My daily routine is quite simple: I wake up, I have my lemon-orange-ginger-honey drink and breakfast, I have my coffee while checking emails and news, I have my green tea while work, I do the lunch, I go out for 7km walk and do yoga, I have another coffee and sweet while seeing more news and facebook/twitter trash, I have my dinner, I have my herbal tea while watching the movie, after which I go to sleep. I see people in the meantime. I do phone calls. I play with my cats. I take care of their needs. Sometimes I blog. Occasionally, I go out at night, I visit friends, eat with them, drink with them, nod to their dramas (not necessarily interesting).
People live similar routine all over the world: Madrid, Rio, Toronto, Pyongyang.
Alright, maybe not Pyongyang.
Paris.
I have to be honest, my first reaction to the Paris terrorist attack news was total horror. I felt the same thing when this summer I saw report from Tunisian resort at Port Kantaoui. I watched the news report about the massacre and saw the resort I stayed at, just few years ago. Familiar pool area, corridors and hotel lobby were flashing on tv screen. I got plenty of photos and videos from this place. This time some blurred areas were hiding bodies on the beach.
Since I read the news on Paris Bloody Friday I felt bad. I felt sorry for the people involved or got-involved into this insane crime. I felt helpless and frightened. Of course I felt hate, and anger. I saw some well-known places on the screen, I recalled my moments there, and felt shivers thinking it could be me or someone I know. Victims are same everywhere - dead. The only difference for me was: yes, I (or you) could be in charter flight from Egypt, or laying on that beach in Imperial Marhaba, or having dinner in Paris restaurant.
I love Paris, who doesn't? My favorite neighborhoods are Le Marais and Latin Quarter. However, I feel strange when I get close to Gare du Nord/de l'Est and see hijabs and taqiyahs way too often. Strange, like uncomfortable. And, since I've been travelling all my life all over the world, this is a new feel.
I have relatives and friends in islamic faith. Faith as faith, I say potato you say potato. Big deal! But this strange new feel came with the horrific things done in the name of this religion, and I see it as natural reaction to the suicide-bombers, the Jihadi Janes with knives, the stories of promised virgins and kids with kalashnikovs. "Nigerian teenage girls killed 12 people in suicide attack".
What the fucking fuck?!?!?!
In my time, teenage girls were playing with their Barbies. If they were "bad", they coughed trying to smoke, winked at guys and wore mom's high heels. Not the explosive vest, for fuck sake.
After fear, I felt anger, than sorrow, than worry.
Further on, I realized these psychos actually aimed it: our deepest fears. To do things people do every day. To feel uncomfortable every time we go out, we squeeze in commute train, we pay at the cashier. To shrink from all our fellow citizens with appearance that differs from ours. To grab the floor at any sudden move and sound.
Living in fear isn't living. Half of Hollywood production is based on this premise.
So, the only thing to strike back is normal life. To keep on going with whatever makes you happy, satisfied and fulfilled person. To go out and see people you like (trust me, you don't have enough time for the bullshit ones), to visit that new cafe opened last week (if it's good leave a tip, if it's not just slaughter it in TripAdvisor), to see a movie in that hipster festival, and buy new shoes you're looking at for few weeks (not that you REALLY need them).
French director Michel Hazanavicius had own very graphic way of saying the similar, and you may read it HERE.
My daily routine remains quite simple: I wake up, I have my lemon-orange-ginger-honey drink and breakfast, I have my coffee while checking emails and news, I have my green tea....
Enjoy life, because you only got one, no matter what the religions are telling you.
People live similar routine all over the world: Madrid, Rio, Toronto, Pyongyang.
Alright, maybe not Pyongyang.
 |
| Geo 12 Paris ©AlexAndic |
Paris.
Since I read the news on Paris Bloody Friday I felt bad. I felt sorry for the people involved or got-involved into this insane crime. I felt helpless and frightened. Of course I felt hate, and anger. I saw some well-known places on the screen, I recalled my moments there, and felt shivers thinking it could be me or someone I know. Victims are same everywhere - dead. The only difference for me was: yes, I (or you) could be in charter flight from Egypt, or laying on that beach in Imperial Marhaba, or having dinner in Paris restaurant.
I love Paris, who doesn't? My favorite neighborhoods are Le Marais and Latin Quarter. However, I feel strange when I get close to Gare du Nord/de l'Est and see hijabs and taqiyahs way too often. Strange, like uncomfortable. And, since I've been travelling all my life all over the world, this is a new feel.
I have relatives and friends in islamic faith. Faith as faith, I say potato you say potato. Big deal! But this strange new feel came with the horrific things done in the name of this religion, and I see it as natural reaction to the suicide-bombers, the Jihadi Janes with knives, the stories of promised virgins and kids with kalashnikovs. "Nigerian teenage girls killed 12 people in suicide attack".
What the fucking fuck?!?!?!
In my time, teenage girls were playing with their Barbies. If they were "bad", they coughed trying to smoke, winked at guys and wore mom's high heels. Not the explosive vest, for fuck sake.
After fear, I felt anger, than sorrow, than worry.
Further on, I realized these psychos actually aimed it: our deepest fears. To do things people do every day. To feel uncomfortable every time we go out, we squeeze in commute train, we pay at the cashier. To shrink from all our fellow citizens with appearance that differs from ours. To grab the floor at any sudden move and sound.
Living in fear isn't living. Half of Hollywood production is based on this premise.
So, the only thing to strike back is normal life. To keep on going with whatever makes you happy, satisfied and fulfilled person. To go out and see people you like (trust me, you don't have enough time for the bullshit ones), to visit that new cafe opened last week (if it's good leave a tip, if it's not just slaughter it in TripAdvisor), to see a movie in that hipster festival, and buy new shoes you're looking at for few weeks (not that you REALLY need them).
French director Michel Hazanavicius had own very graphic way of saying the similar, and you may read it HERE.
Enjoy life, because you only got one, no matter what the religions are telling you.
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