From The Publisher: December 2015
Published 8:21 am Friday, December 11, 2015
Can there really be “Peace on Earth”?
By Art Suberbielle
As our thoughts turn to the Christmas season and all of the joyous celebrations with family and friends to come, we can’t help but wonder if the familiar holiday refrain of “Peace on Earth and Good Will to Men” will ever become a reality in our lifetime. Certainly we have witnessed more horrifying events during 2015 than we have in the last two decades. The most recent ISIS attacks in Paris that included simultaneous assaults on six separate locations illustrate how far some extremists are willing to go to create an environment of terror.
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Memories of the July shooting that occurred at the Grand Theater on Johnston Street in Lafayette are still fresh in our minds. Sadly, two innocent lives were lost before the shooter turned the gun on himself. A closer look at just the violent events that occurred in the U.S. within the last two years reveal that the perpetrators range from organized terrorists to mentally deranged individuals. What triggers these people to embark on such violent acts against their fellow man? What could we, as a society, have done to dissuade these people from performing such violent and treacherous acts?
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The world struggles to find a solution to quell the terrorists and irrational individuals. After the Paris attacks, France has declared war on ISIS. The U.S. has been fighting ISIS for several years and Al Qaeda since the 9/11 tragedy. Many other nations are also fighting other terrorist groups that have carried out violent acts in their geographic areas.
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What can you and I do, as individuals, to bring about a real peace on earth? We can each make a concerted effort to share the real joy and love from the first Christmas with our neighbors. And together we must fervently pray for peace. When hearts are filled with love and peace, there is no room for evil.
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The lyrics of one of my favorite songs offers this advice: “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.” Merry Christmas and best wishes from all of us for a peaceful and Happy New Year.
