Bridging Palestinian and Jewish understanding through cross-cultural dialogue

Learning From Each Other's Differences

Wayne Dyer once said "The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don't know anything about." Because of the personal truth that I found in this quote, I have attempted to become more knowledgeable about others. My potential classmate, therefore, would be someone who is Jewish. I am a Palestinian, and most people know that there has been a conflict between Jews and Muslims for a long time. It is not likely that it will be resolved in my lifetime, if ever, but there are things that I can do to make my life and others' lives more pleasant while I am here. This potential classmate and I cannot change any of the big problems and I know this, as I am sure that he or she would know it, as well. However, he or she and I could at least compromise and try to understand more about one another. I want to know more about the Jewish culture, and I want to know more than I think I know now. There are always opportunities for learning, but sometimes they are disguised and one has to really look for them to see them for what they are. When I think about this, and when I think about my potential Jewish classmate, I imagine a world where diversity is encouraged - not just preserved but also cultivated through mentoring, cross-generational dialogue, and continual experimentation. This diversity would be made to flourish locally and brought to higher levels, and in this world of my imagination, diverse peoples would freely interact with, understand, and learn from each other. For myself and my potential classmate, refusing to be enemies and refusing to be silent would be important, and we could talk together and favorably about each other's people, culture, heritage, ideas, values, and history.