thewaytheworldends

Cities are like people, no two are exactly alike. Imagine taking everyone who lives in one city, adding them all to a giant pot and melting together every single personality, flaw, fault, brilliance, beauty, passion and power. There you have it, a vast canvas with an array of color and shapes and dimensions. From a glance it is magnificent, but take a closer look. For like every person, the city has mood swings, good and bad days,  and is not always comforting or supportive. Some times the city can be a cold place and can leave you feeling deserted, uncomfortable and perhaps even threatened. Behind the sky scrapers, flashing lights, TV screens and dollar signs, there is poverty, addiction, closed doors and dollar signs. There is a mother of two sitting alone at the corner coffee shop wondering how her husbands “meeting” is going. There is a teenager desperate to feed his drug addiction, willing to do anything for money. You don’t see what he does at night. There is a man standing on the corner, yelling “BELIEVE” every time someone walks by, hoping that someone will in fact believe, however all the pedestrians are forced to believe is that this man is crazy. Apparently this is how religion is now embodied now. Streets are not clean, i can still see the remnants of my lunch from yesterday when i threw it on the ground. However, there is something that is just so appealing about this city. The focus of being on top. Wearing a tie and a jacket with pride, once you finally finish your education, or as some like to call it “credentialing.” walking amongst the cities elite, finding your class. Some of the most intelligent, intricate individuals will walk past you every day. You aren’t even aware that the man beside you on the subway has the insight on life that would completely change your world. Once you suffer and struggle, and begin to climb up the ladder of life, it will astound you. Beware of temptations as you walk by all those stores with the shoes that would make everyone stare. Be very aware of the luring essence money seems to have. Can it change a person? Yes. Is there an american dream anymore? That’s debatable. To some, being a wealthy bachelor living downtown in a penthouse is comparable to ones dream, of being well off, possessing a family and a house and a car. The world has changed, cities have changed. However the divides remain. The street up the road full of prostitutes still exists, there are still ally ways full of junkies, there is still a fire escape at the back of every classy establishment, there will always be those men praying on those underaged girls, there will always be the people who are too good to press your floor in the elevator and there will always be someone higher up than you. Perhaps the city hasn’t changed. Perhaps it’s just the people. Hmmm, that makes sense. Maybe we need to hire new architects and tear this place down, connect everything, eliminate the homeless and organize the population the way it should be. What if we put the wealthy homes all together, and then the middle class, and then the low class, and then those with no place to go. The buildings would go from highest to lowest and those on the high end would never have to worry about searching for change to fill an old rusty cup, while that little girl will never have to worry about living up to all her classmates at school with their designer labels. Everyone would be happy right? Well… no actually something is wrong. I can think of it. Oh, well, where would our confidence come from? We constantly rely on those below us to boost us up. So you can’t afford  Blackberry right now. That man can’t even afford  landline, what am I saying, he doesn’t even have a home. I can feel better now. What about the middle aged mother who’s given birth to three children already, and works a 10 hour shift? She feels bad for that anorexic trophy wife that will never be anything more than a sex object. I mean if the city was divided, and we never had a reason to see any other class, how would we function? We work off of our egos. Everyone loves to feel good about themselves, no matter how we make others feel. No matter what sick thoughts cross our mind. Because when it really comes down to it, everything that you can possibly create is artificial. When you look at it, what makes a person happy? We all know that whoever said “money can’t buy you happiness” was a little misinformed. But really, does it make you a better person to have a mansion, a walk in closet filled with designer clothes, a garage full of the newest cars and all the best electronic devices? Are you happy knowing that people are drinking water of a lower quality than what we find in our sewers? But thats right. Its far away. We don’t have to deal with it. Send a cheque, you’ve done your part. Now go put on your jacket and tie and walk in unison down the street with all your twins as if in a choreographed dance. Oh, I’m not letting our able bodied homeless off the hook, but i will save that topic for another day. Believe me, i have much to say about the um… ‘less fortunate’ laziness of our society. But not today. Right now i mean the city as a hole. No pun intended. But then again, who am I? I’m a university student who lives alone, goes out every weekend using a supply of money that isn’t really mine, is most happy when at the mall, gossiping about and judging others, loving to be loved. Nothing compares to the feeling of being wrapped around in the blanket of buildings and beautiful people, there will never be anywhere else where you can stay out late and cross the streets in all directions. There is nowhere else where you can drive down the street and take in all the lights that brighten the night sky and pump you up for the clubs your about to get into with your fake ID. You will never feel like you have a family of complete strangers due to status anywhere else. This is what the city is for. It makes us happy. Artificial sense of happiness you say?… Well i guess we would have to define happiness to begin with. Oh how I love the city.

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