Remain
I could barely open my eyes, landing in Addis Ababa this morning after an instant and insuffucient vacation.
I was the only person half asleep in his seat, I didn’t want to rush anywhere, anyway why rushing to a place of no excitement?! (The airplane aisle)
Right next to me, the show started.. (a conversation in Hebrew by two Jews)
Israeli man: Don’t touch me.
Ethiopian man: hmm hmm
I: Don’t f*cking touch me and stand in line just like the rest of the people.
I: What the f*ck is wrong with you?!
E: You’re in my country now! You should shut up! This is not Jerusalem and you can’t call me ‘nigger’ around here. F*ck you biaaaaaatch! dirty white boy!
bla bla bla bla…
The Israeli man was in shock and was just glazing shamefully, the ‘superior man’ now rethinking his filthy words and maybe just maybe regretting being such an asshole.
The Ethiopian man kept on swearing.. until it was clear he was incredibly drunk.
That became the excuse of the Israeli man repeating how drunk he is and why it is ‘reasonable’ to act this way.
When the line decluttered, the Israeli man stepped aside nobly to allow the Ethiopian passing and perhaps feel honored and forgive him..
The Ethiopian just kept swearing and talking sh*t and the Israeli man was tempted to scream something dirty before heading out..
On my way out, I noticed the Ethiopian man discussing with the flight attendents.. complaining, being told to go, unheard, misunderstood.
Why did I write about it?
I have no clue, perhaps, observing, writing, processing and hopefully learn something valuable from such an invaluable encounter.
As I saw it, both men were absolutely wasting their time hating and fighting someone for the sake of streaming negative and repressed emotions.
Jews have enough rivals, also Israeli people, but when it comes to racism — there is no end.. the thing is that it’s not even about a specific race or a skin color or religion, it could be your neighbor even your mother.
This race is called me and I race myself, but I cannot see is that I am losing to myself.
Clearly, when the little boy/girl inside of us erupts rudly — everyone loses.
And when the human attention is nearing 0, we have slim chances to do so, to have some self-control.
Isn’t it funny we’re all taught so many rules, so many national anthems, so much information and at the end of the day we’re nothing but emotion-driven little children?
Who was the first one to bring the negative kid: narcissistic, abusive, victimized, overly sensitive, unreasonably aggresive and simply stupid.
Dropping behind the positive: innocently flexible, beautifully numb-minded, fresh, light, careless and carefree, ridiculously spontaneous, pure and hearty.
Who turned the beauty of youth upside down and created such ugliness, and even fed it with propagandas so we’d have the relevancy to identify with it and feed the beast even further?!
Then we all wonder what happened to the planet, the climate and our dead heart and sharp mind, better than ever before, and even proud of it.
But it’s just a feeling, an empty and unnecessary one.. one that will take you to your 120th birthday with an old sheep-like dog and supermarket tutti-fruti cake. Lonely alone.
I wish you a happy birthday but I’m not sure you understood the meaning of birthday or maybe the concept of happiness, or maybe that is evolution wearing an ugly mask as modern humans and we just can’t seem to let go off what doesn’t work any longer.. the more we work the less ‘it’ works.
An airport little reflection on my way to Mama-Africa.
Enjoy your week dear readers :)
