Berlin (Germany)
Just as I'm about to park the car, I see a creature coming out of the hedge. At first I think it's a dog and wonder at its strange appearance. Only when it trots past my car do I realize that it's a fox. A Berlin fox. In the middle of the street in a residential area.
One trip to the office is enough for me. It takes a lot of energy and I need a lot of time. I might even spend more time commuting than working. And then it's not as if I feel comfortable in the office and have a lot of contact. One or two people approach me and we exchange ideas. Small, subtle encounters that make me happy. But it doesn't feel like it's worth it.
What's missing in this world is humility. I see too many people in far too big cars on all the small streets, in far too crowded alleyways. On gray, smeared walls are things without meaning. The sky is as dark as the end times. I feel trapped in a world of gray from which there seems to be no escape. A world that allows no sun. A world of muffled sounds and dull images. A world in which I don't feel at home. But where do I?
I remember times when I loved coming to this city. It was so full of possibilities, there was so much to discover, so many new and exciting things to see. I was ready to visit new places, to wander through museums. None of that is left. Now it just exhausts me.
For me, being in Berlin means getting things done. That's all it is anymore. I don't get to do much more, I don't want to. This city overwhelms me. The gray, the dirt, the ugliness. I keep asking myself what all these people want here.
Originally written in German. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Just as I'm about to park the car, I see a creature coming out of the hedge. At first I think it's a dog and wonder at its strange appearance. Only when it trots past my car do I realize that it's a fox. A Berlin fox. In the middle of the street in a residential area.
One trip to the office is enough for me. It takes a lot of energy and I need a lot of time. I might even spend more time commuting than working. And then it's not as if I feel comfortable in the office and have a lot of contact. One or two people approach me and we exchange ideas. Small, subtle encounters that make me happy. But it doesn't feel like it's worth it.
What's missing in this world is humility. I see too many people in far too big cars on all the small streets, in far too crowded alleyways. On gray, smeared walls are things without meaning. The sky is as dark as the end times. I feel trapped in a world of gray from which there seems to be no escape. A world that allows no sun. A world of muffled sounds and dull images. A world in which I don't feel at home. But where do I?
I remember times when I loved coming to this city. It was so full of possibilities, there was so much to discover, so many new and exciting things to see. I was ready to visit new places, to wander through museums. None of that is left. Now it just exhausts me.
For me, being in Berlin means getting things done. That's all it is anymore. I don't get to do much more, I don't want to. This city overwhelms me. The gray, the dirt, the ugliness. I keep asking myself what all these people want here.
Originally written in German. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)