// War Literature

When Dr. Sorin questioned the class whether or not, it made me quite uneasy.  No one ever thinks twice about going to the exquisite beaches of Mexico or the lavish resorts of Jamaica.  However, if you follow the news you would realize that Mexico has had a history of kidnappings as well as drug issues in certain parts of its country.  Likewise, in Jamaica, the level of poverty outside of these resorts is absurd.  I have always wanted to go to Israel to see the beautiful mountains of Mt. Sinai, the wild city life in Televiv, and the beautiful beaches all over. 

However, Dr. Sorin specified that we would have to stay a week in the Gaza Strip as an activist.  When I was watching the movie Generation Kill, a documentary of the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the Marine Corps, I could not believe the instability of the country.  There were numerous times innocent civilians are killed by the military.  When you compare this to the U.S., you realize that nothing like that would happen here.  The government protects us enough that every day I wake up, I do not have to worry about my apartment or even my life.  As an American living in the U.S., I feel completely safe walking through the streets of New York City.  However, I do not believe I would share this comforting feeling staying in the Gaza Strip, further demonstrated in the video about Rachel Corrie.  The activists are jeopardizing their lives to try to stabilize the lives of the Palestinian families.  There is no stability in the country and peace is no where in sight between the two opposition countries.  There is constant explosions and shooting going on.  I feel like I would be in constant fear of my life, which to be frankly honest I do not think I could put a price of my life.  I would rather choose the comfort and safety of my own home in the U.S..