New York City, the city that never sleeps. The city that generates bolts and bolts of electricity on the streets of Times Square. The city that you may never know if you are standing next to a millionaire or a person who's bank account holds zero dollars. The city that tourists can't get enough of. In this large city who's population is well over 8 million, we some how stay connected. When I say stay connected I mean we share a similarity. This similarity may seem minor to you, but it's much more complex to me. There are so many lines beneath the ground that covers New York City's five boroughs, and depending on what route you take you can connect to any line. Using a number or letter and color to differentiate each line, that's how we can tell them apart. Whether you are going to work, shopping, out for some drinks, to your grandmothers house, on a job interview, and you do not own a vehicle, this is how you will be getting there. Four words, New York City Transportation. But not just any form of transportation, I'm talking about the subway.
Its something about the trains that grabs my attention. The way it rolls in and out of the station? NO. The way the door opens and closes making that annoying sound, NO. It's something more than this. I'm talking about the reason why the trains exists. People. We are the reason this means of transportation was invented. It was invented so that we can get from point A to B. No matter how much the price of the fare goes up, no matter how many times it makes us late for work. We need it, and it needs us. But I want you to open your mind and see what I see when I am on the train.
There are all types of people on the train with different backgrounds, income, occupation, likes, dislikes, interests and the lists goes on. But for that 5 minute or 2 hour commute, we all share something in common , we are all in the same space. For that moment in time we are all in one room. I always wonder what is going through the minds of these commuters. That guy with his beats headphones blasting in his ear. The little girl that has runs in her tights after a long day of school. The nine to five working woman with a Trader Joes bag in her hand. The executive of a fortune five hundred company traveling to his next meeting. The mother with three children, a stroller and four bags. The high school boy selling a box of candy to put a little extra change in his pocket. All of these different types of people all share a common interest, a train ride. But what I'm trying to get you to see is the bigger picture here, EQUALITY. Black, White, Asian, Spanish, Mexican, Indian, African, rich, wealthy, poor, hungry, we all are on that train. We are all going through issues, we are all trying to make a living. Not all, but some of us are trying to find love. So if we can all accept the fact that we have to ride the train together, why can't we accept one another.
Why do we judge the person we are standing next to? Why do we compare ourselves to the person we are sitting next to? What makes you more or less than another human being. The train symbolizes so much. It symbolizes movement, the commute of going from point A to point B, whether on the train or a situation in your life. The colors, numbers and letters are all different, just like the color of our skin, and the numbers in our bank accounts. The ride symbolizes drive and acceleration. The way the train speeds up and then slows down to come to a stop. Just like in life when we are moving so fast and come to a point in time when we have to slow down to grab control and realize the pace we are moving at. When we are above ground, the windows allow us to see the outside world, life. When we are under ground, we see the walls of the underground station. Just like the windows of our own life. Sometimes we see things clear and the view is right in front of us versus when we have mental blocks and can't see anything. I know you would have never thought about all of the similarities we as people have with a simple train ride. It's the simple things in life that we should pay closer attention to, before we miss out on something. Just like we have to pay attention to where we are going on the train other wise we will miss our stop. Thank you for taking this journey with me. Always remember that we all are equal no matter what one has over the other. The roots of NYC are the people, and the train ride just helps us get to our destination. Continue to grow when there is room for growth, continue to move when there is an opportunity available, continue to stop when you feel as if your going too fast, take full control, make sure you pay attention to what direction you are heading in and always DO WHAT YOU LOVE.
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