“Sit down.”
Hebron, Palestine
2004 August 4
I had just decided to do my daily meditation indoors, and was half way across our small patio, when I heard someone say, “Sit down.” I glanced to my right, and was startled to see, five feet away, a soldier in full battle gear, his rifle pointed directly at me. “SIT DOWN!” This time he was shouting. It took a second for his words to register. I sat down.
Two more soldiers followed. One of my teammates inside realized something was up, and came out. “May I help you?” They ignored her offer, and pushed past her. About this point my mantram kicked in. In half a minute, I realized they were much more frightened than we were – that’s why they carry guns – and why we don’t. Soon I found myself praying for them.
After a few minutes, they said they were looking for the person who had photographed, from our rooftop, their watchtower on top of the Avraham Avinu settlement. One of our delegates finally realized they were looking for him. When he stepped forward, the soldiers suddenly became cordial. They even apologized for having tracked a little water into our apartment.
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