Hell is the Truth Understood Too Late

Posted byKit StolzPosted inthinking out loudTags:, , , , ,

The decision we as a species face on climate is so overwhelming it's understandable that we cannot seem to open our eyes to it. But for the same overwhelming reasons, we must.

Here's a quote that might help us see. The late Israeli reporter and writer Amos Elon warned his people in l967 that they would regret their unthinking decision to occupy Palestine, no matter how good it felt in the moment. In a superb recounting by Marlene Nadle (in the Los Angeles Times op-ed section for 6/7/09, in a piece called "Amos Elon and the Death of Hope") Nadle quotes Elon as saying:

HELL IS THE TRUTH UNDERSTOOD TOO LATE

Let me put it in context (because the Los Angeles Times search function is hopelessly unable to find this first-rate piece, no matter how many clues you give it, I'm sorry to say). Nadle wrote:

Elon had been one of the few at time [in l967] to write that the occupation would be a disaster. That night in New York, explaining to his countrymen, he said that the emotions of religious nationalism blinded them and caused them to miscalculate, and them assume the Palestinians weren't a military threat and wouldn't be in the future. "Hell is the truth understood too late," Elon concluded, surveying the burning landscape of suicide bombers and vengeful tanks.

Need I explain the relevance of this quote to climate preservation? I expect not…here's Elon:

Amoselon

Published by Kit Stolz

I'm a freelance reporter and writer based in Ventura County.

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