True Civilization

 by C.A. Matthews

There has been a lot of discussion both online and offline about the extreme act of protest US Airman Aaron Bushnell committed in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington DC on February 25, 2024. Some of the chatter is put out by Zionist trolls trying to negate the magnitude of his sacrifice, calling him “mentally ill,” “suicidal,” “homicidal” or worse. However, most of the commentary has been respectful and awe-filled, praising the commitment Aaron made toward creating a lasting peace for the people of Palestine.

Aaron was willing to die in order to make the point that others should be allowed to live. His positive and self-sacrificial message has made it through the dregs of negative propaganda and found a welcoming place in millions of hearts worldwide. Here are some comments I've found particularly illuminating.

Aaron was not mentally ill. This system that calls him mentally ill and supports a genocide is mentally ill. As someone who has gone through therapy myself, I find it abhorrent to insult martyrs this way. What the US government and its media stenographers want you to believe is if you have a conscience, you’re mentally disturbed! https://twitter.com/numarqs/status/1762276006340301148

I agree. Having a conscience is not a “mental illness”. Far from it. Having a conscience shows you are a fully realized human being who can empathize with the suffering of others and have compassion on them and their plight. This week I learned that Aaron left his savings in his will to the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund. 

Aaron really did believe in using whatever means he had at his disposal to help others, to bring about justice and peace.
As Nuno Marques says Aaron Bushnell is a martyr, deserving of our thanks and praise.

Another who expressed a similar take on Aaron’s protest is Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti of Ansar Allah. (@M_N_Albukhaiti) Here is what he said about honoring Aaron’s sacrifice:

Today, the world lost Aaron Bushnell, a brave, noble, and conscientious human being, but his message reached and resonated around the world. Aaron proved that his conscience's ability to bear the scenes of dead and wounded Palestinian children was weaker than his ability to bear the pain of fire burning his body, so he continued to chant freedom for Palestine until the last moment of his life. Thank you Aaron, your message has awakened the global conscience, but we will continue to cry for you as we cry for the children of Palestine. https://twitter.com/M_N_Albukhaiti/status/1762198093628375103

Aaron Bushnell has “awakened the global conscience.” His protest is powerful and positive, not the act of a madman or mentally ill individual. Thank you, Aaron, for waking our sleeping consciences so that we may be inspired to do good deeds for our fellow human beings in their time of trial and need.

Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and ordained minister Chris Hedges sees Aaron Bushnell’s self-immolation as “divine violence”. He phrases it this way:

Divine violence terrifies a corrupt and discredited ruling class. It exposes their depravity. It illustrates that not everyone is paralyzed by fear. It is a siren call to battle radical evil. That is what Bushnell intended. His sacrifice speaks to our better selves.

I agree. In a world built on lies, manipulation, and gaslighting, when evil meets that pure and unadulterated sincerity of love of others so much that Aaron felt compelled to lay down his life for the sake of the persecuted Palestinian people, it pauses, astonished and chastised. Could we lesser mortals ever learn to put our hatred and racism aside and embrace such sincere compassion?

It remains to be seen, but the conversation has begun. For that profound act of sincerity alone, I see Aaron as a saint and a genius.

Aaron Bushnell: A martyr who practiced divine violence in order to awaken the global conscience through an act of profound sincerity and compassion.

A quote that has been mentioned in relation to Aaron’s extreme act of protest is one attributed to the well-renown anthropologist Margaret Mead. Surgeon Dr. Paul Brand remembered Mead saying:

Early in my career I heard a lecture from the anthropologist Margaret Mead. “What would you say is the earliest sign of civilization?” she asked, naming a few options. A clay pot? Tools made of iron? The first domesticated plants? “These are all early signs,” she continued, “but here is what I believe to be evidence of the earliest true civilization.” High above her head she held a human femur, the largest bone in the leg, and pointed to a grossly thickened area where the bone had been fractured, and then solidly healed.

“Such signs of healing are never found among the remains of the earliest, fiercest societies. In their skeletons we find clues of violence: a rib pierced by an arrow, a skull crushed by a club. But this healed bone shows that someone must have cared for the injured person—hunted on his behalf, brought him food, served him at personal sacrifice.” --a quote from Fearfully and Wonderfully Made: A Surgeon Looks at the Human and Spiritual Body by Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey. (Found at https://quoteinvestigator.com/2021/07/25/femur/)

Caring for your fellow human beings in their time of need is a sign of true civilization according to Margaret Mead. If so, what sort of sign is committing (or aiding and abetting) a genocide then? A sign of a false civilization? A false civilization that cannot acknowledge that ethnically cleansing two million plus people is evil and wrong?

No wonder this false civilization we live in doesn’t recognize Aaron Bushnell for the saint he was, a man who practiced divine violence in order to awaken the global conscience through his act of profound sincerity and compassion!
 

“Many of us like to ask ourselves, ‘What would I do if I was alive during slavery? Or the Jim Crow South? Or apartheid? What would I do if my country was committing genocide?” Aaron posted on his personal Facebook page before he began his walk toward the Israeli embassy. “The answer is, You’re doing it. Right Now.”

Aaron Bushnell’s very last words spoken as he walked to the place where he would set himself ablaze: “I will no longer be complicit in genocide. I'm about to engage in an extreme act of protest. But compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine, at the hands of their colonizers it's not extreme at all. This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal.”

“Free Palestine!”

We will never live in a true civilization until we have freed ourselves from the tyranny of those who commit genocide for their own corrupt purposes. As Mead says “personal sacrifice” is what was shown in the earliest forms of human civilization. Caring for the injured and the sick was what made us truly “human." How quickly we’ve forgotten what our ancestors learned and practiced!

Let us follow Aaron’s lead not by burning ourselves alive in front of an embassy, but by doing all we can to stop the corrupt ruling class that has brought about this false civilization in which we currently live. A civilization that is destroying our planet with its wanton pollution of our air, land and water... A civilization that is destroying our very souls with its greed and inhumane actions. 

Our personal sacrifice to the cause of ending this false civilization will save the lives of billions and save our own humanity. Anything less from us isn't worthy of the sacrifice that Aaron Bushnell made to open our eyes to this evil reality.

Rest in Power, Aaron. May we all live to make you proud.

*  *  *

The Organizer-in-Chief

photos and words by C.A. Matthews

Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein came through the Toledo area this past weekend where she met and chatted with avid supporters and skeptic questioners alike.

It's a lofty goal and a beautiful vision, one that many will want to become a part of as we "Abandon Biden, Dump Trump, and Join Jill!" (For more information about how you can volunteer, donate, or just learn more about Jill, check out jillstein2024.com)

A profound act of sincerity https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/a-profound-act-of-sincerity

Aaron Bushnell's Death Can't Rightly Be Called An Act Of Suicide https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/aaron-bushnells-death-cant-rightly

On Aaron Bushnell, Methinks The Israel Apologist Doth Protest Too Much https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/on-aaron-bushnell-methinks-the-israe
 
Aaron Bushnell’s Divine Violence https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/aaron-bushnells-divine-violence

A message from Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti (Ansar Allah, a.k.a. The Houthis) honoring Aaron’s sacrifice https://x.com/m_n_albukhaiti/status/1762198093628375103

The Life & Death of Aaron Bushnell: U.S. Airman Self-Immolates Protesting U.S. Support for Israel in Gaza
https://www.democracynow.org/2024/2/28/aaron_bushnell_self_immolation_gaza_protest

Aaron Bushnell: Very Emotional Vigil Interview at Israeli Embassy (~4 min video and transcript) https://couragenews.substack.com/p/aaron-bushnell-very-emotional-vigil

Media's Israel bias exposed by US soldier who set himself on fire to protest Gaza genocide https://geopoliticaleconomy.substack.com/p/media-israel-bias-aaron-bushnell-gaza-genocide

Don't Avert Your Eyes: Gaza Has Suffered the Equivalent of 1,200 September 11th Attacks https://stevendonziger.substack.com/p/dont-avert-your-eyes-gaza-has-suffered-2c0

Egypt Sells Out Palestinians for $10 Billion Loan Package https://www.unz.com/mwhitney/egypt-sells-out-palestinians-for-10-billion-loan-package/

When The Imperial Media Report On An Israeli Massacre https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/when-the-imperial-media-report-on

US Slammed For Providing Israel With ‘License To Kill’ Palestinians https://popularresistance.org/us-slammed-for-providing-israel-with-license-to-kill-palestinians/

Millions Plan to Take Part in Global March Calling for Israeli Ceasefire in Gaza https://truthout.org/articles/millions-plan-to-take-part-in-global-march-calling-for-israeli-ceasefire-in-gaza/

Britain Wants to Ban Boycotts of Israel. Does That Mean They’re Working? https://scheerpost.com/2024/03/01/britain-wants-to-ban-boycotts-of-israel-does-that-mean-theyre-working/

World Court hearing on legality of Israeli occupation ends following week of testimony https://mondoweiss.net/2024/02/world-court-hearing-on-legality-of-israeli-occupation-ends-following-week-of-testimony/

Nicaragua Hits Germany With ICJ Case for Aiding Israel in Gaza Genocide  https://www.commondreams.org/news/icj-israel

‘Move The Money’: Detroit Votes For Slashing Bloated Pentagon Budget https://popularresistance.org/move-the-money-detroit-votes-for-slashing-bloated-pentagon-budget/

Secret cable: CIA orchestrated Haiti’s 2004 coup https://thegrayzone.com/2024/03/01/secret-cable-cia-haiti-coup/

Honest Government Ad | Whistleblowers (STFU) https://youtu.be/ZWkGmw3xMTU?si=QuLVr6Ddizx1sjrf

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