Last night in Paris there were attacks on several public gathering places, a tragedy which follows other attacks on the city in recent months. I felt sorrow and anger as I read about yet another act of violence in our world. I felt sympathy for the caregivers and emergency workers who encountered the bodies of over 125 persons who had died, along with hundreds of others who were injured. I felt compassion for those who lost their loved ones so unexpectedly and may not have heard the news until hours after it happened. I even felt some compassion for the group who planned and initiated the shootings and bombings. What happens to a person, a group of people, to cause them to choose this way of being in the world?
As in many times when we are seeking solace, our unspoken hopes are named and brought to light through the arts: the haunting sound of a pianist playing Lennon’s “Imagine” filled the space outside the site of one of the shootings in honor of the victims the morning after the attack.
“You may say I’m a dreamer. But I’m not the only one.”
I didn’t feel like praying after I read the news today, even if it seemed like the thing a respectful Christian would do. When I was working as a chaplain, I would do my best to listen deeply to the patients and families with who I sat, to see what their needs were in regard to condition, grieving, loss of health, etc. I would choose my response based on what the perceived need was, not what I thought was best for them, taking into account their religious or non-religious preferences. So today, from afar, I spent some time online to hear a little more from victims and their families. The comments which told me the most originated from Joann Sfar, a cartoonist from Charlie Hebdo, the site of another tragic shooting earlier this year. The entire series is worth the time to read, but I wanted to share with you these two images.
Translation for second image: “Terrorism is not the enemy. Terrorism is a mode of operation. Repeating ‘we are at war’ without finding the courage to name our enemies leads nowhere. Our enemies are those that love death. In various guises, they have always existed. History forgets quickly.”
The motto of Paris is “It is beaten by the waves but does not sink.” Tonight we raise a glass of wine and toast those whose memories will not sink in the hearts of those they loved, and to all those who honor life.
Sustaining Spirituality 
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