Monitor Talk: Readers react

As the world wrestles with the implications of Tuesday's terror, people are talking about how the event has changed their lives.

Here are some excerpts from our readers' comments on Tuesday's terrorist attack.

From: LMILICH Sep-11 10:18 pm

... Among the things we can be proudest of are our sense of justice, fairness, and our spirit of unity when tragedy strikes. We are viewing the spirit of unity now. Let us not violate the other precepts we hold sacred. Let us continue to show restraint. Let us prove that our nation, founded on individual rights, bloodied during the Civil War, struggling to find itself in the Civil Rights movement, consistently trying to better itself, can rise above mere vengeance. We are indeed at war with terrorism - but let us not be too quick to point the finger. The enemy is here, and he may be us, as Oklahoma City showed ... ( go to full message )

From: ZHUYEYEYE Sept 12 8:43 am

... We are standing on your side! Americans,be strong! You are [born] with confidence and courage. And I'm sure you will overcome the hard time, God help Americans! Let's mourn for the [dead]. But we cannot indulge in pain and sadness. Life will go on. With even more confidence and courage, let's defeat the enemy of the world - terrorism ... ( go to full message )

From: LASTREI Sept 11 7:17 pm

... I was sadden[ed] about the news today. The first thing I felt I needed to do was to turn to God. God is Love, he is not hate. He is not a revengeful God. We as his children must reach out to this world as a family, start showing we care for all people. We must stop the violence in our nation in order to stop the violence from coming from other nations. We need see a world as a family. Evil for evil only ends with more disasters. Let's us all come together and be a true family ... ( go to full message )

From: JAMESTOY Sept 12 4:11 am

... The entire world's intelligence resources are now directed towards finding out who did this. Such a massive terrorist operation no doubt left substantial clues. Certainly there are individuals out there who will have information that will lead to their capture. I wouldn't be surprised if even some small-time terrorists were horrified by the magnitude of this event, and they could provide valuable information. As discoveries are made over the next few days and weeks these animals will have fewer and fewer places to hide, and fewer people willing to hide them. I am confident they will be found ... ( go to full message )

From: SLFMS Sep-11 5:01 pm

... How do we let our government know we don't want to see massive retaliation or revenge. How do we mingle justice and love in such a situation. As someone has already said, "hate breeds hate". We can't afford to make empty threats or to take sides. We must remember that as awful as what has happened in the US today is it feels the same to others when it happens on their soil. Now is the time to see love conquer hate. Only love has the power to keep us safe. Now is the time for those of us who want to be peacemakers to speak and be heard one way or another as loudly as those who speak for revenge? It is also the time to band together with each other in love to work together and make the whole world a safer place ... ( go to full message )

From: THINKER113 Sep-11 7:52 pm

... Emotion clouds reason.

In the immediate shock of these unprecedented attacks some are calling for revenge, likening them to Pearl Harbor, and talking of a country on a war footing. This is not Pearl Harbor. Then the enemy was known and World War II was already in progress. Now the identity of the enemy is uncertain, and the greatest danger is an intemperate overaction which could escalate a volatile situation and hasten World War III.

A mature nation should act from the highest principles of universal justice, and a careful consideration of the likely outcome of its words and deeds. It should avoid using sterotypes to categorize any large group of people in a derogatory manner. Terrorists are small cells, and it is counter-productive to punish those around them, who may abhor their actions. I commend the Monitor's View that resilience and restraint are needed and hope that readers will support this ... ( go to full message )

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