The shocking and unwarranted events that unfolded in Paris and Beirut recently should not be condoned. We do not accept any reason or ideology that justifies such harm and sorrow.
While the perpetrators should be apprehended and held responsible for their actions, we should ultimately strive towards understanding the factors that led to these attacks and find a way to prevent them from occurring again.
However, fear of offending sensitivities should not drive the conversation about what has happened. As a society, we should strive towards creating an environment where our problems can be aired before they are allowed to drive wedges and create insurmountable divides that can no longer be bridged.
If anything, these events should serve as a stark reminder that solutions to tensions best arise from open and honest discourse, based on facts and unimpeded by ideology or partisan disagreements. Human lives should be valued over rigid adherence to dogma, for lives once taken cannot be revived again.
