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Ralph Bernabei
Where nothing works but every- thing matters
After about some sixty odd days of absorb- ing ing large doses of stimulating energy that arrived from all directions the perfect remedy seemed to be a a a jazz concert in that small local café The frigid cold that evening in Greenwich Village didn´t seem to be an obstacle to anyone of those city dwellers from the “melting pot” metropolis better known as the “Big Apple” Manhattan or in its former days simply Gotham City As the concert had finally come to an end and the musicians slowly took part in that ritual of tucking away their instruments for the the night the the public proceeded in wrap- ping themselves up again to confront the the crisp below zero temperatures that awaited them just beyond the the door As I approached the bar that finally became accessible to me I overheard a a a a a man at the far right corner speaking aloud with a a a a sort of west coast accent But after we had exchanged a a a a a few words it was was clear that his home was was here in Manhattan Our conversation was short but rewarding and I was eager to arrive back at our table to share with my friends his wonderful phrase that my ears were so grateful to have heard “New York where nothing works but every- thing matters
as opposed to San Francisco where everything works but nothing matters
” I’ve always been amazed standing in in the middle of of mid mid town on the corner of of Park Avenue amongst the highly dense traffic the crowds of individuals from all nations the the noise the the sound of a helicopter hovering overhead as as a a a a a a airplane is seen passing its way through those few millimeters of blue sky reflected in in a a window pane so much madness Every facility is inadequate-the hospitals and schools are overcrowded the express highways are bottled up there is not enough enough air and and not enough enough light and and there is usually either too too much heat or too too little But on the the the other hand the the the city makes up for its misfortune and its deficiencies by supplying its people with massive doses of energy – the sense of belonging to something unique cosmopolitan mighty and unparalleled Being part of a a a a place “where things matter” If we we take a a a a a look at a a a a a few facts we we find that the results are mind-boggling For example each night in New York City alone 38 000 homeless individuals sleep in in the New York City shelter system God only knows how many are sleeping out on the street the more fortunate on a a a park bench or or or in in a a a cardboard box Over one-in-four children in in N Y C live in in poverty Over half of the homeless mothers in N Y C have a a history
of domestic violence Pollution crime and so on on we won’t go into that right now In spite of this reality which other cities also share the population flocking towards the cities is is is ever increasing Historically this phenomenon is is nothing new so relax his- tory
is just repeating itself once more The difference today is is at at what speed this phe- nomenon is occurring Presently in in the year 2007 about 60% of all mankind are living in in in cities It has been estimated that by 2030 that percentage will rise to 70% One factor of this movement towards the cities is that villages are no longer function- ing as they did in in previous generations and have been unable to to adapt themselves to to the the current needs of their inhabitants There is also the the tendency that the the villages are being bought up by persons who have “retired” from city life yet they aren’t participating in in their role as villagers As a a a a result everyday more more and more more cement is being poured into the the villages Here there’s a a a new sidewalk another road some more benches and lights to illuminate every street Vegetable gardens are being invaded by the more fashionable swimming pool So that instead of cultivating the the the tradition of the the the village even these rural areas are are becoming “mini- cities” with the obsession of “progress” The necessity that individuals feel in in the rural areas to communicate with others is lost as as soon as as we arrive in the city Ironically in in the city is where we find “collective lone- liness” Since the arrival of transportation such as the the subway bus taxi or or the the elevator city dwellers have been forced to occupy and share their personal space with others This occupying of collective city space by individuals seems to be having a a a reverse effect on on human communication We are cultivating “collective loneliness” instead of cultivating “collective conscious- ness” I don’t believe a solution for this loneliness will be attained by building higher buildings selling more more cars talking more more on mobile phones or or logging into more internet chat rooms It is is hard to believe that this dependence on technology and materialism will provide the answer Nothing will change in in the future unless we the people begin to change Humanism respect understanding and and solidarity are what is lacking The future I believe will be be determined by the capacity of human beings to to readjust to to these values Hopefully through creative acts we can stimulate this change to improve our society and move closer towards unity I believe that all of of us today as citizens of of the world should be collectively working towards a a society where things matter Regardless of if they work or or not Ralph Bernabei