Students in high school today were either not born yet, or don’t have memories of the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11.

Because of this, we don’t know what it felt like to live in a world where America felt invincible. A world were things only happened “over there”.

Since that time, other atrocities have occurred on American soil including the Boston Marathon bombing.

And with that, we have adjusted to living in a world were we know bad things happen, but we choose to see the good.

With the latest attack, which occurred in France, we once again saw the true spirit of humanity rise to the surface as people put aside their differences to support each other.

We live in a world where, if we allow ourselves, every morning we could wake up in fear that something horrible would happen.

Instead, we see our generation using social media to take a stand against the atrocities of a few as they try to cripple societies with fear.

From the actions of ordinary citizens opening up their homes in Paris to people who needed shelter via Twitter, to complex organizations like Anonymous vowing to take down ISIS’ online presence, we will not let fear win.

We will not let a few dictate how we live our daily lives. We will applaud social warriors as they came out onto the streets of Paris in protest of what happened to show that they would not be scared into submission. We will thank our service men and women for fighting for the freedoms we enjoy. And we will hug our loved ones because these events have reminded us, not that we should fear, but that each moment is precious.

As we approach Christmas and a time of family and friends, we hope that each of you will take a few moments to reflect on the life you have and be thankful for those who help ensure our safety and freedoms.
-The Norseman Staff