Setting standards

Firsts can be daunting. First kiss, first performance, first experience. Everyone's always aiming for a dynamic first because that sets the standard for everything else that follows.

When you walk into a room, meeting people for the first time, you want to make that first entrance breathtaking. That moment where you enter and place yourself in the room is when people will look and form their first impression - that will stick for a long time.

It's the same with this site. I've worked on this for awhile now and the excitement of sharing this with you was growing so quickly and tremendously that I feared my ribs would crack from the joy. The reason I took so long was that I wanted to write a good first post. I could have done an article on fashion or relationships. I could have tried to make this post hilarious. But I figured that's not important now.

Four days ago, Paris was attacked. I'm not going to delve into details like what happened and why it did - news coverage has been so extensive that you should know what happened. And as for why? How would I know.

What needs to be addressed is the reaction. Our reaction. While most people have come together to #prayforparis or #prayforhumanity, there are some out there who have, in this crucial moment, turned their love and care into hatred - hatred for the innocent individuals who share a faith with the attackers.

A week ago, I was in Jakarta. I've been there a handful of times and I cannot begin to describe how homely and lovely that country is. Everyone I've had the opportunity to meet have been so welcoming and generous. The conversations carried over dinner tables held nothing but love and care.

Jakarta is home to a significant number of Muslims. These were the people that I met, talked to and dined with.

Four days ago, Paris was attacked. Somewhere out there, a number of people started to fear and despise all Muslims.

I'm asking these people to please stop. Terrorism has no religion. Our response cannot be to hate on a religion or on every practicing individual of a faith. No one's response should be anger and hatred towards innocent Muslims, and more importantly, human beings.