It's hard to put into words a sentiment that makes sense when I try to describe the events from this weekend. I know most of us feel heartbroken for the people of Paris and France. As an American, when 9/11 happened I think we all felt scared and isolated. We weren't sure what was happening, why it was happening and for how long our country would be threatened. Many people are reliving those feelings as terrorist attacks continue to surface in familiar and far off parts of the world. There are feelings of anger and hatred, pity and grief, worry and unsureness. We live in a violent world where we pretend to be civilized, but still end our conflicts in war...war is inevitable, but I think the prayer is that it won't happen in our backyards. Paris was celebrating a Friday night of no work and all play. People were out to dinner, taking in the sites, attending concerts. And as the horrific scene unfolded in their city, they allied around one another. Some drove strangers to safety, others welcomed them into their homes for protection. Facebook established a "safety check" system to allow Parisians to connect with family to let them know of their whereabouts. Even store and shop owners housed people for the night instead of kicking them out after they had closed. Much like we had witnessed the tragedy of 9/11 unifying the diverse populace of America behind a single rally cry of patriotism, we saw France respond to similar threats with similar zeal and compassion. The world has a love affair with the city of lights, much to the chagrin on Parisians, and I imagine not a single tourist who was soaking in the complete sensory overload that Paris can be, thought they would end up in the middle of terrorist attacks and in a foreign country under martial law. I can't imagine the fear and confusion of locals and tourists alike. But the hobbyist mathematician in me can't help but go through the figures and realize that fear, racial distrust, and global concern is what these attacks attempted to promote. Their goal was not to murder 130 people, it was to make 130 million people look over their shoulder, not get into a cab, not travel. To live their life worried that they could be next. We considered not going to Brazil back in 2013 because of the horrific stories we had been told from friends who had visited and family members who continued to throw news articles at us. Granted, Rio had never been targeted by terrorists but they had/have their own severe safety concerns, many directed to tourists, to not be taken lightly. If we would have allowed that fear to stop us, we may have never experienced our most favorite city to date. And our message, our hope is that whatever it is you want to do, whatever you want to experience, you won't let fear deter you. When Paris was targeted back in January of this year, locals united in the streets and lifted a sign that read, "NOT AFRAID". Life is too short and too precious to hole up and play it safe, life will pass you by. We can't live in fear that something terrible might happen to us! We just have to keep going and keep living the same way Paris bravely told us to last winter, not afraid. Until Next Time - Je Suis Paris,
C + D
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