Calming a Child After an Israeli Air Raid

How can Socrates help you stand against Israeli aggression?!

A few minutes ago, the sudden roar of an Israeli F-16 fighter jet shattered the relative calm over an area 40 kilometers from Lebanon's border with Israel.

I was surrounded by my sister's children, who were completely absorbed in their TV show, when the raid happened. The youngest two, who were four and six years old, were instantly terrified by the loud boom and the trembling room. They ran out of the room to find their mother. A seven-year-old girl experienced hyperventilation, shouting, and sobbing, all of which are signs of a panic attack.

Reestablishing emotional stability should be one's first objective in such a predicament. The smaller youngsters were able to overcome their initial shock with the help of hugs and consoling words. Yet, a more sophisticated strategy was necessary for the panic episode of the seven-year-old. I took advantage of the opportunity to apply a method based on Socratic reasoning once her strong emotion suddenly faded.

My niece was terrified, so I started a chat with her to help her grasp the situation better. I went over the basics of how sophisticated Israeli jets work and how the speed of sound works.

"When you hear an Israeli raid," I told her, "it means you are okay because the raid happened seconds ago, and the sound is just now reaching your ears."

Her curiosity was piqued, and she sought further clarification:

"How come, Uncle?"

I continued, framing the situation as a form of a game:

"If you hear the sound of an Israeli raid, it means you are alive and you survived, so you should instantly be happy!"

She asked,

"What if I didn’t hear it, Uncle?"

With a reassuring yet somber tone, I replied:

"Well, in that case, you should not worry either because you would be dead, and dead people don’t feel pain."

This seemingly dark humor managed to shift her focus from fear to a more philosophical understanding of the situation. Her face transformed into a calm smile, and she hugged and kissed me, expressing her newfound sense of security.

She was able to shift her attention from terror to a more philosophical appraisal of the situation as a result of this apparently sinister comedy. As if to convey her feelings of safety, she kissed and held me, and her expression softened into a grin.

The significance of psychological intervention and the application of relaxation techniques during times of extreme stress is highlighted by this encounter. These strategies may not be foolproof, especially considering the severity of the shock, but they can help in the short term and lay the groundwork for resilience in the long run.

Training after the devastating Beirut port explosion, which required me to keep my cool for the sake of my girls, is the reason I was able to do the same during the raid. Because of this, I even more believe that rational thought can overcome irrational anxieties.

Socratic reasoning is useful for dealing with fears, but it won't solve the problem of long-term animosity and conflict. Particularly for youngsters who are subjected to violence and instability on a daily basis, the psychological wounds caused by such events are deep and persistent. No amount of rational thought from Socrates can alleviate the hatred that Israel is instilling in our youth and hearts, but it can help anyone overcome their worst anxieties.

Those who are ready to accuse me of antisemitism must put my remarks in their proper cultural and historical perspective. A genetic genealogy study has linked me to the line of "Shem" (Sam), the son of Noah. I, too, am an Arab, and my ancestors were Phoenicians. To "SHEM" all these groups also belong. If you don't watch what you say, I'll accuse you of antisemitism!