Stories. As the CNN team switched between correspondents in New York, Washington DC, Somerset County and Afghanistan in the wake of yesterday's attack on the United States, many people talked about the many stories, all as of yet incomplete, that are involved in these events.

While these news stories developed over the course of the hours following the initial plane crash at the World Trade Center, hundreds, likely thousands of stories ended. As the casualty count continues to rise, it cannot be overlooked that each individual included in that statistic was no different than you or me. The moment we fail to realize that, the value of life is trivialized, and the villains have won.

Walking around yesterday, I saw a banner hanging from a balcony on Penn Tower with the words "Get Bin-Laden" sprayed on it. I heard students spouting hateful speech like "If I were the president, I would tell anyone not from here to go home." This was disheartening, to say the least. Of course, there is no rational reaction to such an unexpected and devastating event, perhaps even more surprising than the attack on Pearl Harbor which took place in the context of an established war.

No reactions are "wrong," but to the extent that people are capable of controlling their expression, this behavior was saddening. These attacks were acts of hate than cannot be excused using any philosophy. Fortunately, I also saw some wonderful things yesterday. I saw every appointment at the HUB blood drive taken, and many students waiting in line to donate in spite of the two-hour wait ahead of them. Taking the advice of a student volunteer, I headed to the Red Cross center downtown to donate, only to find an equally large crowd waiting there. I also saw students gathered around HUB television screens watching together and supporting each other.

It is critical that in the wake of this tragedy we each commit ourselves to peace and ideals of religious tolerance. During several interviews, government officials agreed that these attacks constituted a declaration of war on the United States, and that we must respond in kind. War (note the difference between "war" and "military action") is not the way to pursue justice in this matter. This situation bears many frightening resemblances to the attack on Pearl Harbor, but not to the Pearl Harbor scheduled to be shown at the HUB this weekend. War is not glamorous and history has proven that more often than not, war is not just. Such a declaration will only lead to further loss of human life, it perpetuates the hate cycle rather than beginning the process of reconciliation.

Enough lives have been forfeited in the name of this animosity. The events of yesterday may seem unforgivable, and perhaps they are, but we must not allow the pain and suffering that has already affected our lives on such a large scale to taint any more of our thoughts with their horror.

This was an act of cowardice and hate that we cannot allow to tear us apart. It does matter who is found to blame for the assault, we must hold fast to our core principles of tolerance. One of the CNN correspondents said yesterday, "It is those principles we hold to during times of greatest distress that define us." We must show each other and the world that we will not succumb to fear or to the evils of hate. There is a tendency to associate citizens of extra-national origin with such acts of terrorism, but even when we uncover the culprits, we cannot conclude that any citizen of the United States is associated with the responsible organization on the basis of their national origin. The United States has an unfortunate historical precedent of "detaining" certain segments of the population in wartime that must not be repeated. This too devalues human life. Instead of becoming hateful, let us turn our thoughts towards rebuilding and healing.

Yes, the responsible parties should be brought before the proper authorities, and with the support of the international community, they will. The need for justice in our country is strong, but we must pursue this justice with an attitude of love and forbearance.