Never Say "Never Again" Unless We Mean It

Seed-corn Must Not Be Ground, 1941, by Käthe Kollwitz

. . . because to do so would be meaningless.

And perhaps it's meaningless already. I wrote a post with a similar title Never say Never Again Unless We Stop it This Time, Now only 18 months ago. But then it was about the war in Ukraine. I wrote:

If we say “never again” while doing nothing to stop the atrocities going on in Ukraine, then we are lying to ourselves and each other, and being the worst kind of hypocrite there is.

If we collectively—the U.S., NATO, the United Nations, European Union—have the power to stop Putin now, to put boots on the ground and planes in the air to push him out of Ukraine, and if we do not do it, then we are no better than he is.

I could and will say the same thing now about this new war in the Middle East, even while the war in Ukraine continues:

If the United States has the power (and it does) to insist that the Israelis stop bombing innocent civilians in Gaza now, and insist that the water and food and fuel they need for survival be allowed to flow across the border into Gaza in full force, then we are complicit in the deaths of thousands of innocents.

We're not saying "never again." We're standing on the sidelines while the genocide of a people takes place before our eyes. We're saying "it's okay to let these innocents die because, well, Hamas started it, and Israel is our friend."

The thing is, we could stop the slaughter and aide the Palestinians while still providing assistance to our friend Israel. We can show our support by keeping the Iron Dome up, by keeping bad actors from attacking Israel on other fronts, by providing intelligence as their military enters Gaza to root out and destroy Hamas once and for all. And we could insist on a two-state solution which so many Israeli's and Palestinians so desperately want.

We have the power and leverage to do so. But what good is power and leverage if we do not use it for good in times like these? If not now, when? If not us, who?

If we don't stop this now, we need to wipe the words "never again" from our lips because it's meaningless. It's worse than meaningless, it's hypocritical. And it's cruel.

A note about the artwork featured here by Käthe Kollwitz (1867–1945):

Kollwitz's artwork helped her to bring attention to the humanitarian causes that she was passionate about. Her posters, pamphlets and postcards addressed issues of injustice, poverty, hunger and exploitation – as well as a number of issues relating to women’s rights such as abortion, labour and domestic abuse.

Her most famous poster shows an androgynous figure with an arm in the air. Behind them are the words: "Nie Wieder Krieg" – (Never Again War). It is a simple and striking image and a perfect example of Kollwitz' desire to find a visual language that could feel direct and universal.

From War and Compassion: The Art of Käthe Kollwitz

Posters by Kollwitz, "Bread" and "Never Again War"

The etching below titled "Battlefield" shows a mother reaching toward her dead son. All of these depict scenes that are taking place today in Ukraine and Gaza: Mothers protecting children, children crying for food, parents searching for loved ones in the rubbles.

Take these scenes to heart, please. You and I may not be able to stop the atrocities going on today, but we can refuse to close our eyes to them, we can reach out in whatever way possible to reproach those committing these atrocities and those who stand on the sidelines when they have the power to stop them, and we can pour out our love and compassion to those who are suffering.

Lastly, we can guard against the hate and vengeance that incites more violence and suffering.

If we can't bring peace to the world, then let the peace we desire live within our hearts.

Shalom to all reading this. Please share. And leave your comments below.