This Dear, Precious Life: Thoughts on the Terror Attacks in Jerusalem

By ARIELLA SIEGEL
Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.
-Martin Luther King
I don’t even know what to address first. Do I even address it at all? I’ve thought countless times about what I was going to say, how I was going to say it, if I was going to say it. And yet here I am, unable to keep quiet.
And yet…here I am. Being within (literally) a stone’s throw of 2 terrorist attacks that occurred within the same hour. Hating myself for being suspicious of Arabs that I see on the street, hating that I have to be so hyper-sensitive of my surroundings, walk without my earphones, be on alert. Being under attack does something to you, it does something to your psyche and it also makes you realize how ridiculously dear and precious life is and how very small and insignificant our day-to-day lives are. I am extremely grateful that this is a situational thing and that I don’t live in a war-torn country, where I have to be under constant stress and duress all the time, constantly aware that my life might be in danger at any moment. I feel so grateful that I have the luxury of worrying about small, insignificant things, like passing my ulpan Hebrew test or about enjoying this evening's date, even though I’m kind of afraid a terrorist might come in and stab us all while we’re eating dinner.
I refuse to live that life and I refuse to be that person. Despite whatever happens in Israel, I will continue to hold light in my heart and believe in the best in people and support Israel and feel compassion for the Arabs who mean no harm and hope for peace for this beautiful, beautiful land.
This is my third month as an Israeli citizen, and if I could go back and change it all, I wouldn’t do a thing differently. Not for a second. I love this country and I am so proud to be here and I will support it until the day I die. (Which will hopefully be someday very very far in the future!)
May we all experience light in our hearts, and peace in our souls. May we have compassion and connection with our fellow brothers and sisters, and vision for ourself a future full of hope and heaven on Earth.