We are divided. We should still stand.

The world is broken... irreparably so. It would be a mistake to assume otherwise. 

Ok before I launch into this I feel like certain initial disclaimers are required for context.

•  I in no way support, condone or sympathise with the atrocities perpetrated over the last few weeks. These were despicable, inexcusable acts of pure evil.
•  These people deserve to be tracked down and punished and I fully support the actions of the government and military to do this.
• Most importantly, this is not a message of despair. On the contrary, it is one of hope, strength and bold defiance in the face of evil. If you read through to the end, you will understand.

The world is broken...irreparably so. It would be a mistake to think otherwise. There is an insidious divide, and there is no way to bridge that gap. We are fundamentally different.

Now, I don't mean that we're culturally different, or that we have different religious beliefs or that we are different races or genders or ethnicities. I'm referring to the most fundamental and incurable of differences; the difference between good and evil. These people aren't spreading hate, violence and destruction because they're Muslim. They are doing it because they are evil and filled with hate. Until we understand this, we cannot begin to understand how we fight them.

Let's look at world peace.

Putting aside the ridiculousness of the notion of "fighting for peace", world peace is an unattainable Nirvana for the simple fact that there will always be hate in the world. There will always be evil (I'll get to that later). So no, we can't all just get along. 

When we bomb or attack the terrorists, we are not necessarily eliminating the threat, only shifting it. Violence will never beget peace, violence only breeds more violence. This is not to say our governments shouldn't destroy them, they should. They have an obligation to the safety of us citizens and must do everything within their power to ensure that safety.

What we need to worry about is our own reaction, as civilians, lay people on the street. ISIS & al Qaeda have two clear philosophies they are trying to promote; fear and hate. Much is made of us not succumbing to the fear but I don't hear too much about keeping the hate out. If IS can make you hate your fellow man, wherever he is from, simply because he has different beliefs to you, then they have already won. You cannot fight hate with hate. Martin Luther King Jr once said "darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that."

Antonine Leiris sets a perfect example

The only way to fight evil is with good. As evil is continues to be done in the world, it is yours and my job to do good. I read somewhere that the balance between good and evil is the good. The point being that there will always be evil in the world, and all that we can do about that is more good.

...darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
 

Whether it be in matters of terrorism or racism, it is important to remember that there is evil in the world, there are terrible people bent on doing horrible things. But there are good people. You are one of those good people so when terrible people do horrible things, it is your responsibility to do even more good. We are divided; good against evil. Let us stand for good.