The recent attack on the United States shows that the world is full of heroes, full of brave men and women, full of good people. We have also seen that the world is also full of cowards, despicable men and women, and unconscionable evil. Such is the case at Guilford College. There is no Guilford Bubble. There is nothing that separates Guilford from the rest of the world. Students talk about how the “bubble” of the school shelters us from the outside world. In this writer’s opinion, nothing could be further from the truth.

After this past week, after the tragedy in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania and watching the news networks all week, watching events unfold, it has become abundantly clear to me that while we are small, Guilford is the world.

When talking about Guilford being in a bubble, it would imply that because we are such a small community, we are sheltered from the outside. And to a certain extent, that is true. Guilford, as a whole, is a very liberal campus where for the most part, students feel comfortable expressing not only their ideas, but also who they are.

It is best said that the students at Guilford make no apologies for who they are, whereas in other settings, people might not feel the ability to openly express themselves for a number of reasons.

The heroes of this world are the people digging out the dead bodies as you read this, not thinking if something moves awkwardly, that a building could come crashing down on them. The good people are the doctors and nurses working 20 hours a day.

The good people are giving blood, preaching peace and tolerance. Here at Guilford, we have a majority of good, dare I say great people. Many students have already given blood and many have worked towards tolerance and understanding.

The cowards are the people that harass Arab-Americans and anybody else they can find that is different from them, people that hide their racism and fear under the guise of patriotism, liberty, and justice. While small in number, these people are no better than the terrorists themselves.

Guilford students who feel the need to defame people’s doors and areas around residential buildings with such repulsive phrases as “Kill all the camel jockeys” and “Kill the rag heads,” are deplorable. These types of people are the cowards and the bottom-feeders of this earth.

In these times of struggle and hardship we all must join together as country, college, and community to fight the subjugation of terrorism. Terrorism, however, is not limited to large cities or the government. We must also stop the terrorism from one person to another. How can we as Americans expect other countries to stop doing this to us when we continue to inflict pain and suffering upon each other?

In closing, I would like to thank all the good people out there. All the brave men and women helping in New York and Washington and to all the people at Guilford and all across the country who have given blood or practiced tolerance, thank you. To every person who terrorizes another human being by word, thought, or action: you cannot control other people’s lives. The rest of the world shall prevail over all evil the world has to offer.