Dublin, Day 7: Class

Today was our one and only class in Ireland. We don't have access to classrooms here, so it's a bit inconvenient to have class. Dr. Facinelli split up her classes into three sections and held class in her flat. It was sort of nice having a comfortable couch to sit on. Today we talked about the Irish struggle for independence and the continuing violence and trouble in Northern Ireland. It is amazing to me that people would murder others over something that seems so trivial. I remember reading about the Northern Ireland violence when I was a small child and being puzzled that Protestants and Catholics would kill each other. After all, they were all Christian, weren't they? Silly me, I didn't realize then how deep the divide between Christian groups could be.

At the end we listened to some songs about the violence in Ireland. Both repudiated the cycle of violence and retalition that has been going on for centuries. I was particularly moved by a song that told a true story about two friends, one Catholic, and one Protestant, who died due to the violence. The Catholic boy was actually murdered in retaliation for the killing of his Protestant friend.

That is insane and absurd. This is what happens when we humans begin to value our cause over the lives of other people. This is what happens when we feel the need to take revenge for the wrongs done to us. I think perhaps Gandhi was on to something when he commented, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth and the whole world would soon be blind and toothless."