The complete idiot’s guide to Mideast peace – part 267

Video shows Islamic Jihad digging new Gaza tunnels | The Times of Israel  ‘Al-Jazeera TV reporter descends beneath the border with Israel to see preparations for ‘next battle’ ‘

In a more perfect world, this apparently endless conflict between Israelis and Palestinians would be amicably resolved by the simple expedient of making a completely fresh start, one totally divorced and isolated from all that has gone before. This allows for the entire matter to be approached in a much more careful and circumspect manner – and by all sides.

Having retained only the benefits of hindsight where the past is concerned, mistakes of the future might then be relied upon to be few, minor and very far between. With such a store of knowledge about how things went so disastrously wrong in former times, this new chapter in the story would be guaranteed a much better outcome than anything experienced thus far.

The trouble is, of course, that the past is not so easily dismissed. It determines, in large measure, most of what becomes the present and this, in turn, has control over a myriad futures in events, attitudes and directions. It also dictates the taking of decisions that often compound an already complex situation. Many of these are then found to be ‘regrettable’ but virtually impossible to even partially rectify under prevailing conditions.

Are there then, in this far from perfect world of ours, any options open to us for positively promoting the future without the past having too much of a say in the matter?

www.laxiankey.com  – ‘ for those of us with better things to do.’

Here there is the possibility to separate the past from the future, to create a line of demarcation beyond which the focus rests exclusively on what might very well be and not what always was.

At times, there’s nothing for it but to think way outside of the box. And, above all, to think BIG and, should it prove necessary, as it undoubtedly will, to make sure that thinking is very BIG indeed.