Monday evening, a suicide bomber launched an attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England. The attack killed more than 20 people and injured dozens more.

Attacks such as these are quickly becoming more common than they should. The past couple of years have seen a handful of terrorist attacks in mostly European countries, but the United States was victim to senseless attacks, as well.

The Atlantic offers some separation for the U.S. from a lot of chaos, as it always has throughout history, but that doesn’t mean Americans should not be deeply concerned. This country could very well experience the next terrorist attack.

In this instance, knowledge is power. The knowledge of what could happen should not incite overwhelming fear, but rather encourage proactivity and important conversations.

As citizens of the U.S., of North Carolina and of Beaufort County, it’s time to once again think long and hard about how the place we call home should be protected. For some, it may mean building a wall. For others, it may simply mean improving security measures, such as the recently added security measures at Beaufort County Courthouse. This county also has a top-notch group of officers and first responders who are trained to handle the worst, even though they hope to never have to.

Realizing what could happen should not incite fear, and it should also not incite hate — hate toward a group of people, hate toward a religion, hate toward a particular nationality. If residents fall back on hatred, then the terrorists have achieved at least some of their goal. That statement holds true throughout the nation and even right here at home.

No matter one’s opinion on how to prevent an attack here, one thing is certain: now is the time to think about it, not after the fact.