Next chapter in The March of Folly

Aks super

I do not love Iranians nor do I love Israelis (I live in Israel) as a people – I love individuals.  However, I do respect the rights, aspirations and hopes of all peoples to live in peace, to enjoy a decent standard of living and to expect  that all men will tolerate and respect the beliefs and religions of others.  We live in a world which, since time immemorial has been ruled by the vanity and inflated egos of those  in whom we invest power.

According to Barbara Tuchman in her historical review of the follies of world and religious leaders over the past 3,000 years, she cites Anwar Sadat as the last (at the time The March of Folly was written) of a rare breed of wise and pragmatic leaders less motivated by their own stupidity than by a realistic consideration of the options and their anticipated outcomes.  Sadat chose peace over war and took the necessary steps to ensure that peace between Egypt and Israel prevailed.   Our current leadership, both Iranian and Israeli seem only interested in brutal rhetoric rather than making peaceful overtures.

And the only people who will pay for their maniacal headlong rush into violence are those very people who elected them into office.   I don’t have answers since this seems to be the way of the world since time immemorial.  We put our trust and faith in people who have the power of rhetoric but lack a sense of humility and responsibility to their electorate, but rather, become drunk with power.