To stand still, or to rush down the escalator, that is the question.
Escalators
As I descended the electric stairs, I started to reflect on life again. The descending of stairs, as an allegory of the journey of life. As I descend the electric stairs, I’ve got one of two options: stand still and observe my surroundings, or rush down the stairs. The former, I believe, may well reflect what we ought to do with life. That is, we are all destined to reach the same outcome in life — death. Every day we experience change in some shape or form: we move around, switch old hobbies for new ones, meet new people, lose some others. Ultimately, change will come to its end with the crude reality of death. Why not then, don’t we at least enjoy the journey and appreciate our surroundings. Observe your environment from afar, let it take over, and you will start to entertain all the unperceived happenings in life: the constant battle between human chatter and the department stores’ background music; the lighthearted play between two young siblings; the mechanical and complex nature of the electric stairs themselves. Sure, these may sound like trivial matters, but that’s only if we decide to categorize them as such. Enjoy the ride, be amazed and intrigued by the so-called ‘boring’ things, and maybe you’ll make life’s journey more interesting!
Originally written on Wednesday, May 5th, 2021 (edits: Sunday, Jan. 16th, 2022)
