I AM writing this on the day the civilised world has been paralysed by the horror of the terrorist attacks on civilian targets in the USA.

We do not know the death toll yet but it is likely to be numbered in thousands.

Think of the utter terror instilled in the minds of the doomed passengers aboard the airliners.

One can only hope they were not aware of the immediacy or nature of their fate at the hands of fanatic zealots whose actions are already, but tragically, being greeted with jubilation by some Arabs seen on our television screens.

Our sympathy goes out to the whole American nation and to the bereaved families.

The reactions of leaders of the civilised world are appropriate and encouraging if anything can be on such a day.

Mr Blair said that democracies must come together to fight terrorism.

Colin Powell, Secretary of State for America, declared that terrorism could not destroy our democracy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin called for a world response.

I just hope that American leaders will not use the knee-jerk reaction of immediate, indiscriminate retaliation, vengeance and retribution which is so obviously within their power but will alienate the parts of the world from which terrorism arises that would have no part in this particular sort of barbarism.

Punishment has to be accurate and meted out on behalf of, and with the agreement of, the whole of the civilised world of all races and creeds.

My own reactions apart from utter horror, are two.

This terrifying tragedy surely dwarfs the appalling sectarian demonstration in front of young school children in Northern Ireland.

It even dwarfs the struggles that are limited to localised parts of the world, for example in the Middle East and eastern Europe.

If only struggling factions in these local turmoils and conflicts could realise that it is their beginnings that escalate to these immeasurable world disasters, then perhaps some sense could prevail and democracy could spread.

We could return to Abraham Lincoln's immortal words: "To give victory to the right, not bloody bullets, but peaceful ballots only are necessary".

However, our ordinary lives must go on.

We must continue to fight unfairness and injustice in our own and our community's lives whether it is for health, housing, schools, poverty, deprivation or disadvantage.

We cannot have a great effect on improving the world but we can all go on struggling to improve our small part of it.