recently one of my teachers cancelled
the discussion about Donald Trump’s
State of the Union address she told me
that he’s held to discussion every year
and canceled it because she just
couldn’t be sure how all the students
would respond in this polarized climate
I was terrified I was scared that I
lived in a society so divided we just
decided to avoid I was scared that this
would only expand the already growing
divide
I was scared the stop divided even
existed but I also understood he made
this decision at a fear of the
polarizing combative emotional arguing
that nearly always surrounds political
conversations I understood because he
was not alone
this happened all over the place that
don’t address the elephant in the room
the don’t politicize this class the I
think it’s just too controversial though
will solve this later but let’s wait for
a better time to talk they’re all just
ways to avoid conversation because of
fear of confrontation and tiresome
arguing I understood because I was an
argue I was one of those unpredictable
kids because polarizing topics gave me
room to scream my opinion and feel like
a winner
for a while I was attached to arguing
emotional addicted win hungry and dead
set on proving my opinions right simply
I loved it so unwilling to change I fed
it myself excuses and convinced myself
the whole world is structured for
argument then I was forced to reconsider
last summer I applied to this program
called seeds of peace the camp in Maine
brings together youth from geopolitical
complex the South Asian conflict
Pakistanis and Indians the Middle
Eastern conflict Palestinians Israelis
Egyptians and Jordanians the entire camp
experience is centered around dialogue
for around two hours a day six days a
week over three weeks I sat in a room in
a circle with kids that were taught to
hate the so called other then I went and
shared meals with kids that were taught
to hate the so called
then I went back to the bunk and heard
of room with kids that were taught to
hate the so called other dialog hate
carry my excuses to arguing found a
brick wall here arguing isn’t the status
quo avoiding isn’t an option and they
had what I truly needed dialogue and
this society was not as populated with
anyone but kids that were nurtured to
hate the opposing side Israelis and
Palestinians Pakistanis and Indians are
taught distinct histories and taught
that the other side is not just wrong
but inhuman these people live near
border so controversial wars have
erupted over their location and many of
these teenagers hoop in decades a blame
and pain on this other side we’re now
dining conversing and living together
terrified and intrigued
I went ironically I was not alone this
place was filled with arguers and
avoiders in the beginning most people
who dated any conversation about the
geopolitical complex especially with the
other side
when they when they occurred outside of
dialog they mostly erupted I in the
South Asian dialogue did not talk about
any form of conflict until around a four
we set ground rules and kept most
conversations at low intensity before
them even after that it felt like we
were avoiding the big geopolitical
issues for a while my friends in the
Middle East dialogue spending on the
first week and a half screaming crying
and fuming it seemed that everyone was
either arguing or avoiding I definitely
questioned the Society of dialogue one
of the Palestinian campers named sari
and I talked a lot about Islam early in
the three weeks after about thirty
minutes of talking about the values of
Islam gender roles and his practice of
faith he looks at me and goes you know
you’d be a good Muslim you should really
consider converting I told sari look I
love talking to you about this but there
is just no chance you’re going to
convince me to convert it seems
ridiculous that sari even suggested that
I convert that he thought there was a
mere chance of our conversation creating
something as important as my religion
but that’s what was happening me in
haier first week of camp people went
into conversations expecting the other
to convert their views and that
intention always made dialog a
non-starter dialog is about sharing the
Leafs and stories to create
understanding and the second anyone
feels attacked they resort to their art
do they resort to arguing and lose the
ability to listen with the goal of truly
hearing people’s beliefs about this
conflict we’re as important as my
religion is to me and one conversation
no matter how loud or convincing anyone
could be did little to shift people’s
perspectives drastically ironically in a
place with the sole purpose of creating
understanding and compassion we had to
overcome the natural argumentative
defensive nature that we all brought
with us but eventually that nature
changed my bunk rest hours went from
card games and stupid joke herring to
spending every hour sitting Palestinians
and Israelis and talking about the
different narratives of the 48 war or
checkpoints or Jerusalem’s important in
the conflicts literally there was a day
we sat around the beds and the
Palestinians explains their narratives
of the 48 war and Israelis politely
interjected when their opinions differed
it was polite without aggression my
dialogue group turned from laying ground
rules just screaming across snap
national minds about the partition to
eventually listening and understanding
it wasn’t constant there were days when
my Palestinian friends were screaming
your family lives on my blood and days
when my Indian friend screams Kashmir is
theirs but most of the days my entire
bunk Palestinians and Israelis actually
talked about a hues and most days my
entire dialogue Pakistanis Pakistanis
and Indians conversed about terrorism
and Kashmir and gender roles and more
despite the fact that most people’s use
didn’t change mine did drastically I
went to a Jewish day school and through
that my temple and my family
Zionism became relatively ingrained in
me I viewed the State of Israel as a
basic right of the
Jewish people that was fair and just so
through all the conversations and
depressing stories the only ones that
changed the way I look at the conflict
we’re the ones told to share to help me
empathize so I can understand the
stories of my Israelis friend’s house
being blown up my Palestinian friends
explaining how their families became
refugees after the 48 war my Israeli
friends having rocks being thrown at him
and his friends houses my Palestinian
friends explaining on the checkpoint he
was pinned up against a car for
forgetting his ID at home they were all
tragic but they only changed my opinions
because they were told with the intent
of helping me empathize and understand
when they were told to prove their
ideologies right when they were told to
make me feel for their suffering and
adopt their beliefs
I became combative and resorted to my
ingrained Zionist views their genuine
interest in giving me perspective and
understanding is what made me reconsider
but I was one of the few most people’s
views did not change so if it didn’t
change perspectives what did these teens
gain from this experience I bet a lot of
you are thinking that’s great that these
conflict rating kids singing Kumbaya
dialogues about conflict and think I am
a seed of peace but they went home to
their conflicts to all that hate so what
did they really gain even if their views
remain the same I’ve struggled with this
a lot the answer is a love for the
people they can easily hate this love
rooted in empathy listening and caring
is a powerful force people started
recognizing the nuances to the other
side stories it wasn’t black and white
they started sharing stories to help the
other side understand their struggles
and narratives and that’s why I can
confidently say 181 campers struggled
through arguing took conversations and
created dense dialogue on the first
night of camp one of my Israeli friend
friends shared that he’s at camp because
he believes Israel is a bubble and he
thinks his experience will help him pop
that bubble too often to no fault of our
own people are engulfed in bubble
that hate their views of issues and
conflicts giving them no opportunity to
hear or understand the other side just
like my Israeli friend needed the
empathy he gained from dialogue to pop
his bubble so does everyone that’s where
all I play that camp just like everyone
else I wanted to pop my bubbles I think
the only true way to create
understanding understanding that pops
bubbles is through engaging in dialogue
dialogue will rarely be the easiest or
most comfortable choice but its benefits
will make meaningful change one Israeli
seed Noah told me he thinks the same way
and he’s even more sure of her viewpoint
after dialoguing but she understands
that there’s always another side who
might be just as right she also told me
I wish every kid could have the
opportunity to go through an experience
such as this it will kink his or her
entire view over our reality this way
people from all sides will remember that
the other side is human like everyone
else what we are doing isn’t working
America in the world is divided along
partisan lines and there is no sign of
dialogue understanding empathy or change
arguing is not taking us anywhere it
breeds disconnection and dismantles
empathy the problems we face are massive
polarizing and incredibly intimidating
frankly I believe dialogue is the only
way to conquer the topics that feel
uncomfortable I believe actually I know
arguing is the first step to change
understanding the beginning of bridging
gaps we have the opportunity to create
understanding in a world that clearly
does not have enough of it to empathize
to initiate change to create the world
that could be an arguably dialogue is
required thank you [Applause]
the discussion about Donald Trump’s
State of the Union address she told me
that he’s held to discussion every year
and canceled it because she just
couldn’t be sure how all the students
would respond in this polarized climate
I was terrified I was scared that I
lived in a society so divided we just
decided to avoid I was scared that this
would only expand the already growing
divide
I was scared the stop divided even
existed but I also understood he made
this decision at a fear of the
polarizing combative emotional arguing
that nearly always surrounds political
conversations I understood because he
was not alone
this happened all over the place that
don’t address the elephant in the room
the don’t politicize this class the I
think it’s just too controversial though
will solve this later but let’s wait for
a better time to talk they’re all just
ways to avoid conversation because of
fear of confrontation and tiresome
arguing I understood because I was an
argue I was one of those unpredictable
kids because polarizing topics gave me
room to scream my opinion and feel like
a winner
for a while I was attached to arguing
emotional addicted win hungry and dead
set on proving my opinions right simply
I loved it so unwilling to change I fed
it myself excuses and convinced myself
the whole world is structured for
argument then I was forced to reconsider
last summer I applied to this program
called seeds of peace the camp in Maine
brings together youth from geopolitical
complex the South Asian conflict
Pakistanis and Indians the Middle
Eastern conflict Palestinians Israelis
Egyptians and Jordanians the entire camp
experience is centered around dialogue
for around two hours a day six days a
week over three weeks I sat in a room in
a circle with kids that were taught to
hate the so called other then I went and
shared meals with kids that were taught
to hate the so called
then I went back to the bunk and heard
of room with kids that were taught to
hate the so called other dialog hate
carry my excuses to arguing found a
brick wall here arguing isn’t the status
quo avoiding isn’t an option and they
had what I truly needed dialogue and
this society was not as populated with
anyone but kids that were nurtured to
hate the opposing side Israelis and
Palestinians Pakistanis and Indians are
taught distinct histories and taught
that the other side is not just wrong
but inhuman these people live near
border so controversial wars have
erupted over their location and many of
these teenagers hoop in decades a blame
and pain on this other side we’re now
dining conversing and living together
terrified and intrigued
I went ironically I was not alone this
place was filled with arguers and
avoiders in the beginning most people
who dated any conversation about the
geopolitical complex especially with the
other side
when they when they occurred outside of
dialog they mostly erupted I in the
South Asian dialogue did not talk about
any form of conflict until around a four
we set ground rules and kept most
conversations at low intensity before
them even after that it felt like we
were avoiding the big geopolitical
issues for a while my friends in the
Middle East dialogue spending on the
first week and a half screaming crying
and fuming it seemed that everyone was
either arguing or avoiding I definitely
questioned the Society of dialogue one
of the Palestinian campers named sari
and I talked a lot about Islam early in
the three weeks after about thirty
minutes of talking about the values of
Islam gender roles and his practice of
faith he looks at me and goes you know
you’d be a good Muslim you should really
consider converting I told sari look I
love talking to you about this but there
is just no chance you’re going to
convince me to convert it seems
ridiculous that sari even suggested that
I convert that he thought there was a
mere chance of our conversation creating
something as important as my religion
but that’s what was happening me in
haier first week of camp people went
into conversations expecting the other
to convert their views and that
intention always made dialog a
non-starter dialog is about sharing the
Leafs and stories to create
understanding and the second anyone
feels attacked they resort to their art
do they resort to arguing and lose the
ability to listen with the goal of truly
hearing people’s beliefs about this
conflict we’re as important as my
religion is to me and one conversation
no matter how loud or convincing anyone
could be did little to shift people’s
perspectives drastically ironically in a
place with the sole purpose of creating
understanding and compassion we had to
overcome the natural argumentative
defensive nature that we all brought
with us but eventually that nature
changed my bunk rest hours went from
card games and stupid joke herring to
spending every hour sitting Palestinians
and Israelis and talking about the
different narratives of the 48 war or
checkpoints or Jerusalem’s important in
the conflicts literally there was a day
we sat around the beds and the
Palestinians explains their narratives
of the 48 war and Israelis politely
interjected when their opinions differed
it was polite without aggression my
dialogue group turned from laying ground
rules just screaming across snap
national minds about the partition to
eventually listening and understanding
it wasn’t constant there were days when
my Palestinian friends were screaming
your family lives on my blood and days
when my Indian friend screams Kashmir is
theirs but most of the days my entire
bunk Palestinians and Israelis actually
talked about a hues and most days my
entire dialogue Pakistanis Pakistanis
and Indians conversed about terrorism
and Kashmir and gender roles and more
despite the fact that most people’s use
didn’t change mine did drastically I
went to a Jewish day school and through
that my temple and my family
Zionism became relatively ingrained in
me I viewed the State of Israel as a
basic right of the
Jewish people that was fair and just so
through all the conversations and
depressing stories the only ones that
changed the way I look at the conflict
we’re the ones told to share to help me
empathize so I can understand the
stories of my Israelis friend’s house
being blown up my Palestinian friends
explaining how their families became
refugees after the 48 war my Israeli
friends having rocks being thrown at him
and his friends houses my Palestinian
friends explaining on the checkpoint he
was pinned up against a car for
forgetting his ID at home they were all
tragic but they only changed my opinions
because they were told with the intent
of helping me empathize and understand
when they were told to prove their
ideologies right when they were told to
make me feel for their suffering and
adopt their beliefs
I became combative and resorted to my
ingrained Zionist views their genuine
interest in giving me perspective and
understanding is what made me reconsider
but I was one of the few most people’s
views did not change so if it didn’t
change perspectives what did these teens
gain from this experience I bet a lot of
you are thinking that’s great that these
conflict rating kids singing Kumbaya
dialogues about conflict and think I am
a seed of peace but they went home to
their conflicts to all that hate so what
did they really gain even if their views
remain the same I’ve struggled with this
a lot the answer is a love for the
people they can easily hate this love
rooted in empathy listening and caring
is a powerful force people started
recognizing the nuances to the other
side stories it wasn’t black and white
they started sharing stories to help the
other side understand their struggles
and narratives and that’s why I can
confidently say 181 campers struggled
through arguing took conversations and
created dense dialogue on the first
night of camp one of my Israeli friend
friends shared that he’s at camp because
he believes Israel is a bubble and he
thinks his experience will help him pop
that bubble too often to no fault of our
own people are engulfed in bubble
that hate their views of issues and
conflicts giving them no opportunity to
hear or understand the other side just
like my Israeli friend needed the
empathy he gained from dialogue to pop
his bubble so does everyone that’s where
all I play that camp just like everyone
else I wanted to pop my bubbles I think
the only true way to create
understanding understanding that pops
bubbles is through engaging in dialogue
dialogue will rarely be the easiest or
most comfortable choice but its benefits
will make meaningful change one Israeli
seed Noah told me he thinks the same way
and he’s even more sure of her viewpoint
after dialoguing but she understands
that there’s always another side who
might be just as right she also told me
I wish every kid could have the
opportunity to go through an experience
such as this it will kink his or her
entire view over our reality this way
people from all sides will remember that
the other side is human like everyone
else what we are doing isn’t working
America in the world is divided along
partisan lines and there is no sign of
dialogue understanding empathy or change
arguing is not taking us anywhere it
breeds disconnection and dismantles
empathy the problems we face are massive
polarizing and incredibly intimidating
frankly I believe dialogue is the only
way to conquer the topics that feel
uncomfortable I believe actually I know
arguing is the first step to change
understanding the beginning of bridging
gaps we have the opportunity to create
understanding in a world that clearly
does not have enough of it to empathize
to initiate change to create the world
that could be an arguably dialogue is
required thank you [Applause]
Please follow and like us: