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 “All one team, one body, one spirit” Facing the beauty and drama of our natural world can often bring who we are into clear perspective. It can help us to disidentify from our conditioning and gain a new appreciation for who we truly are. Combine such a journey with travel companions from countries you might consider to be your enemy and you have the model of peaceful cooperation sponsored by the international organization Breaking the Ice. Their mission is “to inspire people to transform conflicts from enmity into trust and mutual respect.” The primary vehicle for realizing their mission is the sponsorship of annual flagship events. In 2004, four Israelis and four Palestinians traveled by small boat from South America to Antarctica where they explored the ice-bound continent. Through heavy media coverage, the experiment in peaceful cooperation reached 500 million people around the world. In March of 2006, the second Breaking the Ice expedition sent nine people on a journey from Jerusalem to Tripoli, Libya. Two Israelis, a Palestinian, an Iraqi, an Iranian, an Afghan, a Ukrainian and two North Americans from the United States traveled in trucks, jeeps, on camels, and on foot across some of the world's most inhospitable deserts, through five countries and different cultures. For the entire month of the trek, the group carried with them an olive tree from Jerusalem. The intention was to plant it in Tripoli at the end of their journey. But they were not allowed to complete this plan. Libya does not allow entry to citizens of Israel. When the group reached passport control for that country they were told that all could enter except the two Israeli members of the expedition. The group refused to be separated and declined to complete the last section of the trip. According to a March 24, 2006, article in The Christian Science Monitor, the Palestinian member of the party, Mohammad Azzam Alarjah said, “Muslim, Christian, Jewish, we’re all one team, one body, one spirit. You can’t cut your hand off your body.” The group decided instead to plant the tree at the foot of Mt. Sinai. Climbing that ancient religious symbol was the last effort of the team. By this time, the olive tree had been named “Oliver” by the group members. He was planted in the gardens of Bedouins at the foot of the mount. Hamdi, in whose hands the care of the tree will rest, promised that all travelers coming that way would hear the story of the tree and its journey through the desert from Jerusalem. The journal of the team can be read on the Breaking the Ice website. It appears to be an honest reflection of people dealing with difficult conditions and with each other. There were conflicts and arguments and disagreements. There was cooperation and shared emotion and compassion. Iranian Neda Sarmast said in the Christian Science Monitor article, “We’re just a spark, we’re showing more and greater numbers of people how to take steps. The message is to show how there is solidarity among people of all nations and one thing we’ve all agreed is that governments do not represent the majority of the people who feel we have much more in common than in conflict.”
To read the story from The Christian Science Monitor online: To read more about the expeditions of Breaking the Ice: |
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