18 Nov For life or not
big city for life or not
Big cities are so far not for FAMILY making…well at least as it seems like: TOO EXPENSIVE and TOO DEMANDING
Hastily booking a one-way ticket but still doubting…
Sure you familiar with it. A classic ‘debate’ moment always happens. With me it happened so many times. But when it comes to a long stay travel we are more likely to have more doubts and fears, therefore look for more PROS than CONS , expect a solid ‘ground’ to pick that spot. Putting away all the metaphorical words, the money — to earn and to lose — is the key point for us to move-in and move-out.
Well, travel from one city to another big one for work, is anyway rather temporary — for 1-3 years to 10+ years — and usually till retirement when you finally figured: a one year here equals about 3 years in peaceful countryside.
This creaking sound of rails, screeching cars,… Who would not look for…um, cozy nature surrounded atmosphere, laying on the beach, or — trend to say — “cultivating” your garden after all.
Living in New York then in London, Moscow, Munich, Paris, Shanghai, St.Petersburg , I found, at least, one simple thing in common — those cities change people, and not in a fav way. Sure there are some exceptions, but only a few exceptions who didn’t earned or cling on the classic form of a ‘capital’ dweller; Once ‘outsiders’ become more rushing , more high-pace doers, then fast life-living, who is stubborn to simplicity — a simple joy or fun seen just for light-minded/ low IQ folks — , indifferent to other’s grief, selective with friends, paranoid to lose what they have, heavily lean on self -justification and materially, materially, materially driven. Sooner or later keeping one pace, being in this you-come-you-go environment, wears you off, totally squish you out: You no longer feel fun in clubs, drinking with friends watching football matches in VIP zone ,chatting out casually in high-class restaurants, impressing with your wear on the world-class events, driving million dollars cars, and sitting on the softest couch in your few thousands sq meters house. This period I would call as “drowning”. And the best is to foresee this crashing point and jump-out for recharge, otherwise you would be casted for good.
You might think ‘Huh, WHAT? Pleeeeeese! What am I? A silly goof? If I would have a HUGE house, a million dollar car, I would be jumping out of my trousers everyday, thats how happy I would be. What to be sad about?’
Well yeah, not everyone becomes so wealthy, that I just described, when moving to the main city. Just making an extreme contrast of values before and after.
Sure, you have a point, but…
This “change” — packing more on C-notes — goes by a simple sequence:
First, you want to be there ( city, VIP zone, circle of authorities, and so on ); then honoured but — huh yeah, a selfish stage — quickly taking all for granted, copying a stern pose looking down on others; then would see and sense hypocrisy—all around; refresh/ restart stage starting here : shovel you bags and driving far-far away from crowded and wallet-talking society.
Once sedle down...
‘money making’ zone, another reality — huh, thats cliché indeed…
Like in Moscow and Shanghai I notice how folks foster more physical attributes, like tech gadgets, mobile tools, cars, wear, and outside looks as whole. Better watch more respect type of thing. Like a show-room of what you can afford, those ‘upgrade’ privileges that all dream about; expensive car — respected on the road( by police and other drivers); new-model gadgets — superior at school or at work; luxury brands — attractive and loved,… All those mentioned tools for show-off and be easily spotted by others.
Ahh, still cant describe how shocking it was for me in Shanghai to see what a total ‘face-in-da-screen’ routine many of them have there; the time young people spend looking in their phones, playing, texting, browsing online-shops. So addictive. So rare to see someone standing on the street casually looking up or looking around; like in the metro try to find the one who would not look at their phone for the whole time. NO JOKE. I thought in Moscow its bad, then Paris seemed to champ this title of gadget-lovers, before I moved to Shanghai. And I bet in Japan its even worst, so to complete my chart of “face in da phone” I need to visit that tech ‘Valhalla’, till then my feedback on it is quite poor.
Life in skyscrapers — this you-touch-you-buy life — usually limited by the office walls and taken as a must-have reality till you retire. Here, you surely not focused on your health, more on wealth, and thinking you can fix everything once you get rich — would get ‘coins in you joints’ — simply relying on expensive medical care, that would be easy-peasy to afford then in 10…er, in 20…ok, in 30+ years.
As I said it earlier, in most industrial cities you grip on self mechanism of reluctance, sympathy- blocking: ‘Someone out there dying of hunger? And so what?’, ‘The genocide is happening in …Well, if so, it was expected’, ‘ Sorry for your loss, but have you seen my project?’. Looking more to reinforce your position and views, and ignore whoever contradicts it.
To have money — thats the main KEY that orchestrate you values and views on stuff around you; how much would you get from it, how costly this would be, where to invest to get the jackpot,… However, with more money we become less flexible more impacted with responsibilities, reputation sensitive: We can’t leave when we want , we have to keep an eye on your employees, be present whenever to represent the country; we can’t spend money on what we want ( all links to our reputation). And so this been said, with thicker pockets you brazenly can open so many doors but also close-for-good other gates, more fun and stress-free gates.
Big city-big money and you surely can catch an American dream once you landed in some of those skyscrapers, and there you would meet another dilemma on your values: think of new or hold on to the ones that you have have form day one — making money…Up to you, but as practice shows, the second choice would soon break you down.
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