To seek genuine hope for harmony in the Mideast is usually a fruitless quest, overwhelmed by hate and violence. Occasionally, a glimmer of intelligent thinking breaks through the gloom and should be encouraged.
This month, 46 boys from the Mideast will spend a vacation in Maine with American counterparts. What’s remarkable about that? The Mideast group contains Jewish, Muslim and Christian boys, brought here by the Seeds for Peace effort. The boys are learning ancient enmities can be overridden by personal friendship.
Former hostage Terry Anderson, who was a captive in Beirut for seven years, gave the visitors a truthful message. “It’s difficult to hate somebody you know,” he said. Now that their enemies “have a face,” they may actually become friends.
Of course Anderson is right, and so is the focus on young people. If there ever is to be a lasting peace in the Mideast cauldron, today’s children will have to develop more positive attitudes than their parents.