Noise #115
No politics in the pool
On the eve of Thanksgiving, I’m grateful to have stumbled on an article that highlights glimmers of beauty amidst the ugliness of war.
The New York Times published this story about Palestinian and Israeli teens training together in the same Jerusalem swim club. Despite their differences in heritage and loyalties and beyond—and the bitter violence that has boiled up around them—the teens stick close. They find ways to coexist, honor each others’ humanity, and manage jagged conflict while remaining vital friends.
“This is my second family,” one swimmer says in the article. “If we have a problem, we fix it like a team.”
I’m grateful for this worldview that prizes mutual respect over zero-sum destruction, and which the teens articulated with piercing, common-sense clarity. Noise #115 channels my hope that nations can follow the path that these young swimmers have illuminated.
With thanks,
Michael
(Noise #115 by Michael Gallant. Copyright 2023 Gallant Music LLC. All Rights Reserved.)