I'll just cut to the chase, things look pretty scary right now in Donald Trump’s America; as some have taken to calling it. I’ve avoided personal characterization in these articles for quite some time. The abridged version is that I am an Indian male of the Hindu faith. Now, fear is quite the phenomenon, it causes people to be rash and make mistakes, sometimes even altering their sight; in my personal experiment. First and foremost I have nothing against the Muslim faith, but I am not a practitioner. I understand that you are afraid and that close enough is a concept, but I am not middle eastern. I am Indian, there is a difference and please try to recognize it, or better yet learn to judge a person by their personality than their traits.

Now that is off my chest we can get down to business. I am a Floridian, raised on gator meat and orange juice. Swamp water runs in my veins and in light of recent events in Ft. Lauderdale. Yes the shooting, apologies; I dislike directly talking about things of that nature by name. Before I even begin to discuss the personal effects caused by this, I should discuss what it is. For those who are unfamiliar, after flying from Alaska to Florida, on January 6th Esteban Santiago opened fire in a baggage terminal of the Ft Lauderdale airport. That's the super condensed version and it leaves several questions unanswered. He supposedly got the gun from his checked baggage which he retrieved from the baggage claim. As for motive, He is former military and some interviews have claimed that he was hearing voices. Personally, I think this was a case of PTSD, which by the way is an atrocity that many veterans and current serving military suffer from. Many go undiagnosed and lead to incidents similar to this. But I digress, the main point to extrapolate was that this is not an overt act of terrorism.

Which is why I am so bitterly confused. Suddenly the great swamp that I called my home has begun to fear me. My Disney dream is falling apart as I watch women jaywalk across streets to avoid me. As men keep an extra watchful eye over me whispering, “Just in case” and “Be prepared if he tries something.” Because my skin is a little darker, because my name is a bit harder to read, because I’m different…

I love my home, I’ve lived a life full of wonderfully amazing moments. Skipping school to go fishing. Countless Disney days filled with that childlike wonder that we can never quite explain. Friends for fair weather and those all too often hurricanes, they always saw to it that I never would drown. From its white sandy beaches to whatever you describe Jacksonville as; (Awesome is the word you are looking for.) I love Florida. It's my home and I’d never wish any harm upon it. Which is why it pains me when people assume that I am here to do harm. They couldn’t be any more incorrect.

I would never hurt my home or the people in it. I love Florida and I love the people here. It pains me to think that recent events could lead to people believing that I wish it harm. But no matter the circumstances, I still love and enjoy this place. I only hope that we may learn to heal and learn to accept again. It's all the same love.