Paris

So many died in Beirut and Paris last week and many more in Syria and Iraq. Let’s all keep a clear head. Now is not the time to let fear and hate dictate actions. It is important that any action taken to ‘fight terrorism’ does not become the foundation upon which future attacks are based. Hate begets hate. Violence begets violence. So many have died for inherited hatred. How long should someone have to pay for the sins of their father? So many have died, more death is not the answer.

The people caught in the current refugee crisis have gone from secure comfort to running for their lives in a very short period of time. I can’t help but think about what it must feel like to have to flee your own country because you are caught in the middle of an ideological war, only to be rejected and persecuted by the very countries whose bombs destroyed your home and who you have turned to in your time of need. Extremism is not a new phenomena, nor is it unique to a specific ideology. We all have the capability of extreme acts if the right buttons are pushed and alternatively, we have the capability of extraordinary compassion. Let’s stop the cycle of hate.

“For things to reveal themselves to us, we need to be ready to abandon our views about them.” - Thich Nhat Hanh (b. 1926)