A Life In the City Centre - The Shady Side
Living in the city centre, you may wonder, at times, what lies beyond. The sun sets over the plains or the hills, but the true nature of outer suburbs or countryside do not fully reveal themselves in the city, only suggestive in produce from apparently faraway places, visitors arriving in transit and eager for what they do not have back in their neighbourhoods and in the occasional feeling of city dwellers that they may not have most of the things they need. This often is heightened when there's the longing to get out of the city centre on long weekends, for day excursions or just for a change of air. The immediate effect of doing so is a real sense of more space - to roam, to breathe in and to dream of.
There are many shady lanes in a city centre, those of lack of light, those which are thrown in shadows and those meaning of a lack of character. Even the neon lights may not help, for after a while, display truly what they are - artificial, superficial and dependent on power sources. Where people gather, these lanes are usually not an issue, whether for a smoko, a quiet chat away from prying eyes or for an after work drink. Where boxes stack up, where garbage piles up and where there is a silence at midnight, such lanes suggest of another presence that are not so kosher and which may not welcome innocent individuals who by chance wander into them. Most city streets are empty from after hours to sunrise, but may still be populated by people who have no permanent abode, who may have been struck down by the inequities of society and life or who may have to ply a certain trade under the apparent cover of darkness.
Living in the city centre can mean a in-the-face reality of the lack of privacy, cardboard partitions, dwelling with virtual strangers in the same room and only having better friendships in cyberspace.
It can also dictate co-existing with leaking drainage; fauna with more than two legs which may not be so cute; and having more than the amount of mould than desirable. The lack of flora is expressed by the degree of delight any city dweller takes in fresh blooms and the extent of natural greenery, and also by the intensity of disdain for anything plastic. Having a city centre lifestyle does not mean knowing more people, but can positively bring you closer to the close circle of good mates and relatives that you already have. Many may find greater comfort in the cultural tribes that they already have or long for in the move from home to a big city centre.
There are also many temptations to spend. Unless one has a conscious budget and a strong financial aim, life in the city centre can mean frittering away the spare cash, making unplanned purchases and falling into the herd mentality trap. It can begin unsuspectingly as peer activity, a basis to unwind or part of a new regime. On the other hand, a disciplined lifestyle of being frugal, when living surrounded by commerce and marketing signals, can mean inner strength or undergoing a constant battle to ignore the temporary and the meaningless. To spend less at times in a city centre means corralling one's self in a room and roam away in cyberspace. It can also mean more fitness training in the city parks.
Maybe most individuals do not plan to spend all their lives in a city centre. They may be there to fit the best times of their lives which synchronises with their age, or when they can make the most money. They enjoy what a city centre can offer, but are also cognisant of the darker and shady side of living out their daily routines amidst impersonal buildings and transient communities. They are exposed more to the variety of personalities, agendas and frailties of a more diverse city culture, but they also gain more experience and determination to better handle different scenarios and challenges.
There are many shady lanes in a city centre, those of lack of light, those which are thrown in shadows and those meaning of a lack of character. Even the neon lights may not help, for after a while, display truly what they are - artificial, superficial and dependent on power sources. Where people gather, these lanes are usually not an issue, whether for a smoko, a quiet chat away from prying eyes or for an after work drink. Where boxes stack up, where garbage piles up and where there is a silence at midnight, such lanes suggest of another presence that are not so kosher and which may not welcome innocent individuals who by chance wander into them. Most city streets are empty from after hours to sunrise, but may still be populated by people who have no permanent abode, who may have been struck down by the inequities of society and life or who may have to ply a certain trade under the apparent cover of darkness.
Living in the city centre can mean a in-the-face reality of the lack of privacy, cardboard partitions, dwelling with virtual strangers in the same room and only having better friendships in cyberspace.
It can also dictate co-existing with leaking drainage; fauna with more than two legs which may not be so cute; and having more than the amount of mould than desirable. The lack of flora is expressed by the degree of delight any city dweller takes in fresh blooms and the extent of natural greenery, and also by the intensity of disdain for anything plastic. Having a city centre lifestyle does not mean knowing more people, but can positively bring you closer to the close circle of good mates and relatives that you already have. Many may find greater comfort in the cultural tribes that they already have or long for in the move from home to a big city centre.
There are also many temptations to spend. Unless one has a conscious budget and a strong financial aim, life in the city centre can mean frittering away the spare cash, making unplanned purchases and falling into the herd mentality trap. It can begin unsuspectingly as peer activity, a basis to unwind or part of a new regime. On the other hand, a disciplined lifestyle of being frugal, when living surrounded by commerce and marketing signals, can mean inner strength or undergoing a constant battle to ignore the temporary and the meaningless. To spend less at times in a city centre means corralling one's self in a room and roam away in cyberspace. It can also mean more fitness training in the city parks.
Maybe most individuals do not plan to spend all their lives in a city centre. They may be there to fit the best times of their lives which synchronises with their age, or when they can make the most money. They enjoy what a city centre can offer, but are also cognisant of the darker and shady side of living out their daily routines amidst impersonal buildings and transient communities. They are exposed more to the variety of personalities, agendas and frailties of a more diverse city culture, but they also gain more experience and determination to better handle different scenarios and challenges.
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