A Tremor of Contact

In The Metropolis and Modern Life, Georg Simmel compares the small towns which were based on “feelings and emotional relationships” and the “rational manner” of the metropolis.

Theorists like Simmel were obsessed with identifying the differences between rural and city life. These realms were divided by issues of subjectivity and objectivity, capital and money-economy. But the most striking and relevant trope in these writings relates to personal relationships. A conception of these relationships based in city life came to my mind recently during my commute.

I accidentally placed my hand upon the hand of another traveller while exiting a bus. This slight incident left a pronounced mark on my thoughts for the entire day. A prevailing tremor ran through my body and mind after this glancing contact. But why should such an event seem so important to me? We may be surrounded by thousands of people in the urban landscape but we truly are separated from them. We have replaced the need for physical space based in the rural with a mental division based in the urban.

My shock was based on the apparent contradiction between the densely populated city and our isolated position within it. Initially, this disconnection seems like an undesirable change in human interaction. But in actuality, the reserve we now keep for physical action makes contact more important. The use of action and even words has become more concentrated and a concise and this heightens the illustriousness of communication. We should not begrudge the change of human contact with the movement from the rural to the urban.

Instead, we should be grateful for the opportunity to create greater meaning with every word, look and touch.

-The English Student

A City of the Dead

I recently visited a nearby city that has claims to being a 'City of the Dead'.

This seems like an odd description for any living city, especially one with such a vibrant night life and cultural heritage. The name comes from many extensive vaults buried in the city, along with it's bloody history. Many 'Ghost Tours' have sprung up amongst the city that recount this interesting past, show the tortue museums and take tourists into the vaults.

Embracing this facet of a city can be deemed morbid and of bad taste, but that is not the case. As previously discussed in many entries to this collection of writings, a city's present is intrinsically linked to it's past and future. The past is certainly preserved here and while many people have embellished the stories and myths, the core of the darker sides of it's past are retained. It is refreshing to find a group of citizens who engage with all these facets of their history.

More than this, the current virtues of the city are exemplified by these tours. Walking through one of the many graveyards in the dead of night gives a real impression of past atrocity that by itself highlights a contrast to the contemporary city. One can hope that by recording these grusome memories of the past they will not be repeated.

This world would be in better shape if more cities embraced their past in order to create a better future.

-The English Student