My younger brother texted me tonight, asking me if I had heard the news today about what happened in Paris. Being on an opposite schedule from working nights I had missed what happened, however a quick scan of the news had filled me in with the gruesome details. The news of the shootings makes me feel incredible sadness for the people who lost their lives tonight (127 so far at the time of the writing of this post), as well as anger that we have to worry about being killed while enjoying a night on the town in today’s society.
Paris is an incredible city, and when you arrive you immediately feel like you have gone back in time. Every street has a story and contains some facet of their history. Walking the streets along the Seine, I remember feeling an incredible peace watching the people go about their daily business. There are street performers all over the place, and I remember being completely enraptured by one in particular who was playing an acoustic guitar in the same manner you would play a pedal steel guitar (I didn’t even know you could do this). When I think about Paris, I think about this peaceful afternoon I had and how beautiful everything felt to me.
One of the things I have tried to emphasize to my younger siblings (all three of them in their teens now) is the importance of traveling and trying to understand the world from other perspectives besides their own. I have specifically told them not to live in fear of experiencing the unknown and to enjoy what other places have to offer them. Sometimes I wonder if telling them this is really the best advice anymore. In a world where it seems like nothing is sacred and you can be killed just by stepping outside your home, I worry about their safety constantly. It is hard to stand behind your advice when they see things like this occur at random, all over the place.
My heart truly goes out to the people of Paris tonight, those who simply wanted to see a concert, those walking the same streets I had walked along to enjoy a nice evening, and those who just wanted to cheer along their favorite soccer team. This tragedy does not make this city any less beautiful. In fact, the more I read about this story, the more I see small instances of beauty in the details, little specks of light in the darkness. Taxi drivers offered free rides to move people out of danger, and people were using Twitter to communicate safe places to seek shelter. These acts of kindness put the humanity back into an inhumane situation.
I hope the people of Paris are able to find some peace. You will always be La Ville Lumière.
Thanks for sharing. Beautiful and sad.
I too wonder if our kids will ever be able to experience the world the way we did. The problem with acts of terrorism like this is that the payoff for the perpetrators is instant and global. Acts like this never fail to give them the attention and recognition they seek. If we aren’t willing to go where they are, carry the fight to them and take them out, then we always, eventually, will have to deal with them where and when they choose to attack us, our families, our kids. Terrorism is the default choice for the side with less power. I think it’s time we – the collective we, the US and our allies – used the power we have to take back control. These are the kind of enemies today’s military was built to deal with. The enemy will not simply decide to stop this kind of aggression. They have to be defeated.
@Kevin, I hate to admit that you’re right, because it means more war and inevitably more of our men and women getting killed in combat. I don’t want to sound like a bleeding heart hippie or anything, but will this madness ever end? I recently listened to a podcast called Update: New Normal? It was posted October 19th by Radiolab and you might be interested in it. It asks the question of whether or not war has become so commonplace that most of us accept it as a normal consequence of every day living. Most people they interviewed agreed that war is something that will always be a part of today’s society. Kind of sad when you think about it. Unfortunately, how else are we going to defeat terror groups like this? You’re right, these groups will not give up easily. They have to be taken out… however, makes me wonder what other groups are waiting to rise after the eventual fall of the current. I want my siblings to be able to travel and live their lives the way I got to when I was young(er). I just don’t think they can anymore.