Life, Liberty, and Something Resembling Happiness - #1

The most basic of human needs rely on our means of shelter. Shelter that is reliable, secure, and unequivocally well maintained is essential in providing someone with the means to nurture their well-being.

Last spring, I took part in the selection of a “new” shelter. One in which I believed I could weather the winds and rains, and keep my emotions running smoothly while I focused on other aspects of my life. When those aspects fall into disarray, all you have left is your shelter. When you make a shelter into your home, it should provide solace and fortitude. Instead, the shelter that I selected became a prison; a jar in which I could not escape from, to be placed on a shelf watching the world go by from behind glass. Survival requires someone to make the best out of bad situations. My cell in the Above became my new home, decorated and tailored to clench every last bit of fondness to it that I could muster.

As the Warden’s grip loosened and her inevitable departure became apparent, those cracks in the security became even more obvious. The walls I perceived as granite and marble were simply plaster and aging drywall. The paint peeling away displayed the layers beneath, entombing the very walls that trapped my predecessors in this place. Sometimes you can even feel the wind blowing through. Since the Warden left, even the heat can escape through the tiniest of cracks.

But surveying the world outside the tower is another matter entirely when you’ve been gazing at it, twisted by the perspective of the Above. The dregs that wander the grounds bring with them the personality of an impoverished outlaw and a small hint of anarchy. Enough to regard them with caution, for when you trap an enemy on all four sides, it forces them to struggle even more intensely for release. And really, that’s all this city is: a trap. A trap for the tired, the poor, and the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. A trap for the wretched refuse of teeming shores long forgotten. A trap for those tossed by the tempests of the economy and the job market, and their standing in life. They, like me, are trapped here by circumstance. And as much as I despise them for their lawlessness and their psychoses, I can’t help but be ashamed at the fact that in spite of my intentions...

I’m here too.