From Paris With Love

     On Friday, November 13th, the world witnessed another act of inhumane violence and atrocity. The city of Paris was victim to a coordinated terrorist attack that left over 100 civilians dead and hundreds more injured. In the minutes following these attacks, massive outreach and support poured in from across the world, even as these attacks were ongoing. I for one wish that none of us had to see this massive support in the first place, but it was a welcomed response to this tragidy.

     As I returned from my visit to a local store in town, I was treated to a front page reddit post that claimed that there was a shooting outside a restraunt in Paris. I glanced over the post not thinking much, until minutes later that post evolved into a coordinated attack that was ongoing in the city. There were several redditors that took the sole responsibility of keeping upwards of twelve thousand live viewers updated with the situation. As events unfolded, they kept the viewers informed with phone numbers and twitter accounts that you could contact if you were in Paris and needed a place to stay. This amazed me and showed that even in the darkest of times, complete strangers were opening their doors to let victims have some type of refuge.

     I believe that events like this past Friday's attacks show the best that humanity can do in the face of a horrible incident. Through the power of social media, people had a means of contacting their loved ones to let them know that they were safe, or contact one of the many organizations that was taking in victims. A part of me wishes that these out reaches to victims was never seen because these events never took place. The sad truth I that atrocities like this happen all over the world and they won't be stopping soon. My prayers and thoughts go out to the families that lost loved ones that night in the streets and concert halls of Paris.