No justification, but a question yes: "Can you live in an enchanted Eden while there is war outside?" It seems not. The attacks of Islamic origin that have taken place in Paris and Vienna in recent days seem to confirm that if "distant" conflicts are not resolved, sooner or later the consequences will also be felt nearer to home, which is not heaven on earth, but is a place which is very comfortable compared to the rest of the world. Without getting too wrapped up in guilt, because the responsibility is never of those who suffer the attacks, we must begin to treat terrorism as a widespread and asymmetrical war, and bear in mind that like all conflicts this too has economic origins. There is no God who asks for unfaithful blood but rather there are pseudo-religious extremists who find fertile ground in situations of very serious social hardship. Poverty does not justify violence. It makes it possible, almost probable. Condemning attacks is just as well as necessary, but it's not enough. Shutting ourselves away within our borders doesn't work. The only means that have so far allowed a continent like Europe to have over seventy years of peace are dialogue, openness and the Union. However, the method is complicated to implement. To talk you need to have at least two people. How easy it is to shout at killers but how difficult it is to find a way to remove those social inequalities that facilitate the origin of distorted interpretations of sacred texts that fuel extremism. Such is the work of mediators and diplomats. One may begin with symbolic gestures, exemplified by Maria Dolens, while waiting to follow through with practical initiatives. In any case, after having condemned unjustifiable acts, we need to understand why they happen and try to intervene at the root of the problem.
