I usually sit down to write these columns on Friday night but this last Friday, I just couldn't bring myself to do it.
The news out of Paris - well over 120 people dead and twice that many wounded - was just too surreal. What sort of person does that?
The answer, of course, is a terrorist.
Terrorists, by definition, engage in terror. They want to make a point by scaring large numbers of people through murder and mayhem. They want to see the world burn.
But how could this happen? With all of the security we have in place - with billions spent at airports, train stations and along our borders - how could terrorists get into a country such as France and commit such heinous acts? Why weren't the citizens of Paris safe?
These sorts of questions will likely occupy the airwaves for weeks as pundits point out the failings of the French and American intelligence networks or the incapacity of the French army to act quickly. I am sure there will be diatribes from Republican presidential candidates telling us that if everyone had been packing a gun, no one would have died.
There will be others who will say, in a smug sort of way, the West had this coming. This sort of act is exactly the sort of response one could expect to the invasion of Syria and the military action there.
Indeed, I am sure we will even hear from conspiracy theorists that this was actually staged by the CIA so governments around the world can continue their war on terror. That was certainly a popular message after the 9/11 attacks.
I would respectfully submit that no one can ever truly make a city, an airport, a soccer stadium or a country safe.
Anyone with sufficient will and minimal resources can create mass mayhem and murder. Anyone.
Simply driving a car or truck through a crowd of people could kill many, injure many more and be considered an act of terror. Imagine the scene if someone chose to run down students in a school yard or went after fans as they poured out of an arena after a hockey game, all in the name of some religious or political cause.
These incidents don't happen because the vast majority of us are not terrorists.
We have a healthy respect for human life. We value our fellow human beings.
Unfortunately, there are people who do not feel the same way or hold the same values. There is no way to safety proof a nation against such actions.
No way to ensure they will never happen. Protecting a nation is not like baby-proofing a house for a toddler with safety latches and stair gates.
How could the terrorist attacks in Paris happen? Because there is no real way to stop them from happening.
Could they happen in other cities?
Yes. But that doesn't mean that the terrorists win.
In my opinion, this is the most important thing to consider. We can not give into terror.
We can not put fences around our country and close the door, huddling inside, afraid of the world out there.
We can not let what the terrorists do change who we are, what we stand for, what we believe. If we do, the terrorists win. Once we bow down before their terror, they know we will always bow down. It emboldens them.
They are bullies. They are the kid who threatened to hit you if you didn't hand over your lunch money. That kid kept coming back every day because he or she knew you would capitulate. It is the bully mentality.
And it is how terrorism works.
Over the next month and a half, the Canadian government promised to bring in 25,000 refugees from Syria.
Men, women and children desperate to flee a deadly conflict.
Many refugees might already have relatives in Canada or will be sponsored by a church and other groups.
It is a humanitarian effort necessary to save lives.
But with these attacks in Paris, will we close our borders? Will we say "no" to these refugees? The little voice inside us might just say: "But some of them could be terrorists!"
Do we listen to that voice? Do we let the terrorists win?
I would hope we accept these refugees as new Canadians. I would hope Canada would be an example of how we can all live together. I would hope our values will hold true.
I would hope that we tell the terrorists of the world that we are not afraid.
That they are wrong and their path is doomed.
I am not a religious man but I pray that this act of senseless violence doesn't make the world a colder, harder, harsher place. We can not let the terrorists win.
