“There is a price to pay for speaking the truth. There is a bigger price for living a lie.” – Cornel West

I recently had a horrific dream. I was holding a sniper rifle and in my sights were IDF (IOF) soldiers in Gaza. (Full disclosure: I’m a great believer in non-violence but also firmly believe in the right of self-defense, including in Gaza.) This nightmare is an indication that the ongoing genocide weighs heavily on my mind, is embedded in my subconscious, and can even rear its ugly, bloodstained head in my dreams. It reflects the powerlessness I feel but also the anger, frustration, and sadness. 

All I can do from Vietnam is speak out in general and to fellow international educators who have remained silent in the face of the monstrous crimes being committed day and night by the Israeli military and that country’s political leadership. It pains me that IE leaders such as Dr. Fanta Aw and Allan Goodman, among others, are among the silent. I wonder what they and their organizations (and others) would have said and done during the Holocaust. (It was no coincidence that NAFSA was founded a few years after World War II in 1948, and IIE right after World War II in 1919.) I used to be a part of that world and am familiar with the usual political and economic arguments in favor of silence, e.g., don’t damage important official relationships and “whose bread I eat, his song I sing.” I reject and condemn them.  

Their silence is inexcusable, unconscionable, and unforgivable. How I wish they would take this Elie Wiesel quote to heart: “I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

And this colorful quote by Desmond Tutu: “If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse, and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.”

Shame on those who refuse to speak out against these war crimes and crimes against humanity. What do you think? International educators need to end their silence on Gaza (13.1.24)

Note: I speak my mind because I have no other choice. I can’t be fired from a position I created at a company I co-founded. Maybe it’s my many “circles of privilege” talking but I felt the same way when my labor was for sale in the non-profit and public sectors. I was never concerned about not being promoted or achieving the civil servant equivalent of tenure because of what I said or did. (Admittedly, the latter offered certain protections while the former was essentially “at-will” employment, i.e., serving at the pleasure of the president/CEO. )

I must follow my conscience. I don’t owe anyone anything except respect (if earned) and integrity, which means “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles that you refuse to change.” If any of you find these sentiments offensive, please “disconnect” us. This is not an issue that we can “agree to disagree” about like toppings on a pizza, as the saying goes. Here’s who I stand with. What about you? Tell us and I’ll tell you what side of history you stand on.

Nobody But You, a poem by Charles Bukowski, comes to mind:

nobody can save you but
yourself.
you will be put again and again
into nearly impossible
situations.
they will attempt again and again
through subterfuge, guise and
force
to make you submit, quit and /or die quietly
inside.

nobody can save you but
yourself
and it will be easy enough to fail
so very easily
but don’t, don’t, don’t.
just watch them.
listen to them.
do you want to be like that?
a faceless, mindless, heartless
being?
do you want to experience
death before death?

nobody can save you but
yourself
and you’re worth saving.
it’s a war not easily won
but if anything is worth winning then
this is it.

think about it.
think about saving your self.
your spiritual self.
your gut self.
your singing magical self and
your beautiful self.
save it.
don’t join the dead-in-spirit.

maintain your self
with humor and grace
and finally
if necessary
wager your self as you struggle,
damn the odds, damn
the price.

only you can save your
self.

do it! do it!

then you’ll know exactly what
I am talking about.

Don’t be “a “faceless, mindless, heartless being” who experiences “death before death.” Our fellow human beings, men, women, and children are being murdered daily and the survivors are enduring untold suffering. “We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” Save your spiritual self by speaking out against injustice and cruelty. It’s the least you can do, a meaningful way to live in the brief time we have been granted.

Peace, MAA