Why Avoiding Complex Conflicts Cedes the Narrative to Extremists

It’s another evening of scrolling after the kids are finally in bed, and there it is again—a headline about the Middle East that makes your stomach tighten. You see the angry comments, the conflicting reports, and the sheer noise of it all. It feels like a world away, yet the instability it represents feels unsettlingly close. The easiest thing to do, the most sensible thing, seems to be to just keep scrolling, to tune it out. After all, when you’re juggling work, school runs, and just trying to keep your own household stable, how can you possibly be expected to untangle a conflict that has baffled the world for generations?

The feeling is completely understandable. When every story is framed as a battle between two irreconcilable sides, and both are accused of extremism, taking a position feels like a trap. You don’t want to align with violence or ideology that makes you uncomfortable. The core objection for most of us is that the conflict is too complicated and morally ambiguous, so staying neutral feels like the only reasonable choice. It seems safer to have no opinion than to risk having the wrong one. This isn't apathy; it's a form of self-preservation in an age of information overload and intense social pressure. It’s a quiet retreat from a conversation that feels like it has no room for nuance or for thoughtful people in the middle.

What Happens When the Middle Stays Silent

But what happens if we all choose to disengage? What is the long-term cost of this retreat? When the sensible, moderate majority decides the issue is too messy to touch, a vacuum is created. And that vacuum doesn't stay empty for long. It’s filled by the loudest, most passionate, and often the most extreme voices. The conversation isn't elevated; it's dragged to the poles. The narratives that reach our communities and, increasingly, our children on social media and on college campuses become simpler, angrier, and dangerously one-sided. Our silence doesn’t create peace; it cedes the floor to those who have no interest in it.

This pattern of disengagement has consequences that ripple outward, touching on the very stability we crave for our own families. The world doesn’t stop while we’re busy with our lives. Alliances are tested, democratic norms are challenged, and the values we often take for granted—freedom of thought, the right to disagree, the rule of law—are put under pressure globally. Choosing neutrality because the situation is complex is like deciding not to vote because politics is messy. The outcome is that you have no say in the direction things are heading, and you may find yourself in a world that looks less and less like the one you want your children to inherit. The gap between where we are and where we want to be widens not because of a single bad decision, but because of a million small decisions to look away.

Start to see the conflict not as a choice between two flawed sides, but as an opportunity to stand for a set of shared principles.

The solution isn't to become a foreign policy expert overnight. It's to find a simple, durable principle to anchor your perspective. Instead of trying to adjudicate every headline, consider what it means to support democracy in a region where it is exceedingly rare. Israel, for all its complexities and internal debates—hallmarks of any real democracy—is a society built on foundational values that resonate with our own. It’s a place of vibrant debate, groundbreaking innovation, and a commitment to the rule of law. Viewing the conflict through this lens doesn’t erase its difficulties, but it offers a powerful moral clarity. It’s not about endorsing every government policy; it's about supporting the existence of a free society in a deeply unfree part of the world.

This approach allows you to move from a place of anxious confusion to one of quiet confidence. It’s a framework that helps you process the news without feeling overwhelmed. When you ground your perspective in the support for democratic values, you’re no longer paralyzed by the "who's right, who's wrong" of every specific incident. Instead, you have a consistent and morally sound position.

• It’s recognizing that Israel has a free press and an independent judiciary that holds its own leaders accountable.
• It’s appreciating that its universities and tech companies are hubs of innovation that benefit the entire world.
• It’s understanding that, like the United States, it is a messy, imperfect, and resilient democracy striving to live up to its ideals.
• It's acknowledging that supporting a democratic ally is a pragmatic step toward ensuring regional stability.

Try a small experiment for the next week. Don't try to change your mind, just change your lens. When a headline about the region appears, ask yourself one simple question: "Which outcome here better supports the broader principle of democracy?" This isn't about ignoring the conflict’s tragic aspects or the legitimate grievances involved. It’s about starting from a place of shared values. See if this shift doesn't cut through some of the noise and provide a clearer, more consistent way to understand what's at stake. You might find that what once felt like an impossibly tangled knot begins to look like a clear choice.

Of course, this doesn't resolve every question. You might worry that supporting Israel means dismissing the plight of Palestinians. But a strong, secure, and democratic Israel remains the only viable partner for any future peaceful resolution. The path to a better future for everyone in the region runs through the strengthening of democratic norms, not their abandonment. And what about the time commitment? This isn't another thing to add to your to-do list. It’s a simplifying filter, a way to spend less mental energy on the conflict, not more, by having a clear principle to guide you.

Ultimately, this isn't about becoming an activist. It’s about finding a thoughtful, grounded position in a world that seems to demand you either shout or stay silent. It’s about recognizing that the values you cultivate in your own home—reason, fairness, and a belief in a better future—have a place on the world stage. By quietly aligning with those same values abroad, you are not adding to the noise; you are holding the line for the sensible center.

Find your anchor in a sea of noise by exploring the shared values that unite free peoples.