#PrayForNice: What the Dalai Lama said when asked if we should pray after terror attacks

As people try to come to terms with tragic events such as the Nice attack on Thursday night, many look for solidarity and share sympathy on social media.

Others turn to God.

Following the deaths of more than 80 people in the south of France, these two avenues have met, manifesting in the #PrayForNice hashtag which has been trending on Twitter and Instagram.

But when asked last year whether people should pray following the attacks in Paris in November, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama was adamant that we should not ask God to fix man-made problems.

He told German state broadcaster Deutsche Welle:

People want to lead a peaceful lives. The terrorists are short-sighted, and this is one of the causes of rampant suicide bombings.

We cannot solve this problem only through prayers. I am a Buddhist and I believe in praying. But humans have created this problem, and now we are asking God to solve it. It is illogical. God would say, solve it yourself because you created it in the first place.

We need a systematic approach to foster humanistic values, of oneness and harmony. If we start doing it now, there is hope that this century will be different from the previous one. It is in everybody's interest.

So let us work for peace within our families and society, and not expect help from God, Buddha or the governments.

The 81-year-old added that many of the world's problems have been caused by "superficial differences" of religion and nationality.

His message for the world is clear:

We are one people.

More: What the Dalai Lama said when he was asked whether we should pray for Paris