By: : Jack Armstrong 
Copy Editor

In the wake of the tragic events this month that shocked our world to its core, there is one question that is being asked over and over: Is it safe for me to resume my normal life?

People in Paris are worried that they cannot go out and gather in public places safely anymore, people in Colorado are worried that their clinics are no longer places of healing, and people all over are worried that they are next.

The message we hear from our politicians is largely unchanged from the aftermath of the September 11 attacks: be alert and aware, be safe, but above all else, be normal.

Normal is what shows those people who would do us harm that we are not afraid. Normal is what terrorism seeks to disrupt, and we must respond in kind.

For many, normal is simply leaving the house to go about their day, but for some of us, normal before the attack was travel, and specifically international travel.

The U.S. State Department has issued a warning to all American international travelers. While these warnings are not uncommon, they are often for singular countries that are experiencing different issues, but a worldwide alert like this is rare.

The warning begins, “Current information suggests that ISIL (aka Da’esh), al-Qa’ida, Boko Haram, and other terrorist groups continue to plan terrorist attacks in multiple regions.”

This is scary.

But that is the point of warnings: to be scary. If you read the rest of the warning (a whopping five paragraphs), it boils down to this: terrorists exist in all parts of the world; they could be planning to strike anywhere or anytime, but all we can do is gently suggest that travelers be vigilant.

Even though the whole warning is not as scary as the intro sentence might suggest, it’s still not great.

The fact that we have to issue this warning at all is not a great sign for the trend of peace on earth, but nowhere in the warning does it say “stay home.”

Before the most recent round of attacks, my wife and I were offered the chance to travel to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates over winter break.

When we told our families, they were excited for us to go. Both of our families travel in their own right so this was nothing out of the ordinary, but then Paris and Beirut were attacked, the State Department released their travel warning, and our families changed their tune.

The enthusiasm was replaced with nerves, and what was the mild concern of any parent sending their child abroad shifted into full-blown panic. We wrestled with the possibility of delaying or canceling.
We are still going.

Does this mean that we are brave? No, brave is the refugees floating the Mediterranean. Does this mean we are taking a stand? No, Parisians took a stand by going to the England vs. France soccer match after the Germany vs. France game was attacked only days before.

This just means that we are returning to normal.

Normal isn’t just about doing your day-to-day tasks without fear, it isn’t even really about doing the out-of-the-ordinary without fear.

Normal is acknowledging that life is scary. Normal is the understanding that even without terrorism, simply stepping out of your house is dangerous. Normal is accepting that you cannot control much of anything, and you could be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

But normal is also acknowledging that life is beautiful. Normal is the understanding that even with the possibility of tragedy, stepping out of your house is always worth it. Normal is accepting that you cannot control anything, but you can control what you see and experience before your time is up.