9 pm, and high hopes for a great night and a camera full of cheap memories, quickly escapes and turns to 10, 11, 12. By 1 am, temporary friends are made and provocative glances are exchanged. 2 am: boldness required, action must be taken. The lonely make their way to their lover’s liars, and many walk home to disappointment. 3 am: dirty interactions, inhibitions once depressed by alcohol now slowly reappear. 4 am, and it’s almost as if the night stands still.
The sound of voices and the whining of car motors’ are less frequent on the streets below, but each rush of life is welcome. A car alarm sirens, footsteps of a drunk stumbling home, a lovers quarrel. Each interaction is extraordinary, appreciated for its minimal existence. I, the night owl, find peace in this interrupted silence.
Looking out at the night lights, I can’t help but think of the stories behind each dimming bulb. One purple, one blue.. one happy, one cool. So much life in that beautiful glow. It’s almost as if the entire city is playing a childish game of musical chairs, sound and light prancing and dancing through the diminishing night. This is the game of life, the cycle of human strife.
Where one light shines, darkness harshly encroaches on another. Opportunities gained are opportunities lost. Tears here, laughter there; fears dear, a thrill for the misguided daredevil near. It is a mathematical equation, simple arithmetic at its finest. Lesson A: +1 -1 = 0. We will all equal out in the “end,” whenever and wherever this may be.
Integers, game board pieces, bold colored symbols; we are merely pluses and minuses balancing the universes neutrality. What often seems like a random turn of events unfolds to reveal a larger, greater, plan at work; a design behind the madness.
People, ideas, beliefs, and cultures blend to form an interwoven blanket of experience. In the grand scheme of things, this night is nothing but one flash in the constant continuum of life. Each unimaginable tragedy, each moment of pure ecstasy, each period of great suffering, each life lost and life gained, serves an integral role to the greater good of society.
We function as parts of a running machine, brought forward with each generation and new facet of technology. Without the bumper to protect the present body, the side mirror to remind us of the past, and the engine to push us forward into the future… we will live in a concrete parking space, a permanent junk-yard .
The Roman’s say, carpe diem, but we must also carpe noche. Open your eyes and ears to the city below. Open your HEART to the power above. Por favor mis amigos, open your MIND.
*Note: This was written the last time I was in Miami. New post to follow upon my return to LA this weekend after a few days in Berkeley.
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