I hope and wish for peace

Let's make new efforts to be kind to one another

Let’s be kind to one another, whoever we are, and wherever we’re from. Photo by Elena Kloppenburg on Unsplash

Hello, and thank you for reading The Honesty Box today.

Publishing my usual fortnightly ‘things I like’ list feels trivial, given the horrific events in Israel and Gaza this week.

I am devastated and heartbroken by what has been happening in the region, and my thoughts are with those who have lost their lives, their surviving families and friends, and all those here and abroad who are suffering and sad.

This week, I read

Amy Abrahams

’ newsletter,

Tiny Chaos by Amy Abrahams

. Amy writes about parenting and mid-life, and she also happens to be Jewish. She wrote a beautiful piece called “The same red blood,” on Thursday, using her friendship with her son’s childminder, a Muslim woman from Turkey, to explore themes of kindness and peace and reflect on the week’s events.

A line towards the end really struck me: “as mothers, fathers, friends, as people who have ever loved anyone once, as people who all bleed the same red blood, we must find a way to come together.”

Along with feeling very, very sad about what is happening in Israel and Gaza, I have tried to understand more about the history of the conflict. This explainer in the Guardian is helpful, while the FT has a list of recommended books.

Regardless of who we are or where we are from, we can all empathise with human suffering and grief. We may feel totally helpless in the face of the horrifying events this week, but we can contact our friends who may be affected, and ask how they are today.

We can be brave and stand up to prejudice. We can ignore the shit we see on social media, and we can educate ourselves through reputable sources.

We can try to understand others, and listen to what they say and how they feel. We can make new efforts to be kind to one another.

And we can remember, as a friend wrote to me this week: “There are real people suffering badly on every side of this.”

I hope for peace in the region.