Posted by on Nov 17, 2015 | 10 comments

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A small fraction of the homage to the victims of the French terrorist attack

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So terribly moving, mama says, after her visit to piazza Farnese, the French embassy in Rome, where hundreds of flowers and poems and notes were left after Paris was so brutally wounded by terrorists.

But one of the letters left by a bouquet of flowers was this:

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It brings our attention to the fact that we, too, and others have invaded countries and harmed their inhabitants, but somehow, terrorism is different. Is it? The purposeful maiming and killing of innocent people out for a Friday night celebration of music and dining, a celebration of being in one of the world’s most beautiful and striking cities, is unthinkable, and yet the terrorism of Israelis towards Palestinians and vice versa is not forgivable either, to me. Why can’t human beings live with one another and STOP BELIEVING THAT THEIR BELIEFS ARE THE ONLY ONES? Freedom is an unknown word to so many on this planet. But freedom to kill? No. No. No.

And yet, there are those whose hatred is limitless. Young, uneducated, no hope for life as we know it, or perhaps no wish for life as we know it in the free world, is a basis for indoctrination and brainwashing. When there is little else to motivate one’s life, hopelessness is fertile ground for seeds of hatred.

The flowers brought many tears as mama and papa and their friends read the notes and letters to the French.

But as a wise man said, the only thing to fear is fear itself. Be wary, be aware, but live your lives as you have done, and try not to be a slave to or bullied by terrorism.  It is exactly what ISIS wants.

And bravo for the French army who struck surely and quickly after this incident. A slap on the nose for a bully? Who knows? These bullies are not like any others, but surely there must be a way to curb their actions that arise out of hatred for a free way of life.

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And how sad for the true Muslims who wish to simply worship as they have done until now and are affected by the radical Islamics terrorist actions.

My heart is not very big, but it is oh, so heavy.

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