When I was five years old my parents went on their honeymoon to Paris.

When I was 14 I started studying French.

When I was 17 I visited Paris, met new people and made friends that I know will last for my entire lifetime.

The recent events in Paris hit me fairly hard.

Paris has always been, and always will be the epitome of class and sophistication to me. From it come my favorite artist, my favorite thinkers and my favorite things in life.

When I heard what had happened, I was floored. I never once thought that someone would do something like that to a city that means so much to me.

However, the fact that I speak out about Paris does not mean that I care any less about any other part of the world. Any kind of a disaster, no matter what size and no matter the people affected, is terrible.

I have a personal connection to Paris, though. My heart goes out to the people of Paris because I know them. They are my friends — they are close to me and my family.

The world is a scary place right now. I fear for what is to come, and I know that sometimes the only option is to pray for the future.

To the people of Paris, and to all of France — you, your friends and family, and your country are in my prayers.

To the rest of the world, you reside in the same place. I pray for you each and every day. I may not talk about all of you as much, but I still think of you.

At the end of it all, we're all connected as humans. It's time we started acting like it.