What is the mental health impact of witnessing the annihilation of fellow human beings? I’ve wondered about the various emotional responses we’ve had over the last eighteen months—those of us who witness the genocidal campaign in Gaza intermittently through our iPhones, or the healthcare workers who’ve seen it firsthand, and I wonder too about those who choose to turn a blind eye.
I came across the term 'moral injury' recently. For those of us who aren't in Gaza or The West Bank, or fired or persecuted for siding with the Palestinians, what you've summed up in your first section is the moral injury we experience. And in the following section, you describe the spiritual resilience of those upon whom this direct violence is inflicted. I suspect it's a spiritual capacity that humans have, even without religion - but that might be my bias in operation.
All the feelings that you have narrated related to this genocide hit home.
The guilt, the despair and helplessness, sometimes the wish to look away... The awe! And then sadly... an acceptance that we don't want.
Thank you so much for writing this piece and giving words to our emotions.
Thank you as always for reading Amal and sharing your thoughts with me. How I wish it didn’t have to be like this.
I came across the term 'moral injury' recently. For those of us who aren't in Gaza or The West Bank, or fired or persecuted for siding with the Palestinians, what you've summed up in your first section is the moral injury we experience. And in the following section, you describe the spiritual resilience of those upon whom this direct violence is inflicted. I suspect it's a spiritual capacity that humans have, even without religion - but that might be my bias in operation.
It raises an interesting question for me to dig into more, what are the traits of individuals who are more prone to wrestling with moral injury?
That is an interesting question.