This mixed up and crazy world was dealt another staggering blow last week when a small handful of misguided zealots engaged in yet another murderous terror attack against innocent strangers in one of the world’s most famous cities.

Only 10 months after Muslim extremists murdered several members of the political satire publication Charlie Hebdo in downtown Paris, another group of well-armed and well-organized terrorists engaged in a massacre that shook France – and the world – to its core last Friday evening.

In an attack that obviously took months, if not years, to organize, a group of young men bent on death and destruction raided large swaths of downtown Paris and ended up slaughtering (as of Monday) 129 innocent bystanders.

Close to 90 of the dead were gathered inside a small nightclub to listen to a well-known American hard rock band.

The attackers slaughtered dozens before ending their own miserable lives by blowing themselves up as part of a suicide mission.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of the residents of France as tens of millions of residents in one of the world’s oldest democracies struggle to comprehend the madness and insanity that has engulfed their great nation.

To their credit, hundreds of thousands of Parisians gathered to mourn the dead in ceremonies and candlelight vigils only hours after the horrific attacks.

Those who live in countries like France, including us lucky enough to call Canada home, must continue to refuse to live our lives in fear because a small fraction of evil-minded, sick individuals dedicate their pathetic lives to death, destruction and creating chaos.

With terrorist organizations like ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), the Taliban and al-Qaeda dedicated to more death and destruction, there are sure to be more horrifying attacks like the one in Paris in future months and years around the world.

There are no easy answers as we move forward. All we can do at this moment is pray for those killed because of such senseless and sickening violence.

If we live our lives in fear, the terrorists win.

And we must all commit, as individuals, to never let that happen.