I woke up to the bright orange glow of a just-rising sun this morning. But I couldn't help but think of what Londoners were waking up to a few hours earlier.

Having to go on about one's life in the face of clear and present danger requires a resolve that not every human possesses. My own personal experience, though, is that the British have it in ample supply.

Throughout years of IRA/Protestant bombings, the Brits maintained a stiff upper lip and went about their daily lives. For every explosion, there was the promise of even more -- always unpredictable and deadly. Even now, they are taking public transportation to work in London and its boroughs. With steely determination, they prove that terror cannot suppress the human inclination to rise above powerfully negative circumstance.

Characteristically reserved and earnest, the British endured German bombing in WWII in the same way. It is common to think of Winston Churchill's gritty steadfastness in the face of Nazi tyranny, but many more residents of Britain showed their resolute nature as bombs fell on their towns every night. They buried their dead, rebuilt their churches and houses, and ploughed forward, ultimately providing the firmness that was the key ingredient in stopping the third Reich on many fronts.

I know that their actions today and in the days ahead will prove their mettle once again.