I was in London a couple of weekends ago. I was catching a tube across London to get to Gatwick. In the crowded, sweaty carriage I stopped. I looked at the other people in the carriage. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many frowns and scowls on peoples’ faces. Everyone looked miserable, stressed and angry. People were silent. Idly staring into space. As their lives drifted away.
I was later walking through Knightsbridge. Everything moved so fast. People buzzed about. All in pinstripe suits and expensive shoes. It seemed fake. People were trying to be what other expected they ought to be. What they had been conditioned to be. Whether or not after a while you just become that person, I don’t know.
I just got a sense of something – that I was’t designed for that sort of lifestyle. I’m not saying I have all the answers, and I’m in no way judging the people I saw in that train or the other people on the streets of London… but it made me realise that there’s a lot more to life.
Hi Matt,
It’s the first time that I have come across this part of your site. I just wanted to whole heartedly agree with this comment. Some of your observations I notice all the time when I’m out and about. From a personal experience I was caught up with a group of people at uni that were really into the more materialistic, status ridden, superficial things in life. Whilst they were great fun at the time, 3 years on from leving uni and I’m not in touch with a single one, says a lot. I’m now mates with people that really aren’t that way inclined whatsoever and I’m enjoying it infinitely times more. Granted, I’ve probably changed a great deal in that time, but I definitely believe that there’s more to life than money, status, upmarket postcodes, personlised number plates, Coutts accounts and kissing on two cheeks. However, each to their own I guess.
Mark – agree totally, I had the same thing, except my friends from school, rather than my Uni friends. They’ve all done the London thing. They drink Magners cider with ice cubes, because it’s fashionable. I’ve never had a glass of Pimms in my life. They couldn’t understand that some of the things I saw when I was in Africa (and they were all the doing the usual go to Australia thing) changed my life forever. They don’t understand that when I went to Uni and met a bunch of people and moved on, whilst they stayed together, that I changed. It’s amazing. But so sad. But as you said – each to their own.