Week 10 Lecture 2 (3/10/11):
Today, we finally arrived at the awaited topic of the Palestinian and Israeli conflict. I've seen many stories about this conflict in the news, but I've never really understood the depth, the history, and the reasons behind it. However, like Professor Cargill, I have hope for peace. I believe completely in what Professor Cargill said when he said that creating peace takes time and courage, because there will always be people who disagree and there will always be conflicts to provoke you into an easier route (take arms and fire back), but in order to attain peace, politicians and leaders have to be strong and remain strong, to ensure that peace really pulls through. On several accounts, Israel has been very close to attaining peace, but one provocation from the Palestinians completely dismantled any thought of a peaceful compromise. I believe that peace is close. It might appear from a standpoint that the Israelis are the "good guys" and the Palestinians are the "bad guys," but this class has really taught me to be more open-minded. The "bad people" on the news do not encompass the entire Palestinian population, and new media usually are either skewed or biased. I hope Israel and Palestine do reach a middle ground soon, for the sake of global peace.
Overall, I really enjoyed this class a lot. I took this class as a Writing II requirement, but I ended up liking the class way more than I had anticipated. Another reason I took this course was because I am very interested in Jerusalem's role in Christianity. After the first week, however, I discovered that Christianity will only take up about one or two lectures, so I was a bit bummed out. Surprisingly, I found myself engrossed into learning about other religions and their effects on Jerusalem. My favorite part of this class was definitely learning about modern Jerusalem. It opened my eyes to many issues, and made me re-evaluate my definition of terrorism and my belief about what is truly right. Professor Cargill was a great professor. Not only was he knowledgeable, he was also "cool." By this, I mean he makes references that we, students, can understand, and it's hilarious. He is very passionate about what he teaches, and his passion spreads to me and his students. I especially enjoyed listening to his adventures in Jerusalem. I definitely want to visit Jerusalem one day, and I know the first thing I will do is turn my hand upside-down to figure out where I am. Thank you Professor!
P.S. I quite enjoyed this blogging experience. :)
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