Human Right 31: The Right to Life without Fear




The world just learned of terrorist attacks in Belgium- three explosions in major metro hubs of Brussels. Though it is too soon to say for sure, news sources are saying it is in retaliation for the arrest of Salah Abdeslam, a man associated with the Paris attacks. Now I won't pretend to know the intricacies associated with this attack or the one in Paris, but I will say the little I do know, hurts my heart and saddens me to my core. 

I think working as a nurse has made me somewhat immune to the culture of fear. I see horrible things unexpectedly happen to people everyday, and it has taught me that no matter how carefully you live your life, whatever is meant to happen, will. And so for that reason, I won't let fear of what ifs dictate my life. But that's not how most people live, and respectfully so. It is very disheartening to know that there will people afraid to ride the metro to work from now on. Or to let their kids hang out with friends of  a certain race or religious background. Or to travel to certain parts of the world lest they may become a victim of a terrorist attack. What is a life in which fear permeates so many of our everyday decisions and thoughts? Could there be anything sadder?  

I am trying to understand these terrorist's motives and subsequent actions, and I just cannot. I admit, I don't know what it feels like to have been deeply wronged by someone or have felt as if I was wronged. I don't know what it is like to have grown up in a war torn country war filled with horrors and violence at every corner. Or to have grown up in desolate poverty with little opportunity for education, or personal/familial growth and prosperity.  I also don't know what it feels like to be so darn angry at a whole race, lifestyle, religion, etc. I don't know any of those realities, but I also don't know how can you feel so strongly about whatever your cause/conviction may be, that the only way you can make peace with the situation is to create terror. My ability to empathize is failing me.



 I also do not understand how creating terror in a community solves anything? It just exacerbates the problem? People will not respect you or your organization (or beliefs, religion, whatever) anymore than they already do or don't, if anything, you will be more despised than ever before. But perhaps, this is an arena where logic is clearly not a driving force. These actions are based on emotion. Crimes of passion. 
My prayers and thoughts are not only with Brussels today, but all of us in this global community. I hope that we can find the value in not just each other's lives, but the value of life without fear. Because at the end of the day where fear is, happiness is not.


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