One would think that with the tragic events that have recently happened, some still a freshly cut wound in our society, that there could not possibly be any more room for anything bad to happen. Unfortunately, this is not the case. In Istanbul, Turkey, there was a terrorist attack in their airport. There was a bomber who blew themselves up in the Istanbul airport when an officer opened fire on them. Right now there are a reported 31 dead and 147 injured.

Once again we are exposed to another violent crime where a large number of innocent lives were taken, and once again we see another 'pray for' hashtag. This time it's #prayforistanbul. I grieve for the families who have lost someone in this tragic event, I pray for protection for those who have been injured and I pray for comfort and condolences to the families who are suffering from this event. Just like we grieved for the people of Paris and Brussels when bombings occurred there.

It angers and saddens me to see that there has yet again been another senseless act of violence. Innocent lives were taken and some lives still hang in the balance of life and death. When did we become a world fueled by hate? What happened to the days where something like this was a rarity, instead of being a common event?

As a traveler who encourages others to continue to travel during troubling times like this, I am now forced to ponder if it is really safe to travel anymore. People have told me that I'm lucky to have traveled when I did because it's 'unsafe' now. I have always said that it's still safe to travel and that if you stop traveling, you let fear win. Although in light of this tragic event, I wonder if it is really safe for us to travel right now. I hate thinking like this because there is still so much of the world I want to see as I am sure other travelers who may be thinking this are feeling..

I ask readers to pray for Istanbul, but also to pray for peace. Pray for a future where bombings and terrorist attacks will return to being a rarity. Pray for a time where we can spread more love and less hate. But on top of praying for these events to happen, I also ask the reader to act for change. Hug a friend, give a compliment to a stranger, do anything you can to be a positive light in someone's life. What we need now, maybe now more than ever, is more acts of kindness and less acts of hatred. I'm not saying that this will help change things overnight, but with time, I believe that peace and love will rise again.

Until then, do your part to help those around you and pray for Istanbul. Pray for Peace.