I was sitting at work when I first heard about Manchester. I found out the way I've found out most news lately - a Twitter alert. I read the headline, and my heart sank. Another tragedy. Another attack. Another loss.

This world has had me at a loss for words more times than I can imagine.

But this time, it felt different.

It felt personal.

Maybe it was because I've been to Manchester. I've stood outside the Arena, I've taken trains to and from Victoria Station, I've called that city my home for a few days.

But if that was really it, then what makes it different for me from London? From Paris? From Orlando? From New York? I've fallen in love with parts of every one of those cities, but every one of those horrific events was masked for me with a sheen of surrealness - and maybe that was from distance. But I'm starting to think... maybe it wasn't.

Because Manchester? I've only spent a handful of days there, and I live on the other side of the world. And yet, that was far too close to home.

I've been those girls at that concert. I've gone to a place that I thought was a safe space. A place I never imagined anyone would ever touch. A place to go feel alive, and connected, and vibrant, and real. That's what those young fans of Ariana Grande's were there for. They were there to experience the best parts of life.

And that's exactly what was taken away from them.

For many, this has brought into question if crowded places are safe. If tourist traps, concerts, theme parks, churches, whatever it is that we have gone to in order to celebrate happiness, feel joy, and love life, are places we should trust. There's even talk of some avoiding crowds like that altogether.

But we can't do that. We can't stop living. We can't be afraid.

I'm not here to get political, or religious. But whatever your deity, whatever your perspective, whatever your personality - we all have something, somewhere that gives us hope.

Don't let that be taken away. Don't let life be taken away.

We must live for the teenagers that lost their lives last night. We must live for the law enforcement, the soldiers, and the civilians who sacrifice for us daily. We must live because it is what we are intended to do. A life of fear is no fear at all.

So live. Live for Paris. For London. For Stockholm. For Syria. For Berlin. For Israel. For New York. For Orlando. For Nice. For Copenhagen. For every place that tragedy strikes, regardless of cause, of intent, or of conflict.

Live, for Manchester.