Syrian Refugees, Terrorism and America

Terrorism.
Terrorists, ISIS, death, violence, panic, fear.
Terrorism is rampant. The world is just waiting for the attacks which inevitably will come. The world is mind-numbingly afraid, and I understand why. Awful things have happened, and will continue to happen. These things may, perhaps, even progress in brutality and horror.
But we must not allow ourselves to be governed by fear in the face of evil.
Being afraid is reasonable; being controlled by fear is not.
You know why terrorists are called terrorists? Because they try to use terror to further their own goals. If we allow ourselves to be so deeply affected by this we simply allow ourselves to fall right into the plans of those who are declared enemies and who wish to cause us harm.
We must overcome this, and consult logic and our own highest values rather than the fear that is in our hearts.

One problem that is very prominent in relation to recent terrorist attacks is the effect they might have on America's policy in regards to Syrian refugees. Many say that we need to take in these "huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore.... the homeless, tempest-tost". After all, isn't that what we as a nation have chosen to live by? This is the ideal represented in the monument that we choose to look towards as symbol of what America stands for. I personally subscribe to this view and will do all I can to help those in need.

Others say that it is too much of a risk to take in refugees, because in all likelihood some of these will be terrorists sneaking in to destroy us. They say that we should not care for those outside of our borders when those inside are suffering. I can see this point, as well.

To quote Chris Jones, a teacher who I admire very much,  

"It is not necessarily incompatible with Christianity to want to keep your family safe.

It is not necessarily brain-dead to extend yourself to help other people, even if there is a real chance some of those people will hurt you for it.The other side is not composed entirely of hypocrites and the criminally insane.

Light is eternal, feed it. All dark will fade, don't give in to it."

Whatever we do, we must not do out of fear. We must consult our courage. We must ask reason. We must live according to the ideals which we proclaim to hold in times of peace.
Make your own decision. But make it for the right reasons. Do not give evil the power which it demands.

Losing "The Sea of Faith"

"The Sea of Faith/Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore/Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled…” Montag reads to the women in his parlor. None of them like it, but Mrs. Phelps is stricken with such sorrow that she breaks down in tears. Why does she, a grown woman, cry? Bradbury does not explicitly state why, but it can be understood, given the society in which she lives. In this society, fun is the goal of everything. Anything which is unenjoyable is frowned upon and shunned. Bradbury also gives us some insight into Mrs. Phelps’ personal history. She divorced her first husband, but must pretend that divorce is a fun and easy switch to another guy. The second died, but she mustn’t grieve because where grief exists pleasure does not. She and her third husband agree not to truly love each other, and not to cry if he dies in the war. Surely it is impossible to maintain a ‘sea of faith’ amid these circumstances. Surely this woman, with her dozen abortions, has come to the conclusion that the world “hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light”, as Montag read. So this woman weeps for her husbands. She weeps for her children killed in the womb. She weeps for the death of the dreams she never really had to begin with. This poem, though constructed of mere words, was more for Mrs. Phelps; it was the awakening of a long-sleeping grief.