All over the world today, people are frightened and upset about the terrible terror attacks in Paris.

We must give ourselves time to process this event and all the others like it, which seem to be getting more frequent. It is natural to feel angry, frightened and upset but feeling these powerful emotions are exactly what tell us that now is not the time to react.

Instead, we can pause to think and to calm down and to not react – but instead respond.

And how should we respond to such things? What can we do? Many of us feel helpless to stop such senseless violence planned by extremists and carried out by crazy people doing their bidding, who do not value life at all – even their own.

I do not know exactly how we should respond. But I do know that we should not react by blaming whole groups of people for this type of terrorism, or becoming violent ourselves, in our thinking or in our actions.

There is no reason to react right now, in the shocking wake of this attack. Right now is the time to take the time to process your own feelings and confusion. Don’t watch more media about this event than you need to information gather and see what happened. After that, get away from the news and soothe yourself and your fears.

When you feel more calm, think about the times in the past when humans have reacted powerfully to frightening events and then caused even more violence. Reacting is never as smart as responding.

Respond with compassion for those who were so senselessly killed, and their friends and family who are suffering so terribly right now, from their losses. Respond with compassion and concern for Syrian refugees in Europe who have fled exactly this type of terror in Syria. Be responsible for what you say and share on your social media. Encourage calm and critical thinking and taking part in our shared grief.

There are so many things in our lives that we cannot control. In fact, there is only one thing we CAN control – and that is our state of mind. Even strong emotions do not have the power to take away your ability to be kind, to be compassionate, to be reasonable and smart. Let the feelings pass and respond when you are ready.

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