'The Human Toll of Terror' - A Look at Life Amidst Death

On my iPad I always get notifications about big news bits; it's an element of The New York Times app which I really appreciate, because I can get news snippets, even if I don't want to read an entire article. But on a Wednesday afternoon I came home from shopping with my mom, and saw a very sobering notification.

As I'm sure you can imagine, this article is in many ways solemn. But I was also very glad that I took the time to read it. It is an article that does not just give a death toll and straight facts, but it also gives patronage to the victims of recent terrorist attacks. It tells something about them, even if that something is as simple as "Jean-Pierre Arnaud was a salesman who played the guitar". These small facts are not insignificant; rather, they remind us that people who have died are much more than part of a death toll.

They are people to hold in our thoughts.
They are people whose families we can pray for.
They are people whom we have to hope lead a meaningful life, despite it being tragically cut short.

The article concludes by saying that these horrific acts of terrorism can happen at any time, anywhere. But knowing and acknowledging this does not mean you should live your life being scared of the world. This idea led me to confirm my own belief that refugees should be taken in. Not without precautions, but nonetheless, they should be welcomed. The world does not need––and cannot have––any more hate if it hopes to survive. Just as you cannot live being scared to take an afternoon stroll through the park, we cannot (or should not, more accurately) shun a whole race of people because there are some who for one reason or another have become so dangerously stuck in a certain way of thinking.

A German philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer, said "compassion is the basis to morality". This is a quote I have spent a lot of time thinking about, and I hold it to be one of the truest things I have heard. I don't need to explain how I interpret the quote, but I hope you will consider how you find it relates to the current (hard) times the world is facing today.

I would absolutely encourage you to read this article. There are a lot of bad things that happen in the world, and I think we need to acknowledge them. This does not mean we must dwell on negative aspects of today's world, but instead be able to be informed and be thoughtful.

Article can be read here

xx

Erin