is one sided. That if you dare to say something in support of the opposing side you completely negate your support of the other. Life is not this cut and dried. It’s not this black and white, even though many people seem to think so.
I’ll give an example, my thoughts of the Israel Hamas conflict. I support the Israeli people’s right to defend themselves against terrorist attacks but I also support the Palestinian people’s right to have a safe place to live free of oppression. Here’s the crux, I don’t think that the leadership of either side of this conflict has been forthcoming or candid. I actually believe both are corrupt.
I’m not anti-Semitic nor am I anti-Palestinian, I am anti-corruption; I am against leaders who use excessive force, might and/or misinformation to try to manipulate, mislead and control their citizens.
I can feel empathy and compassion for both sides of the conflict. I can mourn for the lives lost. For the parents and grandparents who will never hold their children and grandchildren again, the husbands and wives that will never reunite with their spouses, the friends that will never get another conversation, the children who will never feel their parents hug again. This is not choosing a side. This is choosing humanity.
