Death. Just another word. Devoid of any meaning in my heart. I hear it so often that it’s impact has diminished almost entirely. Child butchered. Man snipered. Wife widowed. All headlines of old stories buried in a fast moving world.

In many ways I envy them, they’ve done their bit and paid the ultimate sacrifice – heroes in a helpless cause. They’ve returned to their guardian “Rejoicing in what Allah has bestowed upon them of His bounty”. Alhamdulillah.

Never have I felt so disconnected from reality, sitting in a taxi ride home from a late night at work. Yet tomorrow is another day and I’ll do what humanity does best – forget…

…or perhaps, just this time, we break the cycle and wake up to the realities around us. May the martyrs of Traymseh rest in peace, 220 people who, had circumstances been different, could have very well been me. May they rest in peace.