Cities

Cities are full of humans. Like humans, they are complex. They are not soulless, colourless beings so often painted by artists and writers. They are colourful, bright, shiny things with dimensions rarely seen in nature.

Too often, we lament the emptiness of the city.

We call it cold and heartless. We liken it to a jungle, to nature, where the strong survive and the weak perish. We despair that the city drains our souls to leave an empty husk behind.

Too often, we forget, nature is a paradox. Where there is death, there is life. Where there are ends, there are beginnings. The circle of life changes, and yet remains the same.

A city is very much the same.

It is nature of a different sort. Humanity’s attempt to emulate a working, perfect system. Nature’s set up a series of systems that work well with each other. Compensates for deficiencies. Allows for deviation. Robust enough, to withstand whatever she throws at it.

We humans have not yet reached that standard. We have not discovered the way to make all the pieces fit. The compassion to allow each other to fail. The forgiveness that comes with mistakes. The release of fear that makes us fly.

The only thing we have perfected that we learnt from nature is how important it is to survive.