The terror tragedy in France in Buddhist light How can the horrible and tragic events in France be seen from a Buddhist perspective? Can the global situation with fanatical terrorism be analyzed in terms of the Buddhist theory of human mind? Can we as the global society do anything to heal the divide?

I'm sorry I'm posting this 100% opinion-based question. Normally, questions about current events are considered off-topic and would be closed. But I feel that we as Buddhists and as humans can't be silent, can't ignore this tragedy and pretend that nothing happened. Please share your thoughts and opinions.

My deepest condolences to everyone affected by the tragedy. My best thoughts are with you.
I saw the "breaking news" on BBC news web site last night.

Today they are still using the heavy black border around the headline which they reserve for grave calamity.



The sight (and formatting) of this headline is shocking to see, full-screen: it turns my stomach somehow.

There is nothing else in the news headlines, at the moment, it occupies every news slot:



I remember the TV news reporting the 9/11 attacks in New York. Two or three weeks later the TV was still replaying or showing the same photos of the infamous footage, and I switched off the TV news and I haven't watched American TV since then.
The subsequent invasion of Iraq by the Coalition of the willing (not to mention the invasion of Afghanistan) seems to me related to that kind of propaganda.



With respect and assuming you want to know the world news, I invite you to contrast the 130 dead in Paris with the number (hundreds of thousands) of people killed and homeless in (for example) Syria.

My specific suggestions are:


Be aware that something like this (i.e. people being shot) happens often in the world, presumably daily, although not where you are and not reported in the news you usually consume
Beware that news is emotionally sensational, with dramatic introductory music (even if if it's only a drum-beat), a hurried/worried/concerned tone of voice from the people reading the news, etc. ... and beware that those emotions, and/or what you call "memes", may be infectious.
Beware of the reaction to respond to violence with violence, fear, anger, revenge, e.g. go to war "to prevent further war" or something like that ... that might not be a good idea! The Dhammapada suggests that,


  
  Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world. By non-hatred alone is hatred appeased. This is a law eternal.
  There are those who do not realize that one day we all must die. But those who do realize this settle their quarrels.
  

We (most people) are probably not directly affected by these events (but we may be affected by news of the events). Isn't this partly a matter of "guarding the sense doors" which Buddhists have a habit of doing already?
If it does affect you personally (if you are at the scene of a shooting) historically one of the ways in which Pacifists serve in war-time is as "stretcher-bearers".




The French have a word "affoler" which literally/etymologically means "to make crazy". Here are some definitions of it from the 'net:


  
  (transitive) to madden, drive crazy (under the effects of a strong emotion)
  (transitive) to terrify, frighten, scare
  (intransitive) to run like crazy, leg it
  (reflexive) to go crazy, go bonkers
  


Or from Larousse,


To provoke great anxiety
To provoke emotional disorder


Avoiding this kind of "folly" within yourself might be a good beginning.