Kammuri lesson

We're in a whirl .... Jerusalem is whirling in roadworks and traffic jams. Dust, noise and heat. Cars and pedestrians fighting each other for the tiny piece of road left for walking/driving while the rest is cordonned off for lightrail works. Shop keepers loosing business. Fear of another bulldozer attack. Tourists posing for photos and blocking everything else.

But the whirl is not just physical - it's also emotional, social, political. The news of how a family actually forgot and left their 4 yr old behind in the Tel Aviv airport is just one example of how people are just so caught up in this whirl that all sense or commonsense is lost. See http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7540112.stm Reminds you of Luke's Gospel? The growing sense of unhappiness can be felt throughout. See the expression of dissatisfaction in this article http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1215331212450&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

But cheer up - Israelis have gone through worse times. They'll ride this one off as well.

Meanwhile the whirlwind of confusion, fear and suspicion is blowing everywhere else. Last night there was another wedding party (this time our neighbours on our right). Remembering the last party was an occassion for the killing of 2 soldiers near us, I decided to play it safe by locking all the doors on my side of the monastery, locking my windows and staying inside my room.

Someone fell from Mt. Calvary yesterday while we were leading the procession at the Holy Sepulchre. We couldn't see anything but the chaos that ensued was incredible. Ambulance finally came. I heard that the person broke a knee or hip or something.

So we're in a whirl here in Israel - not unlike Kammuri that hit HK. I read about problem of glass-buildings that suffered during Kammuri's strike. Likewise here in Israel we should be thinking seriously if we want to live in glass houses, expect trouble when a typhoon strikes.