Since waking up this morning I've seen people on Twitter and on my Facebook feed blaming Refugees (those who flee their come country due to heinous acts of terror) and Muslims (1.57 billion people who couldn't possibly "all be terrorists" or "we" would all be very extinct) for these acts of terror, an ignorant and reactive generalization, which supports fear, hatred and violence. The very acts we all wish to condemn.

I think I can speak for the majority here in France (a country which built its unity on brotherhood "fraternite") when I say it does not serve the lives lost to use this tragedy as a platform for racism and dehumanization. If it were me who passed away - I would find conclusive chatter such as this insulting and un-serving of a future I believed was possible.

This kind of impulse won't prevent another tragedy like this from occurring. It only feeds the anger resting inside the souls of those who commit these crimes.

Peace is what the majority of this world wants. But war comes at a price for everyone, including the aggressor. These tragedies, though horrific, are reactions amplified and provoked by the wars we as a Western world wage.

If we think new wars and aggressivity will snuff out the hatred directed at “us”, last night’s familiar tragedy is proof of the fallacy of that reaction.


Wars and agressivity breed further war and agressivity on both sides. If we allow our hearts to fill with hatred and our souls to fill with wrath, we become neither better, nor worse than those who seek to destroy our peace and freedoms. We become the same. Fed by the same fires of terror and darkness.

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