TRANSLATIONS AND CONVERSATIONS

I went for a CT scan on Friday and whilst waiting in my hospital gown for my turn, I was sitting next to a fine looking gentleman who was watching me playing bridge on my iPhone. He was waiting for his turn in the X-ray room. He asked me very softly if I spoke Spanish, to which I replied "Not really, I know a few words (shaking my head, No)"  He  spoke into his phone in Spanish and then held it out to me to read. In English it read “Do you believe in Jesus”. I chuckled and brought up Google translate on my phone and checked English to Spanish. This was in fact the first time I was about to have a conversation using tech translation. I wrote - "Sorry, no I do not, but if he does exist he’s not doing a very good job.” He then, asked whether I had read the bible and followed this up with a long quotation from what I believe was one of the gospel’s version of sermon on the mount. He was keen that I should have a look at the King James Bible and seemed to be about to offer to provide me with one. I said that there were many versions of the bible written by many different people, telling the same story in different ways. I added that it was possible to live an honourable life without believing in a deity and that what is moral and good is essentially the same all over the world, and that it was a pity that many people did not practice what thy preached. He showed me yet more quotations from the bible and I explained that I felt that I had managed a reasonable  life so far and even managed to live a bit longer than Jesus. 

Unfortunately we could not continue our discussion as we were called in for our respective scans. He was very keen, that I, a non believer, should perhaps rethink my view. It was all very calm, courteous and pleasant and it would have been fun to carry on with it.  It also transpired that as we were leaving the hospital we got on the same lift going down. I introduced him to Celia and explained our meeting. He said we should believe in Jesus and gave a blessing as we went our different ways. Celia exclaimed that she believed in the existence of Jesus, at which point he smiled and waved goodbye. It was all smiles and bonhomie. It was refreshing to have a pleasant conversation with a stranger about religions of all things, through our phones, in a hospital corridor waiting for a scan.

On reflection I felt my initial response should have been “Yes I believe in the existence of Jesus and that we share many of the same beliefs, and he is just as successful at getting them put into practice  as I am” (Which or course is not at all). An afterthought smart ass comment, I suppose. Nonetheless it sparked off some thought about the current religious bigotry that seems to be overrunning the world. 

Vis a vis anti-semitism, it cannot be discounted that the situation in the middle east is a catalyst for the increasing attacks on jewish people and places of worship. The outrageous behaviour of Mr Netanyahu and the Israeli Defence Forces in Gaza, which have nothing to do with being Jewish, but are the misguided over reactions of a Nation State, which by the way claims to be a Jewish State. It is this claim that causes overt hostility towards jews in general, rather than confining the outrage to peaceful protest on the streets against those who claim to represent the State of Israel. 

This is not to discount the outrage of what occurred on the 7th October two years ago. It was a vicious attack on civilian citizens of Israel. Does that make it an attack on Jewish people or an attack on the state of Israel? Is it not possible to distinguish between the two? One cannot deny that there are many who do, even Jewish people and some Israeli citizens. 

The unfortunate centuries old bigotry and violence towards Jewish people, highlighted during the holocaust, has made it difficult and almost impossible to be critical of a state created as a place of safety for Jewish refugees from this history of suppression, bigotry and attempts at extermination. There is not a single European country that has not at some point perpetrated violence against ‘the Jews” and persecuted them. Not one. That violence has spread throughout the world, so it is not inconceivable for the people to say after 5000 years of crap, enough is enough. In saying that, having created a Nation State, it must therefore behave as a Nation State and not as a rabble bent on vengeance. They are so blinded by their determination not to be victims any longer, that they fight back against any provocation so as not to appear weak. The greater tragedy is that they appear to be putting the whole of their 5000 years of rage on to the backs of the Palestinian people, and a few surrounding neighbours, in the belief that a scattergun approach, to defeating Hamas and Hezbollah, will solve all their problems. They have lost sight of their own history of hurt and feelings of despair in their assault on Gaza, that they no longer know when enough is enough.

As a result, members of the United Nations walk out of the room when Netanyahu speaks, numbers of the children of Gaza will harbour resentment and long for vengeance, and would be deluded cowboys will attack synagogues and spread more hatred of the Jews, which will only encourage the mission of the IDF to label anyone who supports the Palestinian cause as terrorists and also con erstwhile friendly governments to declare them as terrorists as well. It is sad that this history of prejudice has clouded rational judgement, and the desire to do the right thing has become confused and fraught  with difficulty. 

It was very nice having a brief and friendly discussion by smart phone, with a very nice gentleman from Spain, about religious belief, in an NHS Hospital staffed by people from all over the world doing good and being nice to each other. You can't get enough of that.