The Enemy is Hate 

What has happened is horrible, terrible, and it has disrupted our lives in immeasurable ways.

The targets - New York City and the Washington, D.C., area - are located in two of the most international urban areas in the nation. This was not just an attack on America. It was an attack on humanity. It was an act of inhumane hatred, deliberately targeting innocent lives. It is more important than ever that humanity comes together across racial, ethnic, religious and national lines.

The enemy is hate. If victims become persecutors, the terrorists win.

In the wake of these events, many are looking for immediate ways to act. Some are giving blood or money to the Red Cross, some helping with Travelers' Aid, some comforting family, friends, coworkers and neighbors.

Many are also looking for longer-term ways to help heal a world in which such horrible things happen. How can we build a world in which terrorism not only cannot hide, but cannot thrive? How can we extend peace, justice, liberty and security, as well as build and extend harmony between those who are different?

There are many questions and tasks for the days, weeks and years ahead. Together, we can do what no one can do alone.

Author: Jone Johnson Lewis, Leader, Northern Virginia Ethical Society