O Jerusalem, Jerusalem

The city that is often called the center of the world has been on my mind a lot recently. The idea of Jerusalem, the ideal which it represents has finally become clear to me. I was there only 6 months ago and while I was there it was just another city filled with history. To me it was simply another piece of land like any other that exists in this world. It was no different than Paris, Seoul, Tokyo, Moscow, New York, or Cairo. Each has its history; each has its inhabitants, and each has seen its share of violence and conflict. What I couldn’t understand is how so much violence, so much death, and so much conflict has resulted from Jerusalem and from this area of the world. In many ways I still don’t understand but now I at least understand why it happens because now I understand what Jerusalem is suppose to represent. I don’t know why I couldn’t understand it before I traveled to the Middle East, nor understand it while living there and traveling to Jerusalem. However, in the months since being there I have read more about the history of Jerusalem, I’ve talked with others about the conflict that exists, and I’m thought about everything that entails this conflict and this idea of Jerusalem. As I’ve gained a clearer picture of what it represents to each group that has invested itself in Jerusalem it saddens me because it has the possibility of being everything to every group at the same time. It doesn’t have to be a give and take relationship that people view it as. Jerusalem is supposed to be the city of peace. It is suppose to be a holy city. It is suppose to be an example that all people can look to for inspiration. It needs to be all of these again. It can be, if all those invested in it would realize that Jerusalem is nothing without its ideals and when nobody is abiding or living by those ideal then it is meaningless, it is just another piece of land. It is this ideal of Jerusalem that has made it what it is today, a measure of hope for people around the world, but through contorting those ideals to fit specific ideologies it has also become a source of violence and conflict. Jerusalem has the potential to be everything we all want it to be. It has the potential to represent the core values of all people, regardless of ethnicity or religious affiliation. It can once again be the center of the world if all of humanity will work to make it such. I pray that we do.