Thinking on a small fraction of the people who will never give me a first or second thought. And it feels so good.
Whenever I’m in an airport, I’m overwhelmed by the number of people moving through a space, all just trying to get where they’re going. There are so many people together, yet no real sense of togetherness, community, or neighborliness. We’re only here because this is the system that best gets us where we need to go.
My trip to New York City gave me that same feeling. Moving through the busy streets and subways of Manhattan, it’s just a mass of people moving quickly toward their destinations. People say New Yorkers aren’t friendly, but I don’t think that’s true at all. It’s just a lot of people who aren’t trying to be here—they’re trying to get somewhere else. And when everyone’s on a different mission, people are either quietly helping you along, or getting in your way—and there’s no time to stop and engage with everyone you pass.
It also makes me think about just how many people are on this planet. As I walk down the street, surrounded by thousands of people, none of them are thinking about me—and the chances that will change are low. That’s not a bad thing. Instead of feeling lonely or insignificant, I see it as freedom. It reminds me that anything I choose to do, I have to do because I want to. And I should do it as well as I possibly can. Because if I’m going to do something no one asked for, why would I half-ass it?
I might as well use my whole ass.