In light of recent events, including the tragedy in Paris, I have been reflecting on how violent and tragic events affect me and what these events mean for the world. Sometimes these events can be confusing, leaving the world at a loss for how to move forward. Even though I don’t have the answers, I am still moved by these events and hope for peace and change.
When I walked into the Anderson 5th floor lounge on November 13th, eyes were glued to the TV as CNN broadcasted the news that Paris had faced a terrorist attack. It was silent and peoples’ minds seemed to be reeling. Someone then commented that they should stop the constant broadcasting and allow people to collect themselves in peace. Another person pointed out that families were probably still unsure if their loved ones were safe. Other than that, there was not much to say other than how sad it all is.
When I peeled myself away from the screen, I walked away and out of the lounge feeling defeated. Why does this happen? Why do innocent people die? What can the world to do stop this? I also felt scared. It’s so easy to imagine myself, my friends, or my family being a person in a restaurant or at a concert hall. It’s so real. Living in DC, the heart of the United States where some of the most important buildings, documents, and people exist, the intensity of this threat becoming real where I live is increased. I also felt that I had become disillusioned. Paris is the City of Love—a romanticized, peaceful, and beautiful place. I have always dreamed of going to Paris; the background on my computer is a picture of the Eiffel Tower and I have a black and white poster of Paris hanging above my bed in my dorm. I have never imagined something so horrifying happening in this city. I felt like a child, whose imagination and spirit had been dampened.
Despite this, I refuse to lose hope. I can’t go through life with the belief that the world is a bad place and that people are inherently bad. The world can be dangerous and sad, but I have to remain hopeful. In times like this, I make sure to take time to appreciate my friends, my family, and my homes in DC and Boston. We need to continue to work towards finding peace, which is a daunting task but an important one. More than change your Facebook profile picture to a red, white, and blue filter or post a picture on Instagram with a hashtag, choose to speak, write, dance, sing—anything that will send a positive message into the world. My heart goes out to the people of Paris and the many other victims around the world, whose struggles do not get the same attention from the media. On the same day as the attacks in Paris, there were bombings in Beirut, an Earthquake in Japan, and suicide bombings in Baghdad. There are also so many other silent tragedies that have been taking place around the world. As discussed in the book Half the Sky, approximately 60 million girls are “missing” from communities around the world due to selective abortion of female fetuses and neglect of female children. In Syria, more than 250,000 people have died since the violence began in 2011 and 11 million pepole have fled their homes in Syria (CNN.com). With all this in mind, I move forward with hope for peace.
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