This Nice Attack Survivor Said The Most Powerful Thing About Facing Tragedy

An American witness to the horrific attack in Nice, France that left at least 84 people dead, including 10 children, just offered the world a profound example of how it should respond to terrorism.

During an interview with CNN, he was asked,

What's next for you as you continue to fight this on a personal level?

He responded,

What's next for me and what should be next for most people is to just carry on. We have to go on. We have no other choice but to go on. We cannot let this take over our lives. We cannot let this control our freedom. For me, personally, of course it's changed my life. I'm shocked. It's a memory I'll keep for the rest of my life. But at the same time, this is not going to stop me from living, and this not going to stop me from doing what I want to do ... and support the people that I want to support.

Below is the clip of his poignant statement.

The purpose of terrorism is to create pervasive fear throughout society in such a way that it disrupts everything about our lives. Terrorists want us to make choices that erode the freedoms we cherish. Terrorists want us to do things that contradict our values. Terrorists want us to walk through this world afraid; they want us to fall into despair. Terrorists want us to embrace division and hatred.

We can't give these monsters the satisfaction. This man's response to the abhorrent events in Nice is precisely how we should respond to terrorism: Do not let it change who you are at your core.