Advice for Parisians and Other Targets of Terror

Have experience with Centennial Park Bombing during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Was a spectator and was enjoying the park after midnight. There was a band across the street talked my friends into going over to see. They weren’t very good/interesting, and I was feeling restless. Felt like it was time to go. Really wanted to go and didn’t know why. We left to get food.

Took a half hour to go through traffic to a bar/restaurant to get food/drink, but they were shutting down. Why? Someone had blown up a bomb in Centennial Park. 2 deaths and 111 injured that night. Walked within 50 feet of where the bomb exploded.

How did we handle it? The Olympics Committee decided the games should continue. The park was closed for one day and reopened the second day. Went out of my way to be sure to walk through the park again the morning it opened. Not going to let someone keep me from living.

Terrorist want two things: Fear and government overreaction. They believe fear gives them power over you. Your government wants to protect you, but extreme invasive procedures can lead to government being overthrown. Power and no authority to stop them is the dream of terrorist/radicals.

The odds of being in a terror attack or violent events are very small in Western Civilization. Actually most countries are reasonably safe. War has actually been decreasing during the last 50 years. 

The best way to honor the victims and flaunt the terrorist is to simply live life without fear. Then terrorist have no power.