War's Greatest Weapon - The Heart

The battle we're being called home to

Originally published October 15, 2023

In a big white sign, framed by fluorescent white bulbs, big black letters read, “World Premiere: Israel Vs Palestine - October 7th, 2023” above a damp urban sidewalk.

The world walks into the theatre, clutching their front-row floor tickets, eager to experience an array of emotions and cognitive stimulation. The concession stands buzz with taps and swipes, as bets are placed and the stock market soars. Side room doors are adorned with signs that say, “Do not enter. Private meeting in progress” as politicians meet to discuss how to best leverage the collective fear and push their policy, under the guise of preserving democracy. Fear, after all, is the ultimate catalyst for bypassing due process as people beg their governments to do something. More government = stronger democracy, right? Silly people. Press galleries bustle with lights, cameras, and AI action as talking heads and battlefield journalists fight for the most terrifying story - because fear sells, and the Pulitzer is waiting.

The rows of the carpeted and velvet-laden coliseum are divided by flags. On the left side, the hashtags #freepalestine are plastered on the back of each seat, and on the right, #prayforisrael.

“Pick a side,” the ushers say, “just be sure to pick the right one.”

The balconies, reserved for the directors, producers & casting agencies fill with aristocrats, technocrats, pharmacrats, bureaucrats, republicrats, democrats, meritocrats, and all of their pet parasitic rats that chew on the arms of our cabinets. On the menu: Sadism soup with a glyphosate-free bun. Aroused by a forbidden pleasure, they know the folks down in the front row floor seats will hand them more power soon, without even needing to ask for it.

Behind the curtain, a centuries-old war wages on as the sounds of bombs, rockets and blood-curdling screams of grief and horror flood the room. These crimes against humanity inspire more evil than a deck of cards could ever induce laughter. As media muzzles tighten, and propaganda takes its chokehold, only those with boots on the ground truly understand the fight, generation after generation. Churches ring their bells and loudspeakers boom with the adhan from the mosques as these sacred places of worship fill with people praying to their Gods for peace & protection.

The lights dim, the curtains draw to either side, and the stage appears, opening with a scene that would rival one’s worst nightmare. Hate-filled monsters on homemade hang gliders and their arsenal of rockets, traveling effortlessly through the iron dome and descending from above on the unsuspecting cast, innocently dancing on set, just in time for the audience to take their seats. “Allahu akbar!” cries out from the skies.

The audience looks on with shock & horror as women are stripped, shot, beaten & raped and their bodies are mercilessly dragged through the streets. Hearts bleed across the global amphitheater with unrelenting pain as children are ripped from their families and kidnapped by faceless men, with black iris eyes & machine guns. Fear and blind rage infiltrate the psyches of everyone watching, and the cry for justice turns to righteous revenge and a level of retaliation that will spare no life in its way.

The stage goes dark, leaving the audience grappling with what they just bore witness to as dormant, deeply seeded fears of Islam awake in their veins.

The battlefield illuminates once again. Equipped with helmets, kevlar, eye protection, and cameras, the media conglomerates take the stage, ready to groom the room with editorial puppet masters shouting orders through tiny mics embedded into every journalistic ear. “Did someone just say 40 beheaded babies?” Run the headlines. Now. Ratings begin to soar. Thousands of newspapers, broadcasting agencies, newsrooms, bloggers, and influencers storm the stage as their fingers and thumbs smash their keyboards and screens to be the first to break the news, from the comfort of cafes, decorated homes & broadcasting studios. The audience erupts as the stage amplifies an agony that only the idea of the image of 40 beheaded babies could invoke. Some with pain so sharp they clutch their chest and gasp for air. Pray for Israel! Others with fear so deep for what 40 dead Israeli babies mean for Palestinians, that their legs buckle and collapse under the weight of impending genocidal doom. Free Palestine! The rulers in the balconies stir in their seats with anticipation as billions in arms deals are approved by federal governments across the entire globe. Sales soar & shareholders smile with glee as they envision their blood-stained dollar bills, a mile high.

The curtains close and the theatre goes dark again.

Sounds of rockets & bombs and smells of white phosphorous gas fill the room. Chunks of concrete and limbs of bodies fall from the sky and land with chilling thuds, scattering across the stage. As the lights return, the audience sees a concrete ghetto. Smoke, ashes, and dust fill the streets as confused bodies wander, in search of their loved ones, buried beneath collapsed structures. Tiny, lifeless bodies are pulled from beneath concrete slabs. One of which is a baby, no more than a year old with his head split in half. The boom of explosions continues to sound, as hospitals begin to overflow, and parking lots and ice cream trucks become morgues.

A banner appears above the stage.

“They don’t care how many of us they kill…”

{Curtains close. Lights out.}

A collective silence fills the front rows and slowly, the collective’s breath begins to accelerate. With each inhale and exhale, it becomes clear that this is much more than war over land, religion, and centuries-old battles that stain the Holy Land with the blood of millions. Generations of unhealed anger, trauma, and pain rage onward endlessly within restless souls, desperate for acknowledgment and resolution.

Dissonance clutches the collective mind, with every ounce of reasoning it can muster.

{Curtains open. Lights on}

MSNBC News War Correspondent Ellison Barber appears at the Israel/Palestine border, adorned in a helmet, and a kevlar vest that says “PRESS”.

“Just in the last 10 minutes or so, we have heard four booms, and then saw the skyline, in the direction of Gaza, light up, as rockets are fired from the Israeli side into Gaza. In the last 2 hours, we have heard jets over in the area, periodically. We have heard an artillery bombardment inside of Gaza, and we have seen rockets fly from inside of Israel, into the direction of Gaza. In terms of the crossing into Egypt, the Rafah crossing, and whether or not it is open, as far as we know right now right now the answer is still no. That is the only option right now, in or out of Gaza for civilians and also for humanitarian aid. The UN says humanitarian aid has not been within Gaza for a week now. The other border crossing that possibly people could use would be the Erez crossing but that goes into Israeli territory. It is not open.

…

“People in Northern Gaza have been told to evacuate into South Gaza. It’s not easy to evacuate South first of all, and if they wanted to then cross through a border into Egypt or try to get into Israeli territories. There are literally no options for them right now. The UN says that Gaza has run out of water and when we’re talking about people moving south, you touched on the fact that there were three convoys carrying people that were targeted as they moved South. There is also a situation there right now where they have run out of fuel. The sole power station there does not have fuel. So if people were trying to get in their cars to leave, that option is gone. Our producer inside Gaza says that 35,000 people are sheltering in the largest hospital in Gaza City right now. Things are likely to get much worse for those civilians, as we have been watching in this area as just a massive amount of military equipment, tanks, and IDF troops all move in the direction of Gaza. There are no civilians in this area here at all. Israel has evacuated just north of the border, all of these communities. But for Palestinians inside of Gaza, civilians, they don’t have anywhere to go, And a lot of them are afraid that if they were to leave, it would be a situation like what happened in the 1940s, what they refer to as the Nakba, where they are not able to come back to their homes.”¹

A banner emerges from the rafters.

“Sponsored by Pfizer!”

{Curtains close. Lights dim.}

“Oh my God, they can’t leave…” says a faint voice in the front row.

“This is Hamas’ fault. Not Israel’s!” says another voice, breaking with emotion.

{Curtains open. Lights on.}

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog takes the stage.

“We are working and operating militarily according to rules of international law. Period. Unequivocally. It’s an entire nation out there that is responsible. It’s not true - this rhetoric about civilians not aware, not involved, it’s absolutely not true. They could have risen up. They could have fought against that evil regime that took over Gaza in a Coup D’etat. But we’re at war. We are at war. We are at war. We are defending our homes. We are protecting our homes. That’s the truth. And when a nation protects its home, it fights. And we will fight until we break their backbone.”²

Western & European politicians one by one, leave their closed-door war rooms & press galleries and make their way to the stage to stand in solidarity with Israel, each taking their turn to stand behind the podium with the blue and white flag just long enough for the press to capture their image. Their public relations representatives rush to create the perfect captions for every social media platform.

Cha-ching.

Orders are placed with central banks. War is the blank cheque every corrupt leader is hungry to cash. Multi-billion dollar arms dealers race to fill staffing and supply needs as billions in weaponry are purchased almost overnight.

A banner appears from the ceiling.

“Blackrock & Lockheed Martin send their gratitude for your purchase.”

{Curtains close. Lights out}

“See! The Israeli government is following international law. They are not committing war crimes!” Yells a voice from the crowd.

“He literally just said the entire nation of Palestine is responsible. That means, he doesn’t see Palestinians as innocent civilians!” retaliated another.

{Curtains open. Lights on}

An Independent Palestinian journalist named Yara takes the stage.

“Today marks the 8th day of the aggression on Gaza. Israel has killed as many Palestinians in this one week, as they killed in 2014 which was an attack that lasted 52 days. Of the 2,200 Palestinians killed this week, 800 of them are children. Children. Not only that, but there are more than 8000 injuries. What’s happening right now is a complete catastrophe. Israel is trying to starve 2.2 million Palestinians in Gaza.³

[What I don’t know yet, as I share this with you, is that within the next 24 hours, I will be hospitalized. 15 of my family members will be killed in Gaza and I will lose consciousness as my heart won’t be able to take the pain.]”

{Curtains close. Lights out.}

The audience begins to erupt in a jumbled brew of reactions. Confusion. Disbelief. Horror. Anger. Grief.

In the darkness, the sound of vomit hits the floor. The thumps of hands walloping against chests as they grasp to hold their shattered hearts together. Pulses pound against the inner ear like war drums as dissonance makes every effort to keep its hold. Moans of grief rise up from the depths of hell itself. Choking sobs pierce the air as people attempt to breathe through their tears. Everyone disrupting in a desperate panic to discern between what’s real and what isn’t.

The parasites in the balconies squirm with discomfort as they exchange glances of concern that perhaps the puppets were seeing something they weren’t supposed to. They put a call to Meta & Big Media to ramp up the censorship and shut down the internet in Gaza. They check their stocks and media ratings. Still okay. For now…

A voice from a corner in the front row seats belts out, “Death to the Jews!” which is quickly rebutted by “Flatten the Gaza strip!” from across the room.

The theatre explodes.

“This is a Pogrom!”

“This is a Nakba!”

“800 dead children are worse than 40 decapitated babies!”

“The 40 decapitated babies was a lie!”

“ANY child harmed or killed in senseless war is inexcusable!”

“This is the result of 75 years of oppression in an open-air prison!”

“This is the result of Palestinians allowing for a terrorist group like Hamas to take form!”

“Jewish children are terrified to go to school!”

“Muslim children are terrified to go to school!”

“America knew this was coming. They bought their stocks!”

“Israel would never willfully allow this to happen to their own people!”

“It was Israel that created Hamas! Just like America created Isis!”

“Hamas are just freedom fighters!”

“So you are okay with the mutilation and rape of women?!”

“What do you think breeds terrorists? Evil! The absence of God! The absence of humanity!”

“Censorship, lack of significance, displacement & a visceral sense of not belonging will always remain at the root of radicalization!”

“Palestine doesn’t even have a basic democracy! They’re like animals!”

“Resistance should never be violent!”

“You’re sympathizing with terrorists!”

“The silence is deafening on social media! I can’t believe it!”

“What would you do if you were imprisoned for 75 years with no one to hear your cries for help?!

“The Jewish community has been through enough!”

“Zionists!”

“Jihadists!”

“Are you even awake?! I thought you were a freedom fighter!”

“Oh, here you go with the #alllivesmatter shit. White people never learn.”

“Why would anyone willingly stay and raise their families in such a ghetto?!”

“A 1st world government would never harm its own people.”

“Where’s your tinfoil hat, you Q Anon freak?”

“Shut up, sheep!”

…

The audience battles with one another in the theatre amidst tears, rage, and a pitiful level of any tangible solutions, other than an attempt to prove the other side wrong and deepen the divide. Some stand up and cross the floor to the opposing section, and start fighting against the people they just shared the same views with only moments prior. Others became quiet because they no longer knew how to defend what they thought they were standing for.

Quietly, a handful of people from both sides intuitively stand up and take a step back. They meet behind the front rows where they watch the ravenous display of righteousness grip the minds and hearts of the most beautiful, yet unhealed souls, who all actually want the same thing. They exchange looks that communicate without the need for words.

A common understanding.

A knowing.

They glance up at the balconies where the goons are slurping their soup.

“They’ve desensitized us so deeply, that we’re willing to accept genocide as a plausible resolution. Fighting violence with violence, in the name of obliterating violence, only begets more violence.” says one conscious soul.

“They want our sense of normalcy to be rooted in pain and solitude, so we don’t know what it is to come together and thrive in unity.” says another.

“They don’t want us to know that we can heal and that by healing as individuals, we change the future for the collective.”

---

The beasts in the balconies settle back in their seats with relief as they see that even a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions and real-time genocide wasn’t enough to unite the world. They carry on chatting about what piece on the chess board to move next if Iran decides to get involved.

One of the beasts pipes in and says, “Silly puppets. They still think these battlefields are over war and religion when all we’ve ever been after are their minds. And of all the weapons they accuse of us purchasing for these wars, they haven’t yet figured out that it’s their hearts we weaponize the most.”

“That’s why we keep them numb and plugged into terror, isn’t it? If they come to know that consciousness is the only way to dismantle our power, we’re all screwed.” Chuckles another beast.

“No, they sure haven’t. How could they, though? We keep them so angry and controlled, that they don’t have the time or space they need to heal. And if they never heal, they’ll never be able to meet their brothers and sisters in the world with neutrality. They’ll just keep begging their governments to do something to make their pain go away, so they don’t have to face their pain on their own.”

“Works like a charm. Can you pass the butter?”

---

A note from the author:

This war will flip everything obscure as we know it into the land of lucidity, at a quantum rate of speed. Right now, down is up. Up is down. Right is left. Left is right. Awake is woke. Woke is awake. We’re all a muddled, intersectionalized civilization of unhealed pain and righteousness. But because the veil is lifting, and it is registering en masse, that none of it matters if we don’t right the wrongs within our own hearts. This cycle will continue for the entirety of time itself if we don’t collectively come to this knowing. The hypocrisy of this war is undeniable and even the slickest politicians and state-funded media outlets are beginning to feel the burn of their words and positioning, as their typical supporter bases are upended and inverted in a way that will stump even the most qualified publicists, producers and speech writers. This is providing the ultimate opportunity for open, respectful dialogue, with unlikely groups, that you may all of a sudden see a glimpse of commonality with. Follow this light.

To be awake doesn’t cut it anymore.

Leading from the heart is the new standard.

Consciousness is the standard.

Humanity is the new standard.

While I will always turn my head away from a narrative with curiosity for the story that isn’t being told, to simply awaken to the truth behind a lie, is no longer enough. This is a war on our hearts. It’s those who find their way back to a place of humanity through the deepest levels of healing (even when they discover the most painful truths) who will prevail and lead this new world. If you feel this in your heart, let me know in the comments below. I will keep the comments on.

To conclude, know that I am willing to be misunderstood, particularly by those who have not understood what it means to open one’s heart. That’s okay. I signed up to be a protector of the earth’s children. And so I have to challenge myself with how my actions today, contribute to their world tomorrow.

I respect your view if you believe this will all go away when Hamas releases its hostages. I respectfully share that I believe this will only end once Palestine is liberated from their occupation. As it is this occupation, that has bred these radicalized monsters. We can banter back and forth about what happened in 1948, what countries or governing bodies were involved, what was offered and what was accepted or declined, etc. We can even banter back and forth about how the blood-ridden conflict extends even centuries prior. None of it matters because the cry of liberation is what’s at the root of the Palestinian rage. Even if none of us outside the barbed wire fences that surround Palestine correctly understand history, it is liberation they have been pleading for, and decades of suppression have resulted in violent lunacy. It doesn’t make it right, I know…

But the truth is, regardless of where I feel the logistical root of this war lies, I see only one side to stand in solidarity with.

Humanity.

Terrorism is wrong.

Genocide is wrong.

If you perceive my writing as anything other than being rooted in love, and calling for peace and ceasefire across the board, then I can only hope you recognize the pain in your own heart, so it can be given the opportunity to heal. We’re being called to lead, live, and love on a new level. I can only hope to meet you there.

XO

Sarah

1

https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/watch/death-toll-in-the-thousands-as-israel-hamas-war-hits-one-week-mark-195399237894

2. Israel President Holds a Press Conference on Israel-Hamas War:

3. Yara on Instagram:

eid_yara

A post shared by @eid_yara