A People of Light or a Fire Hazard?

Anti-government protests in Tel Aviv
Photo: ליזי שאנן

What is our people
if not a force?
If not an ancient civilization of creation, of faith, of morality
if not a people of purpose?
Eyes have watched us for centuries
whether in awe, pity, admiration, disgust, fear
we lived on
it fueled us all the same
what is our people if not a fire?
If we are to be a light unto the nations
then shouldn’t we learn to spread the light instead of consuming ourselves within it?
The passion, the longing for knowledge, for freedom, for truth, for justice
it is in our bones
who are we if not a people of heightened spirituality
enlightened ancestry
with prophets, warriors, scholars in our bloodline?
Seeking retribution
seeking answers
seeking justice
seeking peace
who are we if we do not answer the call of our purpose?
Who are we to ignore the ignited sparks in our veins?

But a fire can only go off it’s own trail so much
grow so large
so angry
before it loses itself completely
destroying everything in its path.
If we do not work to keep our flames controlled
find common ground to grow on
then we might become a fire hazard before we have the capacity to be a light
fill the world with smoke and confuse our own selves within the haze
lose our way yet again within the rubble.
There’s still time to correct our mistakes
to work together and create a purpose we all agree on
a fire we all inevitably fuel but learn to control
contribute our own flames but for the benefit of the whole.

There’s still time to come back to ourselves
to see each other as one people for the same cause instead of each man for his own cause
we cannot continue to throw careless fuel to the fire
to separate one another as if we won’t all get burned the same.
We are repeating generational cycles
and it’s setting us ablaze,
too bright –
it seems to be blinding us.
This is not the light we were meant to create.

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