People are always going. This is an idea we've been talking about at my Jewish Studies class the past two weeks; we spoke about how our society seems to have this omnipotent desire to always be moving towards something, and the overwhelming desire to be "productive." I hate that word, to be honest. We're not factories...but that's an argument for another day.
The bottom line here is: Our world is built around the idea of moving. And that, quite frankly, intrigues me. Because if we're so focused on moving, we're more likely to ignore what we're passing.
Think about it.
In New York City, alone we have:
- about 8.2 MILLION people
- the most extensive public transportation system in the world (MTA)
- 468 stations
- over 800 miles of tracks
- operational 365 days/year
When I think about these stats, I think to myself, where are all these people going? Billions of people use the system in any given year, and each person is on some kind of journey.
There are people just trying to get by, whose journey is to make it to the next day with food or water. There are parents, children, tourists, all exploring the landscape. There are the occasional starlets praying not to be recognized, etc.
Now, instead of just going, like our world tends to do, next time take a step back and take a look at your fellow journeyers. Think about their stories and what led to them to cross your path, and then try to think about just how lucky we all are to be where we are: In this world, living.
"Travel can be one of the most rewarding forms of introspection."
-Lawrence Durrell
No comments:
Post a Comment