My Buddhism teacher, who lives close to the location of two of today’s bombings in London, e-mailed me and my fellow classmates this morning to let us know that she was OK. “It is a very, very sad day indeed,” she wrote, citing the unnecessary loss of innocent life and the possibility of repercussions. “There must be more effective ways of dealing with conflict situations — on both and every side.”

The more I think about her statement, the more I tend to agree. Let’s face it — if someone wants to sneak a bomb onto Metro, there’s very little that can stop them, be they religious extremists or otherwise. And because I don’t want to live in a society where my every movement is tracked, and where I am constantly searched or screened or detected or scanned, it makes sense to try and understand why it is that people want to attack and destroy our way of life.

Trying to understand those people who would torture, maim and kill in the name of God isn’t to say that what those people are doing is correct, or justified, or that the people of the world shouldn’t defend themselves. I personally am angry and afraid about the fact that a small number of people are so bent on creating havoc and destruction, and I’m hurt that they would twist a religion based on peace to justify their actions.

What happened today in London wasn’t a political statement, it was a heart-crushing tragedy and a senseless act. I pray for peace and compassion to spread across the face of the planet.