Toronto, 2001

As a one time political prisoner, I came up with a solution to terrorism while incarcerated.

At the time it seemed so obvious: cut Israel off the money pot and make our own borders impenetrable.

That was 2001, when I was kept in holding in a small hotel room on the outskirts of Toronto. My captors watched CNN and drank diet Dr Pepper. Blindfolded, I couldn't see the tv screen, but I could hear the cries of people who'd lost relatives and friends in the Twin Towers.

Once you've been held at gunpoint, everything changes. You're bound to think differently, it doesn't matter who you are or where you're from. In my case, nuances meant more than ever, not less. I had a new appreciation for ambivalence and began writing a book on the subject.