Like us all I am filled with sadness and bewilderment over the events in Paris. The levels of hatred, disillusionment or whatever it is which lie at the heart of the actions perpetrated by these men is beyond anything I can explain.
All I can offer is my sympathy, for what it’s worth, for the families of those who have lost their lives and been injured in these attacks. It is an abomination without redeeming features by people who have hijacked, abused and grossly distorted the teachings of a religion and culture for their own sickening and very perverted ends.
We can make no sense of it because there is no sense. In the midst of these horrible scenes there were episodes of bravery and humanity which demonstrate how noble man can be, as well as pitiful and aggressive, and it is through contemplation of those episodes that I endeavour to keep my optimism about the future of our species alive at such a time.
Well said Wells. Let’s live on without fear.
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Truly horrific. A friend of mine’s son was at the Bataclan. He was hit but is alive and recovering after 6 hrs of surgery.
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That’s just terrible. I’m glad he is recovering, although the trauma of the situation will be hard to get over I know.
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Whatever the merits of a cause (and try as I have this cause is, objectively without merit in part or at all) I am unable to fathom such hatred toward innocents…justice for victims is now paramount, is the key over and above the random revenge I feel may ensue.
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Very well said
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Optimism is good. Precision directed explosive ordnance in ISIS enclaves even better.
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Thank you, Peter, for these words – I was also trying to find some way of expressing my horror. I can’t.
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Singing in your choir. Beautiful.
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“We can make no sense of it because there is no sense.” Indeed! Well said. I am there with you, trying desperately to regain such optimism as you display. I sincerely thank you for directing my attention away from the horror and toward the healing again. It does help! Blessings and Light to you, Peter! Keep hope alive, for some days it is all we have left…
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It’s crazy! Some well expressed sentiment here.
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I have so many reactions to this, I don’t know where to begin. One of them, though, isn’t President Obama’s, ‘Business as usual.’ There’s nothing ‘usual’ about what’s happening.
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These are dark days, indeed.
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To change the world requires a lot of hard work and that always starts at home. More and more we are coming to understand that there are many reasons that young men and women go forth, or are sent forth, to do harm to others. Not all of them are deeply committed to any cause other than the survival of themselves and their families. Somewhere in all the noise we must find the things we can fix and the things we must contain.
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yes, there are always those whose humanity rises above the inhumanity –
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To remember the humanity that rose out of the carnage is about the best tribute anyone can make to the victims and survivors. Thank you, Peter.
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HOW HOW HOW do we fight monsters….change a mindset, love one another?
I’m quiet anxious and VERY sad about Paris, indifference, and what is happening in our world, Peter.
xxxx
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One thing we all would take care to do, and that is hold tight to our compassion, our humanity. I work with some of our refugees, and I’ve found them seeking what we are all wish to do… build better lives.
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Dear Peter, you are so right “We can make no sense of it because there is no sense”, and that is the hardest thing because there is no explaining it to the children, for example…
After the first moments of bewilderment, and worrying about my relatives and friends (so grateful my parents aren’t big on heavy metal), I felt an immense compassion. For the victims and their loved ones, of course. But also for the men who thought they were doing the right thing by killing and maiming innocents: Their lives all tell a story of abandonment and failure somehow. How can anyone be so deluded?
Anyway, thanks for your lovely post. I felt unable to react at first, but things are sinking in at last, and I feel more determined than ever to spread tolerance and compassion in this world xx
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I did try to send you an email to your blog connected email address but it did not get delivered for some technical reason which would probably only be understood by a nuclear scientist
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Oh, that’s weird. Technology has its own agenda I’m sure 😉
You could perhaps try to message me via facebook, see we have more luck? Hope you’re ok anyway. xx
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Your comment is wonderful and compassionate in a way which lights a candle of hope in a situation marked by so much bitterness and aggression. There are vast “oilfields” of the disenfranchised all over the world now, and almost any cause, however far fetched which calls them to embrace it and gain a sense of purpose will find ready recruits. They are so dangerous because they have so little to lose, and being valued by anyone, however polarised they are, is worth dying for. A tragedy on so many levels.
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This is so true. When you read about the terrorists’ life stories, you realise that somehow the criminals who manipulated them into becoming killing machines, gave them a sense of purpose and belonging, which they hadn’t found elsewhere. As you said, the most dangerous people are the ones who have little to lose… Here’s to peace. xx
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