Roi - you wrote a wonderful loving letter for this country's birthday.  I concur.

I am afraid though that somewhere in its genome lies a defective gene that causes this nation, again and again, to destroy what it has so beautifully built. This nation already built two wonderful temples in the past, but proved it cannot sustain them.  Something always goes wrong and such wonderful heights are always followed by dreadful falls.

The rise of the jewish nation from the ashes and the great achievements of the Israeli state in its first few decades are tremendous.  No doubt about it. But how can we make sure that this gene in us doesn't work at its best ONLY when we're under the most extreme pressure? Building a new state, fighting few against many, surviving and thriving against all odds... this is where we're good at.  This is where we unite.  But what happens when the situation is not so extreme?  What happens when it's not a survival game?

I'm afraid that this gene is lacking the normal being;  the conditions that require us not to fight for our survival but to be just good... considerate... loving... giving.  Are we capable of maintaining ourselves in good terms under these conditions??

I pray we do but I'm afraid of this gene. It has proven its dreadful effect in the past; I just hope the current symptoms of this 60 year-old wonderful state are not indicating the same old disease again.