Name:     Michael L. S.   [E-Mail]
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      Website:  Middle East Resource Center


 

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Shaba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-bat shabat shalom everyone!

Well, I had a rather disheartening personal experience today, which taught me something I'd like to share with y'all... - well, not so much *taught* me, as it confirmed what I knew already. I don't necessarily believe in the existence of identifiable "verities of life." One's perception of experiences and their impact rather depend on one's perception of and approach to life. The following, however, I believe to be universally applicable: YOU CAN ONLY EVER TRULY RELY ON YOURSELF AND ONLY ON YOURSELF. No matter how good parents you may have, there will inevitably come a point where they will not understand you: your aspirations, your reasoning, your values, your priorities. No matter how loyal friends you have, you will encounter a time when you will need a break from each other, when you will drift apart for various reasons, where your own interests will clash with and then supersede those of your friend. And yes, no matter how honey-tongued a lover (girlfriend, boyfriend, partner, spouse...) you may have, you can never be sure that when push comes to shove, they will stand by you--yeah, you may have noticed a tinge of sourness there. I used to be in favor of giving people another chance. I still am. Only now I give people only the SECOND chance. But it is probably better not to give anyone A chance in the first place. Well, not quite--that sounds too severe. Of course we have to take chances and trust new people we meet, in whatever capacity. But we should not "put all our eggs in one basket." Because if you marshall your life as a chain, then if even one link (be it a person, be it a goal) fails, the whole structure disintegrates. I still believe that good can be evinced in every human being; I still believe in strong and altruistic friendships; and I still believe in true love. But I know now more than ever that one should expect the unexpected, listen to one's instincts, and only trust oneself completely. Ultimately, reason has to be strong enough to overpower emotions. I know it sound cynical and pessimistic but you'll deal with problems much more easily with that type of approach.

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Turkey and Croatia were given today their respective dates to begin negotiations with the EU with a view to acceding to the Union (Croatia likely in 2007-2008; Turkey, Adonai knows when). Turkey's is in October and Croatia's in March next year. They are conditional though: Turkey has a host of issues to look into and standards to upgrade or maintain, while Croatia will have to fully cooperate with the ICTY (which, essentially, means arresting the suspected war criminal Gotovina). I feel quite strongly about the whole Gotovina business so I think I will write at length about that next time. As for Turkey, the European Union should furnish it with all assistance it can, in order to make Turkey a democratic, modern, free, transparent and accountable state. Turkey is a veritable beacon which has proven that an Islamic society and democracy can work together extremely well (as if we wouldn't know that otherwise anyway). It deserves to become a member of the European Union without undue procrastination. And if the EU should continue with its filibustering that way it has been doing for the past, get this, FORTY YEARS, then Turkey should possibly look elsewhere; perhaps a Middle Eastern union, including Israel, which should hopefully be achievable in under a couple of decades' time. Overall, a good day for the humankind--more barriers torn down.

(As I'm terribly behind on my correspondence, that promised exchange with a genuine, real-life settler will have to wait a while longer.)

L'hitra'ot!

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