Whether it lacks information, perspective, or anything resembling the potential goodness of the world, the news is hard to watch. We seldom come away with true reason, left only with the nagging, unresolved question of "Why?"
Why would someone want to blast into a bar, a concert hall, or a restaurant and kill unsuspecting, innocent people?
With actions devoid of real reason, we can't offer any idea as to why they happen. We just don't have answers.
But what we do know is that the goal of the attacks in Beirut on Thursday, Paris on Friday, and even the mass murders in Kenya back in April (if you're inclined to believe that genocide is an act of terrorism, which, to be clear, we most certainly do) was, at the heart of it, to terrorize.
What we do know is that our hearts were broken, and that we will struggle to move forward.
We agree with President Obama's statement that Friday's attack on Paris was an "attack on all of humanity and the universal values that we share."
We do know that the way to win against these senseless act of violence is by doing the exact opposite: by not accepting the terror. By not living with fear. By continuing to lead love-filled, compassionate lives.
Read on to find out what we can do in New York City to keep the bad guys from winning.
1. Don't be afraid
On Monday Night, Trevor Noah said on The Daily Show that the terrorists who attacked Paris did so to replace our everyday experiences with images of "death and fear." That's what these terrorists wanted to implant in our minds: death and fear.
How could they not? Ever since the attacks, many of us have been clutching our loved ones close, imagining ourselves in the Bataclan and wondering how we'd react.
In NYC, so many of us were hurled back to that terrible day on September 11th, 2001 when so many of those we loved were hurt, and hurt in just as senseless and incomprehensible a way.
By imagining this terror, we prolong the terror. So forgive yourselves for not imagining sitting on the floor of the Bataclan, waiting to be shot. It's a terror you did not experience, and it's one you shouldn't have to now.
Don't confuse this "actively not imagining it" with not mourning. Of course we should mourn for everyone that has died, and we should remember them.
But we need to go about our lives in a world that refuses to accept fear as the rational mindset. Even if that need takes the form of simply going out to concerts, restaurants, and bars, do it without fear.
What we shouldn't do is define the entirety of the lost lives with their last moments; moments that were determined by terrorists. We should remember them for their love, for the moments of their lives they led in every moment.
What we need to do, NYC, is to get up every day and trust, and love, and to live without fear. The terrorists wanted us to bring fear with us every day, all day long. We win by living with courage.
2. Keep our hearts open
mic_news So far 22 governors have said that they oppose accepting Syrian refugees in their state. Does yours?
In continuing with the idea of not being afraid, we believe it's entirely important to keep our hearts open. Closing our hearts and standing divided is an act of fear.
Keeping our hearts open means not confusing refugees with terrorists. It means we need to remember that the people perpetrating these acts of terror are exactly who the refugees are running from.
According to The New York Times, President Obama wants to admit 10,000 Syrian refugees next year. Jeb Bush's response? That it might be okay to admit only Christians.
Jeb Bush's absurd answer isn't the only wrong-footed solution. Marco Rubio said we should stop accepting refugees altogether. Republicans on Capitol Hill are expected to push for legislation this week that would block Obama's initiative to accept refugees.
In NYC, we pride ourselves on our diversity, our open-mindedness, and our compassion. Let's try to remember that oneness we all share as humans; that thing we can't discuss but we can feel. It's called empathy.
We should remember that seldom-observed adage of treating others how we'd like to be treated. We must carry ourselves the way we'd want to be carried if we were ripped from our homes, forced out of our country, and on the run from something deeply sinister.
,3. Keep our minds open
In the wake of the horrific, barely-comprehensible attacks on innocent people this past year, we need to prevent ourselves from falling into the trappings of blind hatred, and, in recent American history, such has taken the form of Islamaphobia.
To paraphrase Trevor Noah once more, we should not focus on the perpetrators.
These attacks, while overbearingly associated with the term ISIS, resemble less of an attack on anyone in particular than they do an attack on the very fibers of humanity.
When it comes to keeping our hearts and minds open in the wake of last week's terrorism, we need to focus on supporting the Muslim community. ISIS is not representative of Islam.
Let's try that again: ISIS is not representative of true Islamic beliefs, values, or culture.
Too often though, fear enters the body as anger. We cannot turn this anger on innocent people. We are not terrorists.
After 9/11, Islamaphobic attacks in the United States increased by 1,700% in 2001, according to The Huffington Post.
In 2000, the FBI recorded 28 hate crimes against Muslim. In 2001, there were 481.
"When you 'other' and dehumanize groups of people to define yourself against, it allows you to speak in a language of unspeakable destruction and violence," Steve Rose of The Huffington Post wrote.
Yes, this unspeakable destruction and violence is exactly how this off-shoot faction of a distorted interpretation of Islam prevails; a mindset of unconscionable terror.
People in France have been donating blood, offering free Taxi rides, piling tons of flowers and candles outside the sites of last week's terrorist attacks. Why should the Muslim community of NYC deserve anything short of the same brand of companionship, warmth, and acceptance?
Let's do our part to reach out, make everyone feel safe, and make it resolutely clear that no innocent person in NYC can forgive the senseless acts of extremists and terror.
Check out 7 Places in NYC to Give Back to Your Community This Thanksgiving.
[Feature Image Courtesy Elegran.com]