The Bali Bombings, September 11, the Martin Place siege.
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Most Australians remember where they were when those tragic events unfolded.
Now the November 13 Paris attacks have joined the ranks of the remembered, but at what cost to our humanity?
The deaths of 129 people and 433 wounded evoked some of the most compassionate messages around the world, but they have also evoked our ugliest.
Many have called for more scrutiny or a ban on refugees entirely, lest some unwanted terrorist slip camouflaged into our communities.
This reactive rhetoric has the power to strip all individuality from the cultures and nations of this world and lump populations together in a way that only speaks of our ignorance of who is fleeing for their lives, and whom they are fleeing.
It reveals our laziness and ignorance of the very real danger that exists in countries like Iraq and Syria, where people, just like ourselves here in Inverell, want a safe, peaceful and free life in their own homes.
By condemning a refugee to the same space as terrorists, we dehumanise the victims of the violence and play right into the heart of what drives groups such as Islamic State; an utter disregard for human rights and hatred.
As our children have the freedom to attend school, our disadvantaged can access health care and those who voice the need for equity in race, education, sexual preference or gender will not be subject to torture or execution.
It is not enough to say those countries had a choice, because it is not that simple.
Instead, perhaps it would be far wiser to foster a local culture of tolerance and understanding in Inverell.
We should teach our young ones to ask questions and demand answers rather than reacting.
We should take time to recognise ourselves in the fear and despair seen in a refugee’s eyes, because all of us have been there at some level.
So when your child heads off on her scooter for Ross Hill School or Macintyre High, a sister collects your toddler for preschool or your spouse or partner goes out to work the third shift tonight, cherish the security they will be coming home.
In the face of daily terror, too many cannot share that certainty, and that is not fair.