The number of deaths was in the forties when I first checked the news on Friday night and learned about the terrorist attacks in Paris. Within an hour, the number had risen to over one hundred and the complexity of the various staged attacks were beginning to become clear. Even across the Atlantic Ocean, the attack has sparked fear among many of those around me and has led many more to feel a sense of instability in our global society. But rather than focus on the actions themselves that brought pain to those not just in and from France, but to those around the world, I want to look at the aftermath: the responses taken across nations and cultures by those unwilling to bow down to terror.
To me, it was a poignant moment to see a news camera showing masses of people surrounding the various sites of tragedy paying their respects gradually zoom in on nearby windows shattered bullet holes from the night before. People did not hide away in their homes too frightened to leave; they did not let terrorism keep them from living. And this is something that should not go unnoticed. Those in Paris did not avoid the areas targeted just hours earlier, but instead crowded to them and placed candles and flowers on top of sidewalks still stained with blood. The police did not push them away, but allowed the grief to be expressed, and in many cases, joined in the expressions of loss.
These actions are proof that even in a world where the most welcome attractions can be made the backdrops of terror, society is not willing to submit to whims of extremism. Life must go on, and even if this means living a life with a nagging notion of vulnerability, society is not going to be frightened out of joy and freedom. In returning to the restaurants, stadiums, and concert halls targeted on Friday, November 13th, individuals have shown that fear is not a force that can prevent the manifestation of solidarity among mankind.
In looking at society's response to these crimes, one is able to see that the human spirit cannot be shadowed by the unknown. Terrorism, as eloquently noted by French soccer player Lassana Diarra, is a "horror that has no color, no religion." It has no nation nor limits either. As such, it is inevitable that the fight against terror will be both long and trying. Attempts to prevent all future attacks will not always be successful, and many innocent and good people will continue to be lost to terror no matter the amount of time or money put into counterterrorism programs. Yet, in remaining united and continuing to live amongst these threats of terror, the global community has proven that the battle to break its spirit will never be realized, and for this we can already declare victory.
