| Orange is Hot and Blue is Calming? Living in Israel During Colorful Times. |
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I am in a conundrum. Torn between parts of myself. In Jerusalem right now, as in many areas of the country, cars are ‘festooned' in blue or orange strips of cloth. Orange is for those who don't want the inevitable ‘pull-out' from Gaza settlements, set to take place August 15th 2005. Immediately after the Ninth of Av, the Lunar Calendar date of the destruction of the two Temples by the Babylonians and five hundred years later by the Romans, and in 1492, the date of the Spanish Inquisition's expulsion of Jews. Blue strips are on cars whose owners are in favor of the same inevitable ‘pull-out'. _option_option_option_option_option_option_option_option_option_option_optionA friend of mine had bought an orange dress and has not taken it out of her closet for fear that wearing it will give the WRONG message. The color Orange is associated with warmth, contentment, fruitfulness and wholesomeness. It looks strong and generous. Blue a cool color can slow down your perception of time. Cool colors can also have passive, calming qualities that aid concentration and can create a mood of peacefulness and tranquility and also can produce an environment that seems cold and distant. There are whole blocks that have orange ‘cloth stripped' cars parked on them and other blocks with blue. When I say ‘inevitable' am I stating a political remark? A few days ago a woman was interviewed from her home in a settlement which is in the area scheduled to be evacuated. She was wearing an orange bandana and was packing her house up. She said she is staying. This ‘thing' wont happen, how could she be leaving after over 30 years? She is dealing with the unenviable task of packing up and staying at the same time. The cemetery in the settlement is also to be uprooted and the bodies of her family members, some killed in terrorist actions, are to be moved to ‘central Israel'--the whole country is less than two hours by car wide! The orange part of me aches for her, and the sight of unearthing the remains of her loved ones haunts me. While orange has a declassifying, broad appeal. It can be used to indicate that a product is suitable for everyone, and can make an expensive product seem more affordable. Blue on the other hand, represents solitude, sadness, depression, wisdom, trust and loyalty. Wearing blue to job interviews indicates dedication and loyalty. The Blue part of me, senses the total logic and sense in leaving areas where a small number of people are protected by our youngsters in an area that has historically (since before the time of Samson and his Delilah) been a ‘difficult' place for Israelites. Beyond that, the pull-out is quite clever, brilliant even. How an elected leader could plan and accomplish a separation without negotiation -because the ‘other side' would not sit and talk, and the ‘another side' who are also the electorate who gave him a landslide, for saying he wont do what he is doing. This feat will be studied by soldiers and politicians and just about everyone else much smarter than me, for years and years to come! Some ‘soothsayers' are gearing up for a violent fight, of brother against brother. Who can control the unruly? Others, from within are saying as heart wrenching as Jew uprooting Jew is, there will be no ‘real' violence. Orange is the color most associated with appetite, while if you want to lose weight, cook blue foods. During experiments, when participants were served with food dyed blue, they lost their appetite. This ‘color-war' is far different that the one played at the close of the summer camp season, when nothing much is at stake. So what is the color of peace? Let's pray that it is prismatic. |
