What's going on over there?

I have never really been one to devote much time following what's going on in the Middle East.  It all sounds so senseless every time I try to make any sense of it.  Someone told me the other day that conflicts over there have been run of the mill for thousands of years.  Thousands of years!  What's up with that!?

Anyways, something about what's going on now has gotten under my skin.  It's not the oil - I could really care less since our dependence on it is our problem, not the world's.  Two countries fighting or even going to war doesn't bother me much either, it's going to happen - I wish it wouldn't, but it does happen.  The prospect of our, America's, involvement worries me a little.  After watching the movie Syriana last year I have to wonder how much we are involved when stuff like this happens, or escalates.

No, what bothers me about the whole thing is everyone's passiveness about what is going on.  Not the news, not our government, not the United Nations, but everyday people.  Like I said before, attitudes like "this has been going on for thousands of years", or "those countries over there are always fighting" are somewhat unsettling.  How come no one cares?  I mean, surely they care on some level?  Should I not really care?  Is it more religious fanaticism?

Now everything bothers me.  I want to learn about what is really going on.  I want to learn why thousands of years of war and fighting has just resulted in more of the same.  I want to learn why people dying, missiles flying, and bombs exploding isn't that big of a deal to those around me.  I want to learn what kind of religion, or what god could possibly be intermingled in all this violence.  Right now, it is still just senseless to me.