So when I was in pre-school and kindergarten and… well, just all school in general, I would have the occasional bully. The advice I was always given was, bullies want a reaction. They want your anger. They want you to swing back, because then, they are justified, and they can, and will hit you back – or at the very least, be proven that their hatred of you, irrational as it might be, is just.

Paris, and anything like this, goes back to what we learned back then. You don’t respond to hatred with hate. That justifies actions, and makes you a part of the cycle. You swing back. The reaction you get justifies your actions, and the cycle continues, never broken.

What the world needs more than anything, is empathy, humanity, and understanding. Because with each punch thrown, from any side – ANY side, hundreds and thousands of people die. Fighting has never solved anything. It’s a cheap way to appear strong and it comes at the cost of lives.

Using words and rejecting the cycle of fear and hatred is a lot more terrifying, because it requires you to rely on the humanity and empathy of others. Sometimes, you won’t be rewarded for this attitude, and it will seem easier to fall back into old habits – but far less people die from the actions of empathy – and a cause has far less support if attacks are met with words.

The best thing that can be done in the face of Paris, is to be empathetic to those around you, and to show humanity to all. EVERYONE. The assholes won’t back down, but at least they’ll be alone against a united front of wonderful, patient and understanding human beings – which is something no one can fight against.

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