Today I wrote an exam for Conflict Transformation. It's a Peace Studies class, and completely unlike anything I have ever taken. To be honest, I took the course knowing it would boost my average, as it seemed straight-forward and my friend was the T.A.
The exam was supposed to place us in a position of a conflict worker, and after watching a film about the Israeli-Palestinian war, we were responsible for writing a conflict analysis, creating a conflict map, and proposing various strategies for peace. While watching the film, I was blown away by what I was seeing. It was a series of interviews with children from both Israel and Palestine, and it was disheartening to see and hear their thoughts on this territorial (and now religious) war. These kids were perhaps the only chance for change, yet they were so violent.
This one Palestinian boy, Faraj, made a big impact on me. He explained that he was fighting for for Allah, and he used the Qu'ran as a justification for his actions. While the Israeli's (who are allies of the U.S.) had advanced weaponry, Faraj and his friends were still willing to defend their land. He held a rock in his hand and explained that this was all he had.
I think that rock acts as a symbol for this all. That rock represents the unequal distribution of power that none of us care about as long as we aren't the ones getting short-handed. Why does one side always have shiny new grenades, while the other can only act by throwing the debris of their bombed houses? Their walls are crumbling, yet they are throwing the rocks instead of rebuilding.
