Yesterday morning
I woke up happy, because my Summer vacation had started. The moment I heard the news, I was not
so happy anymore. I hesitated to write about it, but I came to the conclusion I
do not want to ignore it.
Another
terrorist attack in France. Again innocent people who died and people who have
to mourn their loved ones.
Why do
people do this? I cannot understand. Perhaps some do not feel connected to
society, but that is also partly their own responsibility, I think. Killing others to
prove a point only shows how small you are, not how big your god is in whose
name you perhaps do these things (or rather: your perverted idea of god).
Am I scared? Yes, if I am honest I am a bit scared. When I went to Paris in May I felt
safe, but when there was a fire alarm at Gare du Nord when I was waiting for the
train, I was really frightened. Nothing seemed to be the matter, only my train
had a 20 minute delay. Was there a connection? I do not know and in a way I am
also relieved that I do not know.
I will not
allow my fear to rule my life. Of course, I pay more attention to people and
try to avoid certain areas with a lot of people, but you cannot avoid
everything.
For
example, in a few weeks’ time I will fly to Venice. I know very well that it
only takes one madman at the airport to create a disaster. I will however, not
stay at home because of this.
How can we continue? This is hard to say. Being vigilant is a good thing and using your
common sense is even better.
When I look
at myself, I feel like I am willing to give up some personal freedom if this
will increase safety. I do not have the answers to the question what this would
look like, so for the moment I will leave it at that.
I know that
when I was in Paris, I felt really safe because of all the policemen and
soldiers on the streets. The French make such an competent impression that I
thought to myself: ‘if something will happen, it is better if it happens when
these guys are around’. And yes, I also realize this would not stop all
attacks, could not stop all attacks and probably only creates a fake feeling of
safety. But it did feel good.
At the same
time we should also continue with the dialogue. Not all Muslims are terrorists
and we must not allow the terrorists to make us think that way. I think we should use the expertise and the knowledge present in the different cultural
communities to recognize certain things and deal with these things together, as
the human beings we all are.
And what
else can we do?
We can only make the world better for ourselves by paying
attention to family, friends, love, art, music, nature and all other things that
make life worthwhile. Everything the terrorists do not recognize or want to
destroy, but that is precisely why we must never give up.
I can relate to your feelings of helplessness, concern and worry - I feel like that, too, and I wonder what we can do about that sort of thing. Mind you, I'm not even sure this was a terror attack based on some extremistic religious background - the assassin's father said his son had serious depressions, so that might be a hint. In that case, it was basically someone unhappy running amok - and you're never safe from that sort of thing. It is hard to know the truth, though, given all the contradictory things we get to hear. As you say, we cannot avoid everything and let fear (over-)rule our life, but applying common sense and being watchful is a good rule to live by. We live in crazy times, that much is sure. But then again, maybe the world has always been crazy, and we just haven't noticed because we've felt safe in our own little bubble, shaped by over 70 years of peace in central Europe? The way the media are omnipresent these days also contributes to the drama. We get to see pictures of events within seconds, and this makes it all the more 'immediate', if you know what I mean. In any case, let's be brave and optimistic and not small-minded and fearful! Thinking of you and sending positive vibes your way!
ReplyDeleteI do think you are right when you say we know so much more about everything that happens in the world than a couple of years ago and this also helps in bringing conflicts and events like these closer to home. We cannot help but be informed, it almost seems.
DeleteIt is hard to get the true data in all that information, especially since it comes from all sides.
Thanks for thinking of me, I appreciate it! And all we can do is be good to eachother and not let fear run (ruin) our lives.
Kind regards,