What to do with the rest of our lives

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Everyone remembers the Princess Bride. Who can forget the drama, the humor, the love story between Buttercup, and the dashing hero, Westley, aka the Dread Pirate Roberts. And who could forget the haunted, lovable Inigo Montoya - the sword-wielding mercenary-turned-hero determined to avenge the death of his father at the hands of the six-fingered man.

APN Board member Mandy Patinkin, who immortalized the character of Inigo Montoya, recently reflected on his work in the film in an interview with CBS news. In the course of the interview, Mandy related how he had come to the realization that for him, the most potent line in the film was one that had barely registered with him as a younger man. At the end of the film, after finally finding and killing the six-fingered man, his character says: "I have been in the revenge business for so long. Now that it is over, I do not know what to do with the rest of my life."

Mandy commented, "I love that line. And I love it for all of us. Because the purpose of revenge, in my personal opinion, is completely worthless and pointless. The purpose of existence is to... turn our darkness into light."

Donate Israelis and Palestinians have both wasted too much time -- too much life and energy -- searching for a six-fingered man whose demise will give them closure and satisfaction. The reality is, only a negotiated two-state solution can begin to provide these things to both peoples. APN supports such a solution. We know that when Israelis and Palestinians both have a state of their own, when both are secure and living in peace, then they -- and all of us who care about them -- can finally start thinking, like Inigo Montoya, about what to do with the rest of our lives.

Join us in the struggle for a future defined not by quixotic quests for revenge, but rather by peace and the opportunities for a new purpose in life for Israelis and Palestinians. Support APN.

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