ISIS has proven to us again and again that violence commemorates hatred, and the vile hands of hatred carry the ability to twist our humanity in the best and worst of ways. Through prayers, peace rallies, and solidarity we are reminded that harm can reach us in every corner. The terrorist attacks in Belgium have left about 31 people dead and more than 100 wounded in the two bombings at the Zaventem airport and one subway station in central Brussels, and alas, the simplicity of cruelty leaves us astonished once again.
Some might say that torture is the best way for us to handle this situation and press for extensive profiling of Muslim communities (Ted Cruz and Donald Trump) while a majority of others develop a desperate need to tighten up security. However, there shouldn’t be a “tightening up” plan of action if the point of security is to prevent terrorists from attacking airlines, but anywhere where mass crowds of people stand in line will be inevitably vulnerable to harm and danger. As sad as it sounds, the possibilities are unlimited for those who seek to do evil in the world and whose desire is to kill as a sick plot of power and supremacy. However, if we made America into an exclusive and racist state, it would only gear more hatred and danger our way, therefore, making us less safe as we anticipate ISIS’s antics.
“Before I begin, please indulge me, I want to comment on the terrorist attacks that have taken place in Brussels. The thoughts and the prayers of the American people are with the people of Belgium, and we stand in solidarity with them in condemning these outrageous attacks against innocent people. We will do whatever is necessary to support our friend and ally Belgium in bringing to justice those who are responsible. This is yet another reminder that the world must unite. We must be together regardless of nationality, or race, or faith in fighting against the scourge of terrorism. We can and we will defeat those who threaten the safety and security of people all around the world.” [Obama]
In Obama’s address towards the recent ISIS attack above, an ambiguous promise is made. Not necessarily an empty one, but a vague promise doesn’t guarantee safety and it sure as hell doesn’t guarantee a united nation with a snap. It doesn’t take a lot to see the calamities shaken and thrown at us, it doesn’t take a lot to see the deflecting arguments of what our nation should do balancing like a game of hot potato, and it definitely doesn’t take a lot to push down the significance of what’s happening in our world, yet we do. When we wake up in the morning, our thoughts are simple and self-focused. We create a plan of action for our day, some of us starting with a cup of coffee, others with a catalytic drive to go right back into bed; however, it’s rare that we look in the mirror and see the scar-scratched face of humanity staring right back at us. We don’t see the lives of the 31 killed and 100 wounded, we don’t see the pain of the people experiencing attacks in their country on a daily basis, and we don’t see that we hold the power to shift our own focus. Instead, we say “give me one minute, I have to do this first,” and place our comfortable lives ahead of those whose "peace" entails daily despair and violent tears.
Even though we are not responsible for the brutish and diabolical hands of ISIS, we are responsible for locking eyes with the presence of fear, embracing its desperate hold over our vulnerability, and ridding of our blind sense of merely wanting world peace but not working to achieve it. When we target the non-white, non-majority culture of our society, we are saying, “We are not one.” When we build walls and point fingers, we are saying, “This is your fault.” When we stand knee deep in the muck and gore of this world and yet turn a blind eye to the ones suffering on our streets, we are saying, “I see you, but I am not you.”
As a nation of pre-dispositioned courage and bravery, we dare to hold tension, to challenge, and to question, but in that, when will we dare to love?
