Terrorism is defined by the FBI as involving "violent acts or acts dangerous to human life...[with the intent to] coerce or intimidate a civilian population, to influence government policy with intimidation or coercion, or to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping."
In this month alone, terrorist attacks have taken the lives of 1,001 people on four continents.
At least one terrorist attack has occurred each day in the last month. The largest of these took place in Baghdad, Iraq on July 3, and in Nice, France on July 14.
Attacks have targeted Christians, Muslims, military personnel of varying nationalities, and females.
Clearly, there is a problem.
The problem is not contained in one gender or religious affiliation.
The problem is not contained in one ethnicity or nationality.
The problem is not contained in one country or even one continent.
And yet we live in fear.
Fear of going downtown.
Fear of flying.
Fear of travel.
Fear of change in government.
Fear of neighboring countries.
Fear of religion.
A terrorist attack, as defined above, is intended to incite terror in a people.
If we as a society succumb to the intended fear provided for us by each new attack, then we are allowing the terrorists to succeed.
This is not to say that each attack, and the lives lost therein, should not be a source of grief. They should. And they will continue to be.
However, the ultimate retaliation is to allow the terrorist attacks that so plague our world to become a source of unity, rather than a source of suspicion and fear of those surrounding us.
We live in an increasingly isolationist culture. As exhibited most profoundly by World War I, this type of division is dangerous. In recent weeks, we have seen Britain leave the European Union, we have seen racial division in the United States, and we have seen continued religious divisions in the Middle East.
Nevertheless, most countries are globally interdependent in some respect. We cannot expect to move forward in a divided global society.
In Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1933 inaugural address he began with the words, "So, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself... terror which paralyzes efforts to convert retreat into advance."
We can only advance if we use fear to fuel unity against terror inducing forces. We must come together if we hope to see terrorist groups fall apart.
