improvingmym1nd

[improvingmym1nd]

My apology to anyone I've hurt

Here is the beginning of my promise to do better. I want to start off by saying that I am extremely and sincerely sorry to the people who I've hurt with my words and actions. To Jewish people, non-Jewish people, Zionists, and anyone in between, I am sorry. The hurtful things I said were only a few short years ago, yes, but I have grown. I was in a dark place myself and not doing well. I resorted to hate, anger, and believing in violence was the answer. I also was simply just uninformed and not properly educated on the happenings in Israel. This all summed up to me becoming such a terrible version of myself, someone who I now try to forget and work past from returning to being that person. I was very shocked to read back on the negative statements I had made in that time period of my life, one reason is that I no longer had access to the account I used to make those statements. It was saddening to see the things I was spewing whilst being so uneducated. To be honest, I had put that time of my life behind me due to how rough it just all was. The pandemic, numerous life issues, countless social justice problems and news, it was overwhelming. And now that it's coming back up, it hurts to see that I was that kind of person, especially on social media.

Being an immigrant myself, I know how it feels to be unwelcome. Especially in a land I call home. I know how it feels to be shunned, excluded, disrespected, and bullied. I understand how disrespectful I was in the statements I made. To know that I may have given that same feeling to someone disappoints me.

It's unfortunately very easy to follow a crowd. Especially as a child. I was very prone to listening to other people and letting others influence my own decisions and actions. I did not have a backbone and hardly did my own research. I was made to believe that it was right to ostracize Israelis and Zionists alike from society when in reality it's not right to do that to anyone at all.

Putting myself in the shoes of an Israeli or a Zionist... Imagining hundreds upon thousands of people on social media pouring out statements of negativity, violence, and abhorrence... Protesting the existence of your home and/or country... and knowing that I was one of those people? It is the biggest regret that I have in this life. I hate that I have made people feel that way.

There's no one that I can really blame but myself. As much as other people and groups influenced me to think that Israelis and Zionists don't belong, it was my entire fault for believing in anything but the truth. To support peace in the state of Israel.

Here are things that I can promise and will work on moving forward:

Educate yourself.

Do your own research.

Believe in what is right, not just because it's trendy.

Form an opinion based on facts, not assumptions.

Do not spew hatred or negative statements.

Do not join hateful groups or align yourself with people who support violence and hate.

Respect all people, no matter who they are, what they are, or where they come from.

To this day, I am continuously doing my own research. I refuse to let other people influence my belief system like that ever again, to the point where I am pouring out statements of animosity and violence about something I thought I agreed with. I hope that one glorious day, I'll be able to visit the beautiful country of Israel in hopes of seeing what the country, the culture, and the people all have to offer.

With each day that passes, I am still learning and growing. Obviously, I was not perfect then, and I am not now and never will be. But I am simply just a person. Trying to do better each day. I no longer have hate in my heart for Israelis and Zionists, and I am extremely disappointed in myself for even having those thoughts and feelings in the first place. There is room for everyone on this Earth. From the bottom of my heart, please accept my apology if you have been affected by my negative statements and know that I am regretful. Thank you for reading.