An Open Letter
Content Warnings: global violence, genocide, death, bombing
Author’s Note: These two open letters are a criticism of religious extremism. One’s faith should never be weaponized or bastardized for temporary gains, capital or otherwise. It should be based on community care and an appreciation for our humanity and the planet we all share. No matter the imaginary borders and differing cultures, every human deserves a chance at happiness and true freedom.
An Open Letter for a Better Life
Would you ever live in a world where it was good to bomb children? If your answer is no, I regret to inform you that that is not the case.
What if I told you that you could have the world? I wouldn't just be saying that either, you know. Your Mediterranean beach house awaits, where your family will be safe for life!
Imagine all the people in the world looking to you as a powerful being among a sea of terror, strife, and hardship. That is your true home, after all, and you are bound to that land regardless. If I were you, I'd rather bury the buildings built by outsiders than let them steal it any more than they have.
And no, it does not matter if you haven't seen it for yourself. Our own leaders allow it, you know, because that land belonged to us before. It's written in this Book here. I think it's time you learn more about it, since it's the only Book that should matter.
In fact, we could read this Book to your children. We could share our interpretations and the ways it becomes meaningful to us. The other day, I read in this Book that only bloodshed will save us now. Well, it didn't say that exactly, but we already know that they'll kill us all if we don't kill them first. That's how we should interpret it, you know? Because we're allowed to keep our families safe on our own land.
And by the way, pay no mind to the outsiders who would have the nerve to question your light and your faith. It’s our faith that keeps us safe when we must do what we must do. Our faith will always trump the terrorists of the world.
We could make you safe for life with only a small price to pay. I promise you won't even notice, because the cost is across the world. You'll never see it with your own eyes, because you'll never have to. We'll take care of it for you!
And when all is said and done, they will learn to fear your power, and hand over everything they have. Even if they lie as they do and say it's untrue, even if they try to scare us away, we do what we must do to keep our families safe, disagreements and politics be damned.
Will you join us, or will you choose to let your family die?
An Open Letter for a Better World
I don't want to live in a world that would rather bomb children than share our resources. Unfortunately, our share is consistently stolen.
There is no lesser human than another, there is no variation of value in human lives. We should be on equal ground and love our communities like our blood families. But we'll never have an equal world as long as our share is taken from us.
Imagine living in a world with no starvation, no homelessness, no poverty. We could have it all, and we could ALL have it. With only one planet to share, we should be building up humanity with a stronger foundation than this. Otherwise, where else could we even go?
You don't have to see the death and destruction strewn across our earth to know that it's wrong. We live in a time of collective trauma yet again, regardless of imaginary lines and deliberate ignorance. One thing that we can never ignore is our sense of community and belonging. Because when our community is gone is when we need it the most.
I heard a phrase once, “Ele elna elak.” It means something like, “What's ours is also yours.” I think of it as the Arabic version of, “Sharing is caring!” That's the natural state of humanity, I think, to recognize the importance of community. If one person falls, twenty will pick them back up before they can say, “Ouch.” After all, every human has the same needs, regardless of country or creed.
Pay no mind to those who will take this from you. While we're insulted, spat on, brutalized, or killed, we know a love that will carry us through it. To have faith in our communities is to have faith in humanity as a whole.
Sometimes, this love will bring us to necessary fights. And I don't mean with our fists or weapons. I mean with our love, with our words, with our unwavering joy. As long as we hold our communities dear to our hearts, as long as we unite in this love, the world will not break us! We will only grow stronger and pass this love on to our children and their children.
And when we do come out of the other side, no matter the passing time, we will nurture our earth as she has nurtured us. We'll stand together amongst each other with the freedom she has given us that no man can ever truly take! We will never back down to a regime that seeks only to control and destroy our home for temporary gain. We, as humans, are fleeting, but our home will always hold us all.
Whenever you decide to join us, we'll be here ready and waiting for you.
