From Simple Cheat Chat to Israel-Palestine conflict

Mistakes may seem a major setback by the time we commit them, but they are a stepping stone to important life lessons. Once the reality sets in, we learn much from them and reframe our shattered memories. How a simple cheat chat led me to the Israel-Palestine conflict and the massacres thereof giving me a deep insight into this fact.

Cheat Chat on Messenger:

My Facebook friend, with whom I had covered a long distance in cheat chat, taught me much about this fact, when he exposed himself to be a male instead of female. Luckily, my persistency in denying to become her boyfriend, being a Muslim, led him to change his mind and uncovered the truth about himself to me. I would not believe this, until he exposed himself from his voice message and then telling me that  he didn't want to deceive a person like me anymore. He also tried to teach me that I should not believe a profile picture of someone on Facebook messenger, until I have myself come to know about his or her identity. 

Palestine National Poet:

I was angry at first, but then I had to accept with serenity the wisdom that I shouldn't carry my mistakes forward into the future with me. They are an integral part of our lives, so we should stop hiding from the shadows of the past, if we want to grow. Whereas, what impressed me the most during our arguments was his assertion that of all of the languages he studied so far, being a linguistics student, he found Arabic to be more eloquent and impressive language. He also sent me a translation of a poem from the renowned Palestine National Poet/author, Mahmoud Derwish, who gave voice to the struggles of the Palestinians. 

Translation in English Language:

The earth is narrowing,
pushing us to the last path,
to pass through it,
we are separating every limbs. 
The earth is binding us,
I wish we were wheat, 
to die and rise again on this earth, 
I wish the earth was our mother,
have mercy on us.
We go and with dreams we are engraved on the stones, 
like mirrors we see the faces of those, 
who have to die for this earth after us, 
we cry on the feast of their children. 
We see the faces of those, 
who will throw our children out the windows, 
in the last space our star will reflect the mirrors,
where will we go where the borders will end,
where will the birds fly after the last sky, where will they sleep after breathing in the last air,
we will write out names in crimson mist, we will cut off the hands of our poems,
so they end up on our skin,
here we will die in this last path,
and here will grow olives trees in our blood. 

Bloody Massacre: Israeli atrocities in Palestine 

We know about the stories of Israeli atrocities in Palestine, but its impact is for a short while. We assign them to the back burner and switch on to another subject to change our mind from being aggrieved. But what about the brutal massacre of the Palestinians. The Israeli forces are massacring civilians, even not sparing the women and children. They are  deliberately destroying their villages, expelling them from their homes at gunpoint. They are even striking the residential buildings sheltering displaced people and hospitals. The injured are dying in the remaining few medical facilities, as the Israeli strikes have destroyed most of the hospitals. 

According to the Atrocity Alert No.415, a weekly publication by the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, published on Oct 30, 2024, an Israeli strike on October 29 on a residential building sheltering displaced people in northern Gaza's Beit Lahiya town left 93 Palestinians killed or missing, including at least 25 children. The Director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, which is one of the few remaining medical facilities partialy functioning in northern Gaza, warned that many of the injured may die because of a lack of resources.

Ethnic cleansing of Palestinian:

The Israeli military is subjecting an entire population to relentless bombardment and risk of starvation, as well as being forced to choose between mass displacement and being trapped in an active conflict zones. So, there is mass evacuation. The Israeli policies risk emptying the area of all Palestinians, widespread devastation and deprivation, of thousands of civilians, who remain cut off from aid and protection. Nearly the entire population of Gaza reportedly depends on humanitarian assistance from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. UNRWA is the backbone of UN's relief efforts. Whereas, the Israeli threaten to put a halt to UNRWA, to deprive the Palestinians of humanitarian assistance.

Eloquence of Arabic Language: Importance of Languages 

Perhaps, it would not have been so serious for me, had I not come across the poetry of the Palestinian Arabic Poet. I for the first time realized how eloquent the Arabic Language is. In fact, all the languages are important being vital threads in the fabric of human society, holding together our cultural heritage, cognitive development, and social harmony. 

Each language enriches the world’s collective knowledge and adds depth to the global conversation. By valuing and promoting language learning, societies can cultivate more inclusive, prosperous, and interconnected communities. However, we mostly prefer English Language being a lingua franca - a common language enabling communication between people who do not share a native language, or bridging cultural and linguistic divides facilitates cooperation on global issues, from climate change to international trade. 

Hence, the importance of English Language in global communication, economic development, education, and cultural exchange, make it the most widely spoken second language. It has evolved into a language that transcends geographical boundaries and functions as a bridge between cultures, industries, and nations. However, we should not make it the only standard of living. We should preserve linguistic diversity, not just for the endangered languages speakers but for all of humanity, as they are not just tools, but lifelines that connect us to our past, present, and future.