During the Cold War we talked of “peaceful coexistence” between world powers. We now long for peaceful coexistence within the USA itself.
Today, our country is defined by a thousand points of division, not light. We see discord played out daily on our mean streets, in our fortified schools, in the halls of a do-nothing Congress, in an unpredictable workplace, and of course in a polarized media. The middle has become a most untenable position. People on one side are less likely than ever to talk to someone on the other side about a way forward that involves compromise, now a dirty word. On any given issue, both sides seem preemptively dug in.
How then do we function as a culture, as a society, as a democratic republic? Traditional methods don’t work anymore. We are an angry nation in an angry world. How do we change that? Let’s look for one answer in a most unlikely place: the Middle East. There’s a small attempt at reconciliation going on there.
TeachMideast is an educational initiative of the Middle East Policy Council. The Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1981 whose mission is “to contribute to American understanding of the political, economic and cultural issues that affect U.S. interests in the Middle East.” That description on their website may sound like bureaucratic doublespeak, but read on.
The idea behind this experiment is to bring Israeli and Palestinian youth together, despite the perception that these two groups are natural enemies forever destined to perpetuate the bitter long-standing conflict of preceding generations. The bridge from Arab to Jewish world chosen by TeachMideast is sports, music, and dance; universal languages that can connect people anywhere.
We think of American society as a diverse mix of ethnicities assembled over two and half centuries of immigration. We think of Israel simply as – Jewish. In fact, Israeli society is a diverse mix of Jews, Muslim Arabs, Christian Arabs, Bedouins, and Druze, as well as refugees from many countries. Ignorance and distrust lead to continuous tension, violence, and conflict. Children growing up in regions of conflict are deeply affected by violence and violent rhetoric, reinforced by negative stereotypes.
The people behind TeachMideast recognize that sports can transcend barriers of language, politics, and religion, and is a proven tool for promoting tolerance, cross-cultural relationships and ultimately, peaceful coexistence. So sports teams mixing Arab and Israeli youth compete.
For four decades, the Israel Tennis Centers have been safe places for children in Israel using what they call “coexistence programs” in cities with mixed Arab and Jewish populations. They pair Arab and Jewish children together on doubles teams or bring kindergarten-age children from different backgrounds together for classes. Poor areas are specifically targeted.
Music is a similarly transcendent tool, and Arab and Jewish children are brought together from different schools in Jaffa, Israel, for the purpose of learning competitive ballroom dancing. You read it right: Arabs dancing with Jews. In spite of historical and cultural barriers, some pairs defy cynics and excel on the dance floor.
Last, the YMCA Jerusalem Youth Chorus is a choral and dialogue program for Israeli and Palestinian high school students in Jerusalem. In nine years, the chorus has weathered hatred and violence on both sides. It has provided a platform for young people from East and West Jerusalem to progress together through song and dialogue, and empowers that city’s youth to become community leaders, while inspiring singer and listener to work for peace. Young Israelis and Palestinians can discuss their differences while producing music together.
TeachMideast does not get many headlines, though it was featured on CBS 60 Minutes not long ago. Besides being an unusual concept, there is a key facet which our country should note. That facet is the demographic group targeted for change: children and youth. They are the generation least likely to embrace traditional biases and hatreds so strongly that change becomes impossible. This program changes individuals; the hope is that it will someday change nations.
The parallel for the U.S. is clear. We are on a course for internal societal collapse. We will not be brought down by an invasion – even by the feared illegal immigrant. We have a bigger problem, strictly home-grown. Parents who can are pulling their kids out of public education. The public education system is reverting to de facto segregation of the races, and of the gifted from the average. Children are unsafe in many neighborhood schools and feel secure in others only if they are constantly patrolled. We continue to create a world of “them” and “us,” not just ethnically, but economically, politically, and every other way that matters. Fewer citizens are investing in American ideals. It sounds like the Middle East, but it’s right here.
Unless we can reach across the aisles in Congress, prioritize civility and self-discipline, value the education of all children, and find ways to bring the youngest together collaboratively and innovatively as TeachMideast has done in its small way, our future is not going to be any different than the present. Whatever we do for the future must involve children and youth.
Obligatory public service after high school would be a start to bring youth across the USA together, unite them in a common cause, teach them responsibility, and get them to appreciate their country and value each other. The current political climate will not accomplish any of that.
Radical social programs and “share-the-wealth” schemes advanced by the Left, ridiculed but unanswered by the Right, each side refusing compromise, will destine this great nation to a Middle Eastern Hobson’s Choice: anarchy or totalitarianism. We may want peace and stability, but absent creative vision, authentic leadership, mutual compromise, and genuine compassion, we can only expect more of the same.