On Cities and Humanity

I think that cities are a place where people go to either find themselves, or get lost.

By design, cities are loud and they are full of life. All walks of it. They pull you in at the speed of light. However, they are also muted. The power you can feel coursing through the Earth is dulled. It lays hidden beneath concrete and steel. You cannot feel the summer breeze without it smelling like exhaust. You sleep to the caucaphony of sirens and people trying to survive. You try desperately to search for the gentle touch of humanity. Instead, you hear gunshots and know another life is forever changed. What is it about cities that we find so great? Why do we force ourselves to survive in the chaos instead of simply…living. It is easy to give in to the roar that drowns out the sound of your soul. And so you become lost.

Then there are those that stand above it all. Acknowledging the muted power and chaos. And thrive. Thrive on their own in a modern apartment with only the things they need. Those are the ones of us that can truly live. Because even in the swirling storms of life. Or the lack of life, they survive it. That is not to say that it is ever easy. Just that it is a trait to be admired.

So tell me. How is it you survive? Do you know? Is humanity still within reach? Or are you the root that grows through the sidewall against all odds?