I sometimes wonder what would happen if just a single individual who is firing weapons on either side of the Israel / Gaza border could see the Facebook page or Instagram account or Twitter feed of the person or people who would be hit by the bullet, rocket or shell.

What if they saw pictures of a young soldier spending the day at the beach under the warm Mediterranean sun, eating watermelon with his friends?  What if they saw a father, smiling with his family as they celebrated their blessings at the breaking of a fast?  Wedding snapshots, a midnight kiss, schoolmates hamming it up for a camera…a proud uncle holding a newborn nephew, #TBT pictures from a vacation, or a photo of a cherished parent on the anniversary of their death?

Would they still pull the trigger if they could see — somehow, someway — that the person on the other side of the border was simply another version of themselves?

“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.” — His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama