Just now, the strangest thought occurred to me, for absolutely no reason at all - a flashback from years ago, all the way to 7th grade. In Israel.

Brainwash, oh, sorry, indoctrination, is of course everywhere.

The only way to really get over it, I would say, is by a change of context. Possibly the best thing that could ever happen to anyone is to be torn away from where the were born and move somewhere else, I’m not kidding. To grow up one place and mature someplace else, just to get a proper perspective.

I was in 7th grade back in September 11 2001. A day known for one thing which will in turn change things as we know them - in the mind of the average republican anyway.

The average Israeli worships the US, anything to do with it, anything with the slightest relevance. Of course, after that day, it would seem to them, that the US became just a little more like Israel. To be honest, it probably did a little bit - hey, the conservatives did stay in office.

And so some teacher, I think, said something rather awkward in retrospect. “There’s been a conspiracy that the Jews sabotaged the world trade center,” she said, “but the reason why they were absent that day was because they all went to a certain funeral.”Wait a second, what? Citation needed, don’t you think? Of course there’s going to be conspiracies, but what kind of a crappy excuse is that?

Reminds me of something my history teacher at the time said, that “Jews were hated in Europe because they were” according to him, “better in every way.” It all just clicked in my mind: I was being very obviously brainwashed constantly. That’s education for ya’.

Among other things, this awful brainwash (that is, education) included: The bible (the old testament of) was taught as factual and true.

That polytheists are primitive. Give me a break, it’s all the same. Who am I to tell others that their religion is defective?

That circumcision is not only good, but it’s also required and does not reduce sexual pleasure; uncircumcised males will have problems at some point, it’s disgusting, etc. But of course, it’s not really endorsed by urologists (anymore, as far as I know) and is only done is certain cases of infection if anything - it’s rare anyhow and easily treatable.

Hey, but that’s education, I guess? Or is it just the horrible crushing majority of Jews in Israel? Pluralism will not exist for at least another 2-3 generations ahead.

I’m off the bandwagon, lucky for me. See you then, Israel.

My next door neighbor. Typical blond sort of thing. She’s living with her mother, and some siblings most likely. I don’t know whether the father lives there, but there’s some man going in and out every now and then.

I remember the first day I saw her. I actually initiated a conversation as she went out of the house and down the stairway.

“Hi, I’m your new neighbor”, yeah, I actually said that. So she told me her name, which was like “Clara” or “Caroline” or “Catherine” or whatever it was then shook hands with me, the faminine way.
and kept on going.

Months later I realized that I’m going to hear much more from her than I thought.

As my bedroom shares two walls with the outside of the apartment, one wall I shared with their apartment directly, the other with the stairwell, the slamming of their door and conversations they had with each other on the way out were audible. As if they were right inside my bedroom.
The thing was that I could hear every opening and closing of their door, every guest coming in and going back out of her parties. Guests used to smoke, right outside from me, and strangely I could smell everything. At that point I didn’t care much about the noise actually.

Until last year. It was only during some very rough times that I began noticing the noise.

It became unbearable.

I wrote a letter on a piece of standard A4 paper in my handwriting, black ink, using very polite words in a very impolite way, forming my complaints about her awful parties.
I slid in through their mail slit.

The next day, her mom comes knocking, asking me whether I wanted to talk about it, I gave her a mean look and said “No. The issue is solved for me” and pretty much slammed the door in her face.

Ever since then, it’s pretty quiet.
What am I trying to say, then? Well, quite simple. Keep your fucking daughter quiet, and yes your daughter smokes too much pot and so do her friends, it sure smells like it from here. I still feel like reporting them to the commune.

Regret? No. I’ve done the right thing.

I keep a log where I write down all my dreams. I haven’t actually published anything I wrote down in there, but, I saw this entry and thought I should publish it.

The following entry was written in the 1st of August, 2006.

I went to see my old house.

I passed through a bad neighborhood, and saw the burning of communist flags, and thought how bad they’re treated. (Afternote: I was passing through a pretty tough neighborhood.)

Then I got into the building, and told Judy (a person I never knew existed), who apparentaly was the guard who guarded the exit from the elevator and convinced her to let me go past her. I told her my name and she didn’t remember me. I got out of the building and got back, and she wasn’t there. Interesting, so I went to the right door, and listened. I heard my mom talking to some more people. When I opened the door, nothing. They weren’t there.