From Moab to مواب (Moab)

Gathering colorful rocks and climbing the "lions back" as the co-pilot of my father's Jeep are among some of my fondest childhood memories. I sometimes resented my father's affinity to the desert (particularly the annual Jeep Safari in Moab) but somewhere between the gasoline and kokopellis, I too fell in love with the austere beauty of the near barren landscape.
Years later (and much to that same father's dismay) I found myself working as an intern for the Ministry of Social Development in Amman, Jordan. I spent many hours getting lost in taxis or on foot en route to state facilities, but somehow still had time to explore several of the historically rich sites in the country. Though each one garnered its own brand of reverence, a similar type of awe came from the religious associations that married cultures across time at every site. One of my favorite experiences was atop Mount Nebo.

There was nothing especially beautiful about the view and the ruins of sites on the mountain were far from pristine, but in that moment the plights and accomplishments and similarities and differences of the human family overwhelmed me. In the place I stood, Moses reportedly saw the promised land. It overlooked the Dead Sea and ancient hills of Moab. Jerusalem, where Palestinians and Jews have fought to gain or remain in, was just through the haze on my horizon. Several yards from me were the remains of a Byzantine cathedral and magnificent tile work. Access to the mount required passing through a very isolated and decidedly Muslim community. Miles north Syrians were fighting or fleeing to this country.

Though horrible histories seemed to permeate even past triumphs or times of peace, it was the goodness of humanity that struck me in that moment. I felt proud to have been born into the creative, independent, loyal, and optimistic family that each of us is a part of.