Another great classic that pops to mind when trying to make sense of the current blazing situation in the Middle East.

Fyodor Dostoevsky was a Russian novelist and writer. Several of his books are considered literary masterpieces and are said to have influenced Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Anton Chekhov, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Jean-Paul Sartre. In this literary crime story, first published in 1866, the author analyses the psychology of a student, Raskolnikov, who believes that some people should have the impunity to kill others because they would be carrying out deeds to serve all mankind. This is a very long read -over 500 pages- and a lot of the narrative is about the internal conflicts of the protagonist, his thoughts, and emotions that are balancing between guilt and redemption... Will he in the end regret committing the heinous act of killing someone he considers inferior and crude? Will he redeem himself? Dostoevsky probably wanted to address the effects of nihilism on society. He transports the reader into the world he is describing. You will sense the human conditions vividly when he depicts the stench of poverty on the streets and Raskolnikov's range of emotions is conveyed extremely realistically...

To draw a parallel to the current Middle East turmoil, the Israeli Zionists consider themselves an exceptional ethnic group -they probably suffer from the "god complex". And they have not shied from occupying and -illegally- settling in Palestinian territories under the pretense of avoiding a major security threat to the state of Israel. For the past 75+ years, Zionists and their cohorts have been systematically annihilating, decimating, and exterminating Palestinians because they consider them "less than animals" as it was recently announced by several spokespeople and celebrities. Denying Palestinians their humanity has pushed many Jewish groups, in the US, Israel, and other countries to protest and march against this modern-era genocide. Because this line of thought doesn't represent the Jewish opinion. It is to be noted that most Jews, Christians, and Muslims of Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria are Semites. Hence, the accusation and labeling of "anti-semite" of anyone speaking up against the injustice and crimes perpetrated by Zionists does not stand! And the question is, how can we stand by and not pick a side with all these atrocities happening in full view? It is enough to be reminded of the Holocaust at every turn, and as German national, I say it out loud, even if it is considered a "crime". I wonder whether people who have lost their relationship to the divine on any of the sides and at any moment in history will be able to reconnect to their human side. Will they put an end to all those massacres and misery committed in the name of this or that religious (mis-)belief and look forward to constructing a common future in peace?

Take your time to enjoy this read 📚📚📚