I am sure you are aware that Paris was attacked by extremist terrorists on Friday. You may also be aware that two bombs struck Beirut, Lebanon on the same day, along with a suicide bombing at a funeral in Baghdad, Iraq. It is also likely that you have heard that the attacks are complicating matters for Syrian refugees across Europe, and that IS has claimed responsibility for the attacks in France and Lebanon and Iraq. Not to mention that there were earthquakes in Mexico and Japan on the same day.

On our own shores, Students of Color at Mizzou and Yale protesting racism at their universities are being met slurs and death threats, threats which prompted some teachers to cancel class. These events are being reported with with blasé disregard by some news reporters who call the protesters spoiled, imply that the right to "free speech" includes the right to racist-speech-and-action-without-meeting-protest, and propose that the voting age ought to be raised to twenty five.

It's been quite a week– for the entire world.

What's mind blowing to me is that I wouldn't know about any of this if it weren't for modern media. None of these events directly targeted me as a victim. If these stories hadn't sprung up on my news feed, I would be ignorant. So I recognize the place of privilege from where I sit as a write this article.

From my perspective, I see a world that is full of divisions, with groups fueled by hatred bringing the planet to its knees. I see innumerable problems spiraling around me in my white-middle-class-collegiate bubble. I see religious extremists committing mass murders that not only end and destroy innocent lives and derail whole nations, but contribute to the prejudice and marginalization of people who are perceived to be Muslim the world over. I see environmental catastrophes that grow worse and more frequent with climate change. I see the deeply rooted prejudice and violence within my own country against People of Color, and the way that when POC protest the microagressions and blatant violence they face on a daily basis, they are told not to be so sensitive, or that they got what was coming to them.

I feel that the world is out of my control, because it is, and that my own assignments and projects often pale with triviality at the import of contemporary struggles across the globe. My schoolwork and my personal affairs feel like a waste of time and energy when there is so much that needs to be done for the world, but I prioritize them anyway because I need to graduate. I advocate for issues I care about, both online and in my day to day life, but I don't feel like it's enough.

The advice that I provide for myself, and which I will now share with you, is to do your own, individual part, in whatever ways you find yourself equipped. Donate if you have the funds. Donate to the Paris survivors, or to Black Lives Matter, or to environmental justice nonprofits. Organize within your own communities, or join groups that already exist. Talk about contemporary issues with your friends and family, and most importantly, confront your own prejudices and privilege.

If you are white and you have not begun to examine the racism you have internalized (which everyone in our society has) and how it influences your behavior and beliefs, you need to do some research and some soul searching. It is important for us to reflect on and understand the ways that we fit into the web of intersectionality, privilege, and oppression, so that we can combat the oppression of ourselves and others in our everyday lives.

My other peace of advice, to both myself and you comes in the form of a quote which is shared online frequently, and especially in the last couple of days:

"Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

It's cliché, it's popular, but I really believe in it. I believe that love is the only way that hate is overcome. I do not mean though, nor did Dr. King mean, that one should remain passive in an attempt to love their enemy. Peace is not found by convincing victims to accept and forgive their attackers or oppressors, because the violence and oppression will continue unless it is stopped.Love does not mean forgiving what must not be accepted, so do not conflate passivity with peaceful honor. One can lovingly combat evil. Dr. King also said:

"I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; [...]"

It is important to act in times of injustice. I don't know what the future holds in regards to the terrorist attacks, the earthquakes, or race relations in the United States, but I hope that individuals around the world will treat each other with love, be they refugee, Muslim, Black, or otherwise. I hope that as we pray for peace we also pray for justice, and I hope that if justice is ever achieved, minimal blood must be paid for it.