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A call to stand united • Text of the remarks of international student body representative Leon D'souza at Thursday's candlelight vigil By
Leon D'souza The aftermath of Tuesday's tragedy will be with us for countless days ahead. That morning, many of us woke up to a scene straight from the movies. Only this time, Bruce Willis wasn't around to save the day. What seemed like images from the surreal world of cinema, told the story of the stark reality of life in New York City and Washington, D.C., on that fateful day. For many among us, there may be a delayed reaction. For others, there is a hurt that cannot be expressed. We are collectively shocked and troubled. Some of us want to react against the perpetrators of this horrific violence, but most of us don't know how. It is important for us, at this time, to slow down and pray. The great pacifist, Mahatma Gandhi, once said that an eye for an eye makes everyone blind. The best reaction to this dastardly act of violence is peaceful and united resistance against provocation, verbal or otherwise. We must go on with our lives though we have been hurt, and with steely resolve, work to rebuild what we have lost. Though it has been discovered that the human brain has 10 billion cells, each capable of making 5,000 connections, many connections are never made, and messages, feelings, visions, and thoughts never register, simply bump blindly into each other without any result. Cognitive scientists have shown that in the connections the mind makes, in the categories it uses, in what it considers relevant and what it ignores, it tends, if left to its own devices, to follow well-established patterns. History has many examples that show that humankind has traditionally reacted to violence with more violence. And many voices around us seem to suggest that we follow this well-established pattern in responding to Tuesday's attacks. History is so full of opportunities that have gone unnoticed, so full of thoughts and feelings that have remained sterile. This tragic event is an opportunity for us to go beyond the parochialism that keeps this wonderfully diverse society in a state of division. It is an opportunity for us to build bridges, and to reach out to those in need. This gruesome crime is not merely an offense against our America. It is a crime against humanity. In response, as citizens of the free and civilized world, we must stand strong, and more importantly, we must stand together.
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