On "giving up"

Submitted by Stan Goodman (Israel), Jul 15, 2009 at 05:51

In your answer to one of the questions you were asked, you seemed to view the principal mode of ending the war of Arabs against Israel as the prospect of the Arab side coming to a realization that it is time for them to give up, and abandon their goal. In all candor, do you think that is even possible? Do you think their mindset is such that they could abandon a war once started?. These are people who, according to their pronouncements, are ready to resume the war against the Crusaders, and to reinvade Andalusia.

As Ralph Linton wrote in "The Tree of Culture" (in 1955!), it is characteristic of Semitic cultures to be both absolutist in regard to goals and purpose, and on the other hand to be fetalistic (relying on the Deity to achieve those goals -- deminding only the continued cooperation of Muslims to execute His commands. Are they therefore even in a position to abandon a goal permanently?

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