Zen In The City
Look around you and chances are that you are living amongst one of the greatest inventions of our time. What I am referring to is ‘Cities’. In 1800 only 3% of the human population lived in cities, however, today that number has increased to 54% and by 2050 its estimated that 70% of the human population will be living in cities. Now that is a phenomenal revolution in front of our eyes. For thousands of years humans have lived in settlements that formed mainly for the purpose of agriculture and hunting, but today it’s a different story. As we enter into this new flux it's important for us to understand that we made cities and not the other way around.
The short film Future Of Cities by Oscar Boyson beautifully shows us the major issues, challenges and solutions that the cities of tomorrow will encounter. It’s posted in the beginning of this article.
I grew up in Mumbai, a megacity of 21 million people. In fact when I was born Mumbai’s population was roughly around 10 million and in just 30 years its population has doubled mostly aided mostly by migration. It’s such a massive city that many different worlds collide and exist within itself. It’s only when I started travelling to different cities like Siem Reap, Phnom Penh that I could understand the role they play for developing countries in the world.
Cities are humanity's biggest aspiration. It’s an escape into the world of economic freedom, better life prospects, education, health, endless consumption, active lifestyle and access to many wonders of modern day life. In fact China has witnessed over 275 million migrants into its urban cities a stat that is staggering to imagine.
In almost every country the youth is inspired by modern day media and the narratives that are shown on the medium. The good city life drives many to move towards the big city and live those narratives. However, as millions start flocking to big cities conflict starts emerging. For example, Mumbai is so overcrowded that life is very challenging. I used to have a tough time commuting and battling through so much crowd to reach home and office everyday. Even the noise in Mumbai is non-stop and high pitched that can tire one down. But that’s because Mumbai has so many people that resources per capita keep on reducing day by day. It’s bereft of peace and yet ironically millions flock to the city to find themselves. Life in the city is fast paced, adventurous and high one consumption. Cities also spread ideas and encourage innovation. With such great dynamics the ability for man to go deeper into Zen in the city will require a new approach.
However, no one can avoid the future or battle with it. What we must do is to understand and prepare to collaborate with time. My keen interest lies in how man will explore spirituality and deeper truths of life by living in cities. Are cities compatible to offer solace or a deeper encounter with oneself? Can we build ‘Zen in the city’ and give birth to urban buddha. As I travel across different cities these are the questions I will carry with myself.

