Underground and Back in Time
It is impossible, to me, to accurately describe the human experience. Left dumbfounded, at a loss for words, I couldn’t verbalize the concept itself. It was not until I was on the tube in London, that this notion of unity within humanity clicked. As I sat there, elbow touching the man to my left, and smelling the rose scented perfume of the older woman to my right, that the sonder feeling slipped from my thoughts. I became fixated on the one thing we all had in common for those 2 to 6 minutes: the London Underground.
“While each and every one of us leads a different life, with different characters and plots, the human experience is all about the shared moments and feelings, the ones that unite us.”
The thoughts snowballed; I began thinking about those who rode the tube before me. Was it Sylvia Plath? Maybe Charlie Chaplin? Elizabeth Taylor? I wondered whether I would ever live up to their existence, whether my name would simply disappear in obsoleteness. Nonetheless, we were all here at some point or another, regardless of era or time.
While each and every one of us leads a different life, with different characters and plots, the human experience is all about the shared moments and feelings, the ones that unite us.
My favorite feeling in the world can be easily described. The moment when the sun begins to set, when the sky is painted in hues of orange and peach, and the day is ending. With each breath in, my lungs fill with peace, and each breath out, the tranquility in knowing that, whether good or bad, the day has come to an end. This exact feeling is so vital to each and every one of our daily lives, even if it goes by unnoticed. A sign of happy endings, and a promise of renewal, sunsets are appreciated by all.
I digress. My point is, the incessant nature of life creates an underlying unity for all. Whether it’s a sunset or an English transit system, the human experience is so malleable to each individual, yet contrastingly still so common for all. Regardless of beliefs, lifestyles, and values, the human experience is all about the emotions we all collectively experience.
Our existence is about the connections we make with others, and with our own selves. The friendships we form, the loss we experience, the success, the obstacles, the love, the hurt, the good and the bad, are the foundations of our human existence. The amalgamation of all the deeply felt emotions, me, and everyone else in this world has experienced are at the core of what unites us all, what we all collectively have in common.
And while I may feel lonely at times, like no one can truly understand me, the London Underground proved me wrong. I am not alone in how I feel, because odds are, the majority of strangers have felt like that at some point in their lives as well. I am not alone in my experiences, because someone had to have gone through that as well. We, as humans, are so united and bonded by the human experience, and, in my opinion, that is the most beautiful part of it all.
HEADER BY: Sadie Levine
