Those who feed on the media get a picture of a deep rift and an irreconcilable rift between the parts of the people. Each side sees the struggle as a war between the sons of light and the sons of darkness, and is unwilling to find any bright spot on the other side.
Politicians compete with each other in making extreme statements that leave no room for any common denominator.
However, at the same time, people are sitting in all sorts of forums and trying to address the issues in a matter-of-fact way. People with diverse and opposing opinions come together, listen to each other, try to understand what hurts and bothers each other, and look for solutions together. Participants in these discussions speak of a completely different atmosphere.
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It turns out that when there is goodwill and a willingness to understand what hurts others, the world stops being portrayed as an extreme division between good and bad, between black and white, between the builders of the state and its destroyers. And to do that, we also need to break away from politicians, who are built on raising walls and making strong, position-biased statements.
The ability to see shades
And perhaps this is the saddest thing that has happened to us in public conduct - we have lost the ability to speak, to listen, to see nuances. The media, which should have been the stage for this dialogue, has become mobilized.
You hear interviews, and it's completely clear that the interviewers see themselves as soldiers in battle rather than discussion leaders. Those who say what they want to hear are given pleasant questions, a platform for discussion; and those whose opinions are the opposite of theirs are attacked aggressively.
It is difficult to understand how the leaders of the media channels do not realize that their conduct is destroying the industry in which they operate. The public sees and hears the way things are presented and concludes that the media has ended its role as a provider of real information and a stage for the expression of opinions and positions. The result is a loss of trust and interest.
As long as politicians and the media continue to inflame sentiment and radicalize positions, there is no chance that the message of reconciliation will come from them. The way to do this is to create focal points for dialogue, without the involvement of these elements. Simply meet, get to know, listen, feel.
In such encounters, one immediately discovers that the common denominator is deeper and wider than the divider. The chasms were created by distance and lack of close acquaintance. When one gets to know one another, prejudices are shattered, and each one sees the beautiful and positive sides of the other.
Slaves to the drums of war
We are approaching Passover, the holiday of freedom. Let us stop being slaves to the drums of war and the instigators of strife. Let us cease to be enslaved to the images that each one of us has created within ourselves towards others. Let us step out of the boxes that lead us to a one-dimensional vision of "Let us go, if we are to our enemies." Let us understand that our strength lies in our unity and in the joining together of all our strengths and talents.
And you don’t have to wait for the other side to start. Each of us can set the wheel in a positive direction. King Solomon said (Proverbs 27:19) "As water reflects face to face, so the heart of a man reflects the expression of your face." Just as water reflects your expression back to you, and if you smile, you see a smiling figure in front of you, so does a person’s heart respond to the heart of their friend. If we send love and appreciation to one another, we will receive love and appreciation in return.
