Though I cannot completely imagine how mothers feel about their children,I think I know the truth about motherly love.It is supposed to be the greatest bond on Earth,a bond that no power on heaven or Earth can break,however hard they may try.
The most touching letter I have come across is this one from one affected mother to another on the two sides of a conflict zone.I am pasting what is a now a common letter on the internet below:
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Najwa Sheikh writing from occupied Gaza Strip
I spoke with him a little, but when he sees me he begins to cry … the situation in Sderot in general is very difficult, and I do not know how we can continue, how we can stay in the city.
– Sderot resident Rima Haimov, whose ten-year-old son Yossi was wounded by a Qassam rocket. (”Doctors save hand of Sderot boy hurt by Qassam; 4 Palestinians killed in Gaza,” Haaretz, 26 February)
Dear Rima Haimov,
When I read your words the only thing I can say is that I feel sorry for your son, and that I can understand you as a mother and the traumatic events that your child is experiencing. I cannot deny the fact that life becomes very difficult in such circumstances when you realize that you and your family are in danger at any moment; I fully understand your worries, your feelings and concerns. I am addressing this letter to you with the hope that you will understand my pain too.
Like I feel sorry for your son, I feel sorry for my Palestinian children who are born and will die in Gaza, unable to have the chance of seeing other worlds, and who have to face F-16s, Apache helicopters and the Israeli army’s brutal invasions into Gaza. However, my children are not fortunate enough to have the excellent medical care that your son has. My children do not have the chance to run to a shelter and there is no alarm to tell them that there is a strike coming. My children cannot be guaranteed the love and care that your son found because all of their family might be killed in one strike, they might witness the death of their parents, or any of their dear family members as the Palestinians are targeted everywhere, even in their homes and among their children.
My children cannot find the counseling that your child will have to help him deal with his appalling experience. They have to keep their pain inside them, and recall it day after day. Even in their dreams they suffer from remembering the things they have witnessed.
My children are not children anymore; they lost their innocence and are forced to act like adults so they can protect themselves. They no longer cry to their parents because they realize that even adults are scared and also need comfort and security. Instead they swallow their pain and deal with it on their own.
When your child is sick or injured he has the chance to go to the best hospitals to receive treatment while my children have to live with their pain and injuries because they cannot go to a good hospital like you have in Israel. In Gaza, they can only wait for the pain to pass or count the days waiting for the end. They have learned how to face death fearlessly, because they hope to find justice and a better life in heaven.
While your child enjoys his new schoolbooks, my children have to use old, disreputable books because the borders are closed and even schoolbooks cannot be brought in.
My children have to face the extreme temperatures because of the electricity cuts. They cannot enjoy sitting in front of the electric heater in winter or the fan in summer. While you as a mother can plan for your child’s future, I cannot because my child is locked in a prison called Gaza, and he cannot dream of having the chance to receive a better education and work outside of Gaza.
While you as a mother can give your child all the promises of a better life, I can not give my child these guarantees, simply because we are both eligible to die in any moment by an Israeli strike, without any plans, dreams, nothing.
After all of this do you think that my children deserve their pain only because they are born to Palestinian parents? Do you think it is fair that they are treated in this way? Is it fair to be subjected to the sanctions that your government has imposed on us? I hope you can understand my pain too.
Sincerely,
Najwa Sheikh
Najwa Sheikh is a Palestinian refugee from al-Majdal located just north of the Gaza Strip. Shiekh has lived in refugee camps in Gaza her entire life where she is married and has three children.
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I have no words of my own to express what those two mothers are going through.
I would rather put a bullet in my head than subject mothers and their children to so much pain.
But why do we support war? Why do we think war is necessary? Why do we ignore the perils and pains of war? Why do we not condemn war and genocide in the strongest terms? Why do we not wish that all kinds of oppression would stop so that there would be no wars but the whole of humanity can enjoy peace and prosperity and happiness? What on Earth is greater than the concepts of Liberty,Equality,Fraternity and Human Rights?
Questions . . . questions . . . questions . . . but no answers !
Are we so accustomed to the reality of life that we have given up on hope for civilisation? Can we all not join hands together to pull humanity back from the brink of disaster? Can we not put our brilliant minds together to find solutions to save our beautiful planet from total destruction?
There is no need to unite as one people representing humankind at all.We can still have our differences,our beliefs,our nations,our cultures,our systems and so on.We have to make the small effort to unite in thought to save our planet and ourselves ! That is all we need to do ! I simply cannot understand why we fail to do this simple thing though !
An alien's thoughts about our planet 
The Hope Of Heaven!
“For the Hope which is laid up for you in Heaven,
which you first heard in the Word of Truth that is
the Good News”! (Colossians 1:5)
The Hope Of Heaven!
There is a “biblical” translation that has been called
“The Good News”, yet what of The Good News(The
Gospel)? What was the promise of The Good News
that The Messiah preached?
The promise of The Good News for the Jews and “the
lost sheep of Israel”, which The Messiah preached,
was recorded in Matthew 3:12,4:17,10:7, Mark 1:15,
and Luke 10:9, 21:31.
“The Kingdom Of GOD(Heaven) Is At Hand”
And what was the promise of “The Good News” which
Paul preached unto the heathen(gentiles) after The
Messiah “was raised from among the dead”?
“Through the Good News those who are not Jews(heathens)
will share with the Jews in GOD’s blessing. They belong to
the same body, and they share together in the promise that
GOD made in The Messiah. By GOD’s special gift of grace
given to me through his power, I became a servant to tell
that Good News.” (Ephesians 3:6-7)
And The Good News of The Promise!
“The Kingdom Of Heaven(GOD) Is At Hand”!
A Lively, Living Hope Of Heaven!
When Paul began his ministry, after GOD had “raised up
The Messiah from among the dead”, he testified that
“believers were translated into The KINGDOM OF GOD’s
BELOVED SON”. (Colossians 1:13)
“THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN” HAD COME!
And “The Good News” after the destruction of the earthly
“kingdom” of Jerusalem was:
“THE KINGDOM OF GOD” HAS COME!
All Thanks And Praise Be To Our Father!
Believers have a Living Hope of Heaven!
So why is it so many still believe that “The Kingdom of
Heaven(GOD)” is yet to come?
“What is Truth”?
“Pilate” asked The Messiah that question after The Messiah
testified, “You say that I am a king. To this end was I born,
and for this cause I came into the world, that I should bear
witness to The Truth. Everyone that is of The Truth hears
My voice”! (John 18:38)
Do you hear The Messiah’s voice?
The Messiah previously had testified, “The Words that I
speak are not My Words”. “For I have not spoken of Myself;
but The Father which sent Me, HE gave me a commandment,
what I should say, and what I should speak.” (John 3:34,
12:49) Later The Messiah testified to His disciples, “As
GOD sent Me, so send I you”! (John 14:10)
“What is Truth”?
The Messiah bore witness unto The Truth, as He revealed
The Way to The Truth of The Life, both in His Teachings
and His Life example.
And The Truth of “The Good News” promise?
“The Kingdom Of GOD(Heaven) Is At Hand”!
The Hope Of Heaven
Now when The Messiah was raised from among the dead
and ascended into Heaven He was given His rightful place
at the right hand of Our Father and GOD, and “all power
was given Him(by His Father and GOD) in Heaven and in
earth?” “The Kingdom” HAD “Come”! And The Faithful
“were translated into The Kingdom of GOD’s Beloved Son”!
“Giving thanks unto The Father, WHO has made us able
to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in Light:
WHO has delivered us from the power of darkness, and
HAS translated us into The Kingdom of HIS Beloved Son:”
(Col 1:12-13)
All Thanks And Praise Be To Our Father!
And Paul testified of the time when The Messiah would
deliver up The Kingdom unto Our Father and GOD and
The Messiah would be submitted unto Our Father and
GOD once again. (1 Cor 15:22-28)
“Then the END comes, when The Messiah shall have
delivered up The Kingdom to GOD, even The Father;
when The Messiah shall have put down all rule and all
authority and power. For The Messiah must reign(after
He was resurrected), till He has put all enemies under
His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is
death. For GOD has put all things under The Messiah’s
feet. But when GOD said, all things are put under The
Messiah, it is manifest that HE(GOD) is excepted,
WHO did put all things under The Messiah.
And when all things shall be subdued unto The Messiah,
then shall The Son also, Himself be subject unto GOD,
HE WHO put all things under Him, so that GOD may
be all in all.” (1 Cor 15:22-28)
“Then the END comes, when The Messiah shall have
delivered up The Kingdom to GOD, even The Father.”!
(1 Cor 15:22)
Question is, “The END of what?”
Paul testified, “In that GOD said, A New Covenant,
HE has made the first covenant old. Now that which
is decaying and waxing old is ready to vanish away”.
(Heb 8:13)
That which was decaying and waxing old was the old,
earthly “covenant of laws”, and “The END” was the
destruction of the earthly, natural “kingdom” of Jerusalem!
The earthly “kingdom” would be no more!
All Praise And Thanks Be Unto Our Father!
So believers were, and are, exhorted to,
“Set their affections on things above(Heaven), not things
of the earth”! (Col 3:2)
Believers are exhorted to, “Be not of those whose god is
their belly, and whose glory is in their shame because
they mind earthly things.” (Phlp 3:19)
Now why such exhortations?
“Spiritually Reborn!” A believers “citizenship (Life) was,
and is, in Heaven”! (Phlp 3:20)
And believers “had been translated into The Kingdom of
GOD’s Beloved Son”. (Col 1:13)
They Had A Living, Lively Hope of Heaven!
So “We do not look at the things which are seen, but at
the things which are not seen, for things seen are
temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
We know that our body, the tent we live in here on earth,
will be destroyed. But when that happens, GOD will have
a house for us. It will not be a house made by human
hands; instead, it will be a home in Heaven that will last
forever. But for now we groan in this tent. We want GOD
to give us our Heavenly home, because it will clothe us
so we will not be naked. While we live in this body, we
have burdens, and we groan. We do not want to be
naked, but we want to be clothed with our Heavenly home.
Then this body that dies will be fully covered with Life.
This is what GOD made us for, and he has given us The
Spirit to be a guarantee for this New Life. So we always
have courage. We know that while we live in this body,
we are away from GOD. We live by what we believe, not
by what we can see. So I say that we have courage. We
really want to be away from this body and be at home
with Our Father for our only goal is to please HIM whether
we live here or there.” (2 Cor 4:18, 5:1-9)
The Kingdom of GOD’s Beloved Son HAD Come and
believers were translated into The Kingdom! (Col 1:13)
The END” of the old, earthly covenant was At Hand, for
it was “decaying, waxing old”, and would soon “vanish
away”!
And it did! Thanks Be To Our Father!
When Old Jerusalem was destroyed The END came. It
was then that The Messiah delivered up The Kingdom
unto Our Father and GOD! The Heavenly, Spiritual
Kingdom of GOD WAS, and always WILL BE!
“THY Kingdom” HAD “Come”!
“And as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned
with goodly stones and gifts, The Messiah said, As for
these things which you behold, the days will come, in
which there shall not be left one stone upon another,
that shall not be thrown down. And they asked Him,
saying, Master, but when shall these things be? And
what sign will there be when these things shall come
to pass?
And He said, Take heed that you are not deceived: for
many shall come in My name, saying, I am messiah;
and the time draws near: do not go after them. But
when you shall hear of wars and commotions, be not
terrified: for these things must first come to pass, but
The End is not by and by. Then said He unto them,
Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom: And great earthquakes shall be in divers
places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights
and great signs shall there be from heaven. But before
all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute
you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons,
being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake.
And they shall turn to you for a testimony. Settle it there-
fore in your hearts, not to meditate before what you will
answer: for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all
your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
And you shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren,
and kinsfolk’s, and friends; and some of you shall they
cause to be put to death. And you shall be hated of all
men for my name’s sake. But there SHALL NOT A HAIR
OF YOUR HEAD PERISH. In your patience possess your
souls.
And when you shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies,
then know that the desolation thereof is at hand. Then let
them which are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let them
which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that
are in the countries enter there. For these be the days of
vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give
suck, in those days! For there shall be great distress in the
land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the
edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all
nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the heathen,
until the times of the heathens are fulfilled. And there shall be
signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon
the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the
waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking
after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers
of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of
man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when
these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up
YOUR heads, for YOUR redemption draws near.
And He spoke a parable to them; Behold the fig tree, and all
the trees; when they now shoot forth, you see and know of
your own selves that summer is now close at hand. So like-
wise YOU, when YOU see these things come to pass, YOU
know that The Kingdom of GOD(Heaven) is close at hand.
Truly I say unto YOU, THIS GENERATION SHALL NOT PASS
AWAY, TILL ALL BE FULFILLED.”(Luke 21:5-33)
And The Messiah testified, “Truly I say unto YOU, that this
generation shall not pass, till ALL these things be done.”
(Mark 13:30) “Truly I say unto YOU, This generation shall
not pass, till ALL these things be fulfilled.”(Matt 24:34)
(The word “YOU” in the above testimonies referred to those
whom The Messiah was speaking to at that time, not two
thousand, or more, years after!)
Simply, with the destruction of the earthly, natural Jerusalem,
that “which waxed old” DID “vanish away”! (Heb 8:13)
The Kingdom no longer had a physical presence, in a precise
location on the earth, The Kingdom of GOD was now fully of
The Spirit, Heavenly. The END of the Old, earthly kingdom
WAS! “THY Kingdom” HAD “Come” indeed and Truth, and
believers were, and are, translated into The Kingdom of Our
GOD and Father! A Living Hope of Heaven!
And so it is believers were and are exhorted to “love not the
world, neither things that are in the world, for all that is in
the world, the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh and the
pride of life is not of Our Father, but is of the world”!
Believers knew that their “citizenship” was now in Heaven,
and that “whosoever would be a friend of this world was the
enemy of The Only True GOD”! (Phlp 3:20, James 4:4) And
The Messiah testified that “the works of the world were evil”
(John 7:7) And John testified, “the WHOLE world is under
the control of the evil one”! (1John 5:19) And Paul?
Paul testified, “WE WHICH ARE ALIVE and remain SHALL
BE CAUGHT UP together with them in the clouds to meet
The Messiah in the air: and so shall WE ever be with The
Messiah.”(1Thes 4:17:18) and Paul testified, “I was
delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And GOD WILL
DELIVER ME FROM EVERY EVIL WORK, AND WILL
PRESERVE ME UNTO HIS Heavenly Kingdom: to WHOM
be Glory for ever and ever. Amen(Let it be so)”(2Tim4:17-18)
I believe that Paul was alive and taken up “in the clouds to
meet The Messiah in the air” when the physical, earthly
Jerusalem was destroyed. At that time “The Messiah came
in the clouds”. And at that time of “the END” of that old age,
The Messiah delivered up The Kingdom unto Our Father and
subjected Himself unto HIM once again.
All Thanks And Praise Be To “Our Father”!
The Messiah had testified, “Behold, I COME QUICKLY: hold
that fast which YOU have, that no man take YOUR crown.”
(Rev 3:11) “Behold, I COME QUICKLY: blessed is he that
keeps the sayings of the prophecy of this book.”(Rev 22:7)
Behold, I COME QUICKLY, and My reward is with Me, to give
every man according as his work shall be.”(Rev 22:12)
And the apostle John testified, “He Who testifies concerning
these things said to me, “Surely I COME QUICKLY”. Amen
(So be it). Even so, come Yahshua Messiah!”(Rev 22:20)
And The Messiah DID Come Quickly!
The Messiah came at “The END” of the old covenant when
the natural, earthly kingdom of Jerusalem was destroyed!
And so it is today that The Faithful desire to be taken Home,
for their “place has been prepared for them”! Home! Home
at last! The Faithful await their final transformation, “caterpillar
to butterfly” indeed and Truth.
The Faithful Have A Living Hope Of Heaven!
Peace, in spite of the dis-eases(lies) that are of this wicked
world and it’s systems of religion, for “the WHOLE world is
under the control of the evil one” indeed and Truth……..
francisco
Very poignant! I wish the Palestinian people all the best.
Leafless,
Thanks for your response.I too,wish the Palestinians,the Israelis,the Lebanese,the Iraqis and the Afghans all the best.I can only hope that there will be no more wars on Earth.
Elder(:)Child,
Thanks for that beautiful detailed response !
Though I am not a religious person or a spiritualist or a materialist (I am an egalitarian at heart and a believer in ethical science,I also believe in the True Buddhist philosophy),I went through your response carefully.
I believe the Bible has so many hidden truths in it.When we read the Bible,we have to look out for those hidden truths.
I especially like these three lines from your response:
1)”The last enemy that shall be destroyed is
death”
It reminds me of some lines in a few books by one of my favourite authors.
2)”The Faithful await their final transformation, “caterpillar
to butterfly” indeed and Truth”
Though my idea of the Faithful is slightly different from yours.But I love this part ” . . . indeed and Truth”,where the truth is spelled as “Truth” !
3)”We do not look at the things which are seen, but at
the things which are not seen, for things seen are
temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal”
So the “things which are seen” i.e. reality is temporary !
But the “things which are not seen” i.e. the Truth is eternal !
How wonderful ! I do firmly believe in this:
Seeing and hearing can be deceiving;
Seeking and experiencing is believing !
So I think the Bible essentially reinforces my faith in ethical science and the True Buddhist philosophy.
I do believe in “TRUTH ALONE TRIUMPHS” !
I shall quote one of my favourite verses from the Bible:
“Ask, and it shall be given to you;
seek, and you shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened to you”
So we must seek the Truth and we will experience the Truth.(We should not be led astray by things like reality)
By the way,since you mentioned the End Times in the Bible,I would like to know from a deeply spiritual person like you if you think that the End is near,since everywhere we turn,we find the four horsemen-“Pestilence,War,Famine and Death”
I do believe that pestilence(disease),war,famine(hunger) and death are the greatest perils ! Others are just smoke-screens !
You have made my day,dear spiritual friend.
Please do tell me if you think that the End is near ! I would like to find out the Truth !