Internalisation

There's something about looking out of the window of a train as the English countryside whizzes by. Paradoxically, I feel like I'm looking in at myself; and it is when I look at the noisy passengers that I am looking out at humanity, cooped into this tiny space despite the vastness of the outside world. Have we gotten it all wrong? Should we really be squeezing ourselves into the tiny space of a few cities when all the world is out there?

More than half of all humanity lives in cities, and according to estimations some 70% of us will live in urban areas in ten years. Granted, the growth of cities has been the cornerstone of civilisation, and cities provide us access to almost everything we can put a price tag on. But have we gone too far? Will an afternoon in a field, alone but for a book and one's thoughts one day become a commodity?

Or, more personally terrifying, am I alone, who thinks of taking a break from humanity and being on my own? Am I, in seeking solitude, ironically placing a barrier between myself and the rest of the world? In a sense, this blog is an attempt to record thoughts that are my own, yet at the same time maintaining contact with everyone else - another paradox.

I suppose, reconciling one with the other is the challenge we all need to face. On the one hand, I cannot imagine plunging myself into humanity, for the fear of never resurfacing; and on the other, it's hard being a hermit while doing a degree. Again, it is a matter of balance.

Isn't everything?