ALBUFEIRA

Um testemunho de um ex-primeiro-sargento do exército israelita, que encarada a realidade e entendido o panorama onde o tinham inserido, simplesmente mudou de atitude – nunca ignorando o cenário de guerra em que o fazia e nesse sentido limitando-se a escutar opiniões de colegas seus, vivendo essa guerra e nas mesmas condições.

Territórios ocupados

“That time of my life I seem to have lived in a movie. Looking back I realize I had this kind of self-destructive bent and didn't care about anything, but really, anything at all. I don't know, it's this surreal thing that I simply cannot explain, I can't explain how such things happen. How I stood there at the sentry box with my bullet proof vest and loaded M-16 each week, because even officers stood guard duty at division HQ, watching stunningly beautiful sunsets over those smooth sand-dunes of Gush Katif while behind me, in front of me, and all around me people shot each other and demolished each other's houses. I cannot explain it, this is something I'm still dragging around inside because I don't understand. I don't understand how humans can behave this way. I don't understand how such things happen in the world. So I don't know how I was a part of this, and how in a way I let myself be a part of this for half a year, because only in my last month there did I really, truly say I can't take it any longer. So it's something that stays with you all the time. It's also something the army doesn't really know how to handle, with – I don't know what to call it – scars or trauma or psychological damage to soldiers as a result of what they do in the army. I mean, not because of their personality problems but the things to which they're exposed. It's something no one handles, no one talks about, and as an education officer I was supposed to do all kinds of evaluations and talk about the unit's morale and to what extent the soldiers are in solidarity and believe in their mission and how much they blah-blah-blah. As I said in the beginning, a 19-year old girl is not supposed to do this, and to be frank, talking about the extent of social solidarity they show when their mates are getting killed on a daily basis seems pretty stupid and out of place to me, and not really relevant.” (Avihai Stollar – Breaking The Silence)

Precisamente aquilo que a esmagadora maioria de todos nós nunca faria: talvez por medo, ignorância ou cobardia. Ou como hoje é moda e de bem afirmar: por neutralidade (para os eruditos) ou por indiferença (para os leigos). Só temos que agradecer a este ex-soldado e agora militante da causa de outros soldados o seu comportamento e a oportunidade que deu a mais alguns de nós de nos confessarmos. É que alguns pecadores só o são (aos milhões) por terem sido obrigados a pecar (por poucos).

(texto/inglês e imagem: breakingthesilene.org.il)