The Caveman

This is a piece on the current situation in Gaza.

Turkey and grape leaves.

On the days before the first frosts, the Caveman knew only of roasted wild poultry wrapped in softened greens. So when the wind blew, the Caveman thought of turkey and grape leaves; when the night was still, the Caveman dreamt of turkey and grape leaves.

Ask the Caveman to chisel an ode to his next meal, and not even Pablo Neruda could pen more passionately.

Little did the Caveman know – or contemplate – that, thousands of years later, civilized families would gather to carve turkeys, ones just like his! Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, other civilized families would boil grape leaves as rockets raced from the sky.

But more importantly, these are the same grape leaves, just like his!

The Caveman concentrated on building his fire. He did not have time to imagine the upcoming rise and fall of Rome or Germany or atom bombs. Perhaps the Caveman simply lacked imagination, but we cannot know for sure. He was too busy keeping an eye on the turkey and grape leaves.

But ask the Caveman about Nazi ideology, and he would have answered that genocides don’t require concentration camps and human ovens, nor does it need ICC definitions to determine when the indiscriminate murder of a people actually becomes the indiscriminate murder of a people.

Hell, the last time anything was that clear was when enemies could be distinguished by the Swastika!

Ask the Caveman about nuclear weapons, and he would have understood that, if one bomb ruined Hiroshima, so could the other twenty-seven thousand. With so many missiles pointed at each other, he would have questioned, since when did human beings decide to depend on self-destruction?

Has it replaced turkey and grape leaves? 

 

The Caveman certainly couldn't have written an ode to genocides and atom bombs. Here’s to hoping I can’t, either. 

Footnote: Turkey and grape leaves represent the two conflicting states, as both ingredients are used in Israeli and Palestinian dishes, respectively.

Footnote 2: The "Caveman" refers - in part - to the simplicity that "violence" should be defined as. While the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a complex topic, the fact remains that people are being killed, whether 3 on one side or 40 on the other. Too often, we forget this during discussions. 

Footnote 3: Scholars and governments alike are often hesitant on declaring genocides within conflicts. But this label should not prevent institutions from working to stop violence.

Footnote 4: I had mentioned atom bombs because Israel is the only state to neither confirm nor deny possession of nuclear weapons. I think this act (or lack thereof) plays a major role in determining US foreign policies. If you have additional thoughts, let me know!