Terrorists killed 129 people Nov. 13 about 3,176 miles of ocean away from the United States, leaving Parisians and people across the globe in a state of shock, fear and anger.

Americans have reacted in different ways toward the situation in Paris, mostly via social media arguments. Regardless of the “correct” response on Facebook, terrorism will only be eradicated when people take action. The United States and every other nation against the mass killing of innocent people should send their military directly to the threat until ISIS is wiped out.

Terrorists killed 2,996 people in 2001 in New York City. The death toll in Paris currently sits at 129, a much smaller magnitude than the attack on the World Trade Center. However, no proportion or statistic should dictate whether or not response is appropriate. If people ever view any number of lives lost as insignificant, terrorism will succeed in destroying humanity by destroying the sanctity of it.

Facebook comments and tweets about which politician or law should be blamed show a lack of sympathy and often a lack of knowledge about the situation. If a terrorist attack happened in the backyard of a typical neighborhood in America, most people wouldn’t have the time for spreading the blame across social media. They would be too busy searching, mourning, and rebuilding. France is not in the neighborhood of the United States, but distance should not lessen the need for American support.

Many people disagree on the meaning of support. Changing profile pictures and posting inspirational quotes seems trivial, but spreading information actually does make a difference. People cannot unite around a cause they don’t know about. But action should not stop with posting on the internet. The time spent arguing about the right solution could be better used actually taking action, including raising money to help rebuild the structures and lives affected by the Paris attacks and appealing to the government to send in the military to fight back.

Some people say the attack and the aftermath should not be too important in America because these events are an ocean away, and neutrality might be wisest. However, the attacks in Paris affect the United States and the rest of the world in multiple ways. Some Americans had family and friends in Paris during the attacks, and all Americans now face the question of how this country should handle the refugee situation. Once again, arguing about the solution is not a solution, but neither is standing aside and waiting for some other nation to fix everything.

When the World Trade Center came crashing down in 2001, France stood by America, supporting her and mourning alongside her. Now France needs the same support. Instead of treating the symptoms, America should cure the problem at heart. The world cannot ignore terrorism, and must therefore face it head-on. Anything less would be a disservice to the human beings who have died at its hand. In honor of the lives lost in Paris, New York and across the world, terrorists must be eradicated by military power before they can take one more life.