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The European Flag Lowered To Half Mast In Brussels

On Tuesday morning, more than two dozen people were killed in multiple terrorist attacks in Brussels, which hit a key airport and a busy subway station. As the city, nation, and world react to the bombings, the European and Belgian flags have been lowered to half staff at the Belgian Embassy. The video below — which is in near silence, with only the sound of birds serenading the lone worker sent to the flag posts — is a somber reminder of how the attacks affect a larger community than simply the city of Brussels. And its eeriness comes from how despairingly normal this video seems.

There's a Jeep Cherokee parked in the lot. A school bus drives slowly by the perfectly manicured lawn and shrubbery. All is seemingly business as usual — just another day on the job for this employee, who likely has lowered such flags more times than he can remember. Although powerful memes shared across social media can create a sense of support for the city and unity across nations, it's clips like these that make us realize how used to attacks like these we've become. And how important it is to continue our efforts to prevent them.