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@Lionduck said:
Simplified: We can view enlightenment (also know as the life state of Buddha) as a condition or state (some may call it a "realm"), which we already possess. "Attaining Enlightenment" can be seen as the process of peeling away or dissipating the fog of ignorance which hides the ever glowing light of enlightenment.
We can also state that the attainment of enlightenment is akin to emerging or awakening from the stupor, the darkness of ignorance which, in our befuddlement, we mistake for knowledge and awareness.

Well said @Lionduck

And so it is that the words of the enlightened serve to shake us from our stupor, they remind us of that which we already know. The question is to find the enlightened, so that we may partake of their darshan.

Talking of befuddlement, I came across a post bij a ‘truth seeker’ a few days ago in which he said that no memory was ever a true record of events, that memories are only a kind of impressions. And also that any text describing a memory was another big step removed from what really happened, being loaded with impressions and vagueness at second or third hand.

Simplified: We can view enlightenment (also know as the life state of Buddha) as a condition or state (some may call it a "realm"), which we already possess. "Attaining Enlightenment" can be seen as the process of peeling away or dissipating the fog of ignorance which hides the ever glowing light of enlightenment.
We can also state that the attainment of enlightenment is akin to emerging or awakening from the stupor, the darkness of ignorance which, in our befuddlement, we mistake for knowledge and awareness.

peace to all

Security Council on The Middle East

The speeches by the Russian and Chinese spokespersons on upholding international law were interesting. No matter what one may think of Russia and China, they are on the right side of history when it comes to what has been unfolding in the Middle East, Gaza in particular.

Bearing in mind, over the last six months, the US, UK, and the EU have for the most part lost all credibility when it comes to being upholders of human rights.

What a topsy turvy world we live in....

@Jeroen said:

@Shoshin1 said:
From a humanitarian viewpoint, we all must acknowledge the past if we want a better future for all.

I’m not convinced that that is true, I think holding on to the past is one thing that is standing in the way of a lasting settlement and peace. If both sides were to wake up one day as amnesiacs, having completely forgotten religion and their history, they would probably find themselves living in peace.

As it stands now @Jeroen acknowledging the past ('mistakes' learn from them in order not to repeat them) if we want a better future...

I don't think religion is the problem, because history has shown that both Arab and Jew lived in relative peace together in the Middle East for hundreds of years ....however, if there was a magic pill which made people forget about religion and all the unwholesome baggage that comes with it...I would put the pills into the world's drinking water supplies....

@Shoshin1 said:
From a humanitarian viewpoint, we all must acknowledge the past if we want a better future for all.

I’m not convinced that that is true, I think holding on to the past is one thing that is standing in the way of a lasting settlement and peace. If both sides were to wake up one day as amnesiacs, having completely forgotten religion and their history, they would probably find themselves living in peace.

@Shoshin1 said:

"Israel is a small country and the degree of separation between either a person that was killed or a person that was kidnapped in Israel, the maximum degree of separation is probably one degree. So, everyone knew someone or knew someone that knew someone, and there was this kind of immense pain. Alongside that pain, there was also a major fear because everything seemed to have collapsed. The major IDF intelligence apparatus was not working, the defense system was not working, the fence was breached without any problems, and the whole apparatus of the state seemed not to be functioning. So, most Israelis were in great pain, were in great fear, but also immediately came this notion of revenge, kind of a sense we have to hit back, we have to hit back hard, and so forth.
My fear is that most Israelis are still trapped, still stuck in that October moment and unwilling to lift their eyes to see basically the genocide unfolding in the Gaza Strip. That's what we've been seeing in the past 6 months, is this horrific, devastating, massive killings of civilians. I mean Hamas killed 30 Israeli children on October 7th, and that is horrific. Israel has killed close to 15000 children, not counting those that are under the rubble since October 7th. We need to understand that figure 15000 children have been killed. We have women, thousands of women have been killed, and thousands of innocent men have been killed. Israel categorizes all the men as terrorists, but thousands of these men were not fighters. They were just men that were in the homes with their wives, with their children, and their homes were bombed."
Neve Gordon

It's worth noting that this conflict isn't about Jews defending Western democracy versus Muslim terrorists, as Netanyahu often portrays it. I think it's more about the state of Israel, whose majority population happens to be Jewish, and the Palestinian people, predominantly Muslim. There are many Jewish people around the world who also oppose what the Israeli government is doing to the Palestinian people. they have adopted the slogan "Not In Our Name"...

I was pretty with you on the current state of the conflict up to this point.

This conflict is about a settler colonial apartheid state "Israel" versus the indigenous population who oppose the occupation and the theft of their lands

This just sounds like, 'this conflict is about the good guys vs the bad guys' to my ears. A too simplistic narrative, there's blame and victimhood all around even if right now Israeli action is the core problem.

I've said previously in this thread that I do think what the problem boils down to, is the foundation of Israel as a Jewish state legitimate, can and/or should it be undone and what means are justified in doing that?

My reading of your position here is that the state of Israel is illegal, or unjust, and should be abolished. Hamas are actually freedom fighters, despite their despicable acts, their cause is just. I think this is a fairly provocative reading, so feel free to correct me.

Also, I've heard the term settler colonialism, but I'm not sure of the distinction between that and a level of immigration to the point that the character of the region is changed. Anti immigration rhetoric isn't unusual in the US and this kind has some of that vibe. Even if it is, Sephardic Jews, not Ashkenazi make up a slight majority of the population

This situation is no different from what has occurred throughout the history of colonialism....

The history is way beyond me, but this also sounds like spin, a listing of the most justified and effective resistance fights in history with no mention of bad movements and then saying this situation is identical. Is there really NO difference?

I hesitate to post this. I don't want to provoke or delegitimize an important message. The majority of what you've posted comes across to me as an authentic and reasonable perspective, the last bit of this post struck a nerve of disagreement though.