In the midst of war
 Education, as any good teacher knows, is not simply about what happens within the walls of a school. Even in the midst of the war between Israel and Hezbollah it seems that communication has been taking place between people on either side, and each has been learning something of the other in the process. A poignant story in the Washington Post tells of a conversation-by-blog between an Israeli wife and mother, Israeli Mom, a woman whose husband is a reservist in the IDF, and a Lebanese man, Jean Souc, working for the Red Cross in Paris. Each has been able to learn a little of the other's life and thoughts and feelings - and each now considers the other a friend.  Another Lebanese blogger, Mustapha Hamoui (Beirut Spring), writes: "For myself, I'm 28 and I've never had communication with Israelis with a single exception," he said by phone from Eheen, in the mountains of northern Lebanon. "Now I'm personally in e-mail contact with several."  Anyone anywhere else in the world who wants to learn something about this tragic conflict will find much to think about by working their way from blog to blog, Lebanese and Israeli, than they ever will from watching the BBC or CNN, or reading the Guardian or the Washington Post. If we need an explanation for the recent Ofcom findings, that young people are deserting television for the Web, we need look no further than the reality and the immediacy, however partial any one blog might be, of the daily lives reflected and dissected in these online musings. |
© John Connell
The views expressed in this weblog are entirely my own and are not intended to reflect the views of any other individuals or organizations. All sources will be fully acknowledged.
Comments on "In the midst of war"
post a comment