having hope

I had something else I was going to write, but I spent my morning listening to the news, and what else can I think about but the grand jury decision in Ferguson.   The pain, the anger, the fear, the sorrow, the uncertainty, the distrust.  I feel like it is something that happened to all of us, not just to the people in Ferguson.  

What it is bringing to mind is a talk I went to on campus last week.  Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish is a Palestinian doctor who has the distinction of being the first Palestinian doctor to receive an appointment at an Israeli hospital.  He has much he could talk about, but the title of his talk (and his book) is I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor's Journey.

He has good reason to hate.  In 2009, during the Gaza war, his house was bombed.  He lost three of his daughters and a niece.  His fourth daughter suffered the loss of an eye and two fingers.

Pain. Anger. Deep sorrow.

His journey has been one about continuing the story, initiating discussion, keeping the memories of his daughters alive.  How many of us could manage to rise above our humanity to carry on in such a loving way? 

Dr. Abuelaish was talking to a sympathetic audience, but there was a large police presence in the auditorium.  It is dangerous to talk about love and peace. It is dangerous to have hope.