I really like it when I can see a clear night sky during my nighttime walks. I often wonder how would it be if for a moment all humanity would come to an agreement to shut down the lights and let the city breathe again in utter darkness. I think we could all enjoy the beauty of the shining stars and maybe have a chance to reflect upon our life.
Looking at these massive concrete cages called buildings I find myself asking: how did we people manage to adjust to this sort of contained life? Okay , I am waiting for a rebuttal , saying how we needed to find intelligent housing solutions for an increasing population. I agree. Yet…at any time when I look at these buildings they seem horrendous to me. A source of clutter and shared solitude. A sterile environment where creativity and freedom become strange concepts for us.
Someone who has no place to live or is extremely stressed about their housing situation might argue that I should look at the gratitude aspect. Yes, I believe that we can all agree that having a roof over your head is better than nothing.But what I think that will make a difference is the atmosphere of the place and the people that you are sharing that space with. It is not only about the people you live with, it is also about your neighbourhood, your neighbours, your surroundings.
I often see buildings that have no green space around them. No plants. The stairs at every floor are empty. Some people try to beautify the place and bring in plants. I admire that initiative and it made me dream about buildings that have plants at every floor and well maintained green roofs with places where anyone could just relax. Imagine the impact it would have on the air that we are breathing to fill these cages with green life!
I believe that the human nature that our ancestors had will never wash away from our system. We come from tribes of hunter-gatherers, we yearn for social connection and for a deep bond with nature. We thrive when we feel free and when we have a place to stay which allows us to breathe clean air and the development of a hobby like gardening or making stuff. You can see remnants of this innate nature when you go to a trip into the mountains or at sea. You feel sad when you have to go back to a flat, something feels unnatural about being contained, away from plants, trees, animals. Away from the possibility of making a fire and cooking outdoors. Away from the noise and close to the silence that you could find in a yard : this is how most people would like to live. This is what people need in order to maintain a good mental health and the modern society is blind to this in the name of efficiency.
Have you noticed that the bigger the anxiety the bigger the TV screen will be? Humans have learned to numb their solitude and feelings of anger and frustration in front of a piece of plastic. We become addicted to something that promises to take us out from reality at least for a couple of hours. Indoors. While everything that could potentially save us is outside. Irony? Insanity? Or just the new norm?
If you add this to a bad diet of fast food and ready-to-eat paper bags you have the recipe for depression. How many of us bake our own bread anymore? How many of us drink good water? (the tap water does not count, it is so filled with heavy metals that you would be sick to your stomach, do some research…). How many of us know the ancient laws of feng shui and how to make our home an oasis of peace and love? How many of us become addicted to a life that we don’t even like? Working for money that will buy stuff for a place we don’t really love and getting up every morning thinking that getting more stuff will alleviate the pain of not leading the life that we secretely desire. This is what a lot of people call life.
How many of us make the time to go outside for a simple walk before and after work? How many of us make room for daydreaming and looking at the stars? How many of us intentionally seek moments of silence when one could analyse their life and see where there could be room for change?
All I see in my country is turmoil. People are rushing. They never have time. They lose their temper over small things in traffic and explode with unimaginable rage. Their faces rarely glow with happiness and joy. What are we teaching our children about life when we lead such an existence? I don’t blame them, the system we have build is flawed.
I look at the dark night sky and feel awe and a sort of bliss knowing that we are more than our body and that this Universe is so big. In these tiny moments everything that seemed to worry vanishes. I look at my mere existence as being just a short lesson on this planet and I can’t help but wonder how will Earth and humanity be 1000 years from now when another human being will look in awe at the nighttime sky…..
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