“Peace and quiet is not peace. Peace and justice is peace.” — Daniel Maté
While some of the people I had highly respected have remained silent on the genocide in Gaza and the immense suffering it has caused for both Palestinians and anyone supporting their anticolonial struggle, there are the ones for whom my respect has increased even more.
I invite you to listen to a conversation with two of them – Dr. Gabor Maté and his son, Daniel Maté.
It’s a meta conversation: a conversation on conversations.
How to talk about what’s happening in Palestine, how to talk about the painful silence that we might get from our community members, how to break the silence with your friends, how to engage with your own pain, and how to acknowledge the pain of others.
In the end, Gabor Maté reminds us that we might have to make a difficult choice: a choice between authenticity and belonging. And it’s a choice that is very personal and can’t be forced onto anyone.
Personally, I do wish you to choose courage and authenticity, I hope you choose your own voice of conscience, and that you find belonging in communities that advocate for peace and justice and not oppression.
Thank you all for being here, thank you for caring, and for holding on ❤️
Justina
PS. There is another conversation I can’t recommend strongly enough with Dr. Gabor Maté and both of his sons.
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