So when I look at society from afar, it seems that a lot of us are in environments where its very competitive. We find ourselves pitted against our neighbors in some sort of very low level competition at times. Some people check out of it, some people are in it to win it. When I really observe things though, it seems that this greatly depends on where you live geographically. If you live in New York or Chicago, the downtown rat race is serious, and the competition is fierce.
When you walk out of the revolving doors of one of those department stores downtown, you better start moving right away or you’ll get knocked into. No hesitation, move with a sense of purpose. “I got somewhere to be”. That’s the mentality a lot of times in those places. Especially during the AM rush or the nightly home goers. I grew up in Chicago, so I’ve experienced that first hand.
If you live some place like Los Angeles, the foot traffic may not be as adversarial as the aforementioned places, but the vehicle traffic can be like a Roman gladiatorial battle. The people driving like a bat out of hell, “Oh here come the fast moving chariot archers”. The guy in the big truck with a giant grill sitting 10 feet off the ground. He’s the big warrior wearing a helmet with horns sticking out moving slow but there for intimidation purposes. It’s like navigating a gauntlet trying to get where you’re going in Southern California sometimes. However, there are some places here that are not necessarily like that. Some places are moving at a much slower pace without the stress of traffic and heavy foot movement.
I’d like to move somewhere like that. I gotta find my wife and myself a place where its not a got damned chore to go to another town to shop or go grab a bite to eat. I understand going to a fair or sporting event, sure there’s going to be traffic. But having to meander through traffic just to go across town to get a salad you like or a burger you saw on a Youtube restaurant review show, well quite frankly, that shit sucks.