Israel Hearts Iran? A New Type of Love
As the news reels come out of the Middle East, we are seeing anything but happy images. Instead, we see images of war; bombs, guns, missiles, and leaders that stand to make sure the other side won’t last through the next morning. More often than not, our view of the Middle East is spite, hatred, and cruelty Especially when we look at Iran and Israel, we remember all the stories we’ve been told, of endless bloodshed and brutality. But is this really true? Is that all these two countries are?
Ronny Edry doesn’t seem to think so. As a graphic designer in Israel, Edry wanted to make a statement about the Israeli-Iran conflict, and decided to create an extremely simple poster. The poster showed a picture of Edry and his daughter, with the message, “Iranians. We Will Never Bomb Your Country. We Heart You.” Shortly afterward, Edry posted the image on Facebook, and got far more of a reaction than he had expected. Edry begain responding to conversations all across the world – and even in Iran. The Iranians that sent back their own posters, including “Israelis, in the end, we are all brothers and sisters” and “I love that blue. I love that star. I love that flag.” Since then, Israelis and Iranians are becoming friends – on the internet and in real life. They share, they love, and they have a new message to their government “Not Ready to Die in Your War.” Just from the actions of one man, the world is already a better place.
By expressing his highest definition of who he is, Ronny Edry began a global campaign for peace, understanding, and love for mankind. In a December 2012 TED TALK, Edry stated that “I was in the army. I was in the paratroopers for three years, and I know how it looks from the ground. I know how it can look really bad. So to me, this is the courageous thing to do, to try to reach the other side before it’s too late, because when it’s going to be too late, it’s going to be too late. And sometimes war is inevitable, sometimes, but maybe [with] effort, we can avoid it. And really, we can be our own ambassadors. We can just send a message.” And our message is our expression.
So, no matter whether we look at affairs abroad or at home, we know that ‘enemy’ is all a relative term. As teens, can we honestly hate any person, once we have seen their hearts and loved their souls? If such a bridge can be made between two of the world’s most hostile countries, then how easy is it to make the bridge between each other? With the expression of our highest self, we can link with each other, no matter how different they may be. In America, we have our own problems. Republicans, Democrats, Conservatives, Liberals, all are more divisions that have created ‘the enemies’ at home. Expression of our higher selves, our higher intentions, our higher purpose, diminishes the ego’s desires and reveals the eternal truths: to live, to love, to share the wonderful experience of humanity. So send your message, express yourself, and reach out across the aisle. Defy what you’ve heard to be true, to be what you know to be true. When they see your highest message, the differences will disappear. And when they see teens do it, a single word will change the world.
(Lauren is a Feature Editor of The Global Conversation. She lives in Wood Dale, IL, and can be reached at Lauren@TheGlobalConversation.com)
