One of the things that I have been realizing about Israel's culture since I started this course is how much of Israelis' attitudes and personalities are shaped by their current political situation. Israel has been in a precarious political situation since the creation of the state in 1948. Throughout countless wars, their statehood has been threatened, and they live in a geographical area in which they are constantly surrounded by hostile neighbors of a different religion and hugely different political attitudes.
I have never really thought about how political and military culture could actually shape civilian's personalities. However, I think in Israel, this might honestly be the case. Israelis have to be very defensive. They are constantly defending their religion, their country, their way of life to everyone - to the entire world at some points in time. This creates an atmosphere that is very tense, and one in which people are on high alert all the time. I think this would make me feel rushed, blunt and stressed too.
So many of the personality attributes that we associate with Israelis - being overly direct, blunt, aggressive, animated, intense, stressed even - these are all things that go hand in hand with people who are on high alert. This is psychologically similar to people with PTSD or people who have been through a traumatic experience. Israelis are constantly in that situation. They are always living and always have lived with a very hyper-sensitive attitude. This alert atmosphere has been passed down over the past few generations and this is what makes Israel, Israel. Right or wrong, I really believe that the hostile nature of the Middle East has affected the basic traits of the people that live in Israel.
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