outside is full, everything ran out
There is so much in life I look at and I just wouldn’t be able to explain that to an outside party. It’s a favorite thought exercise for me: to pretend how we would justify this to an alien who can understand the language somehow, or an adult human born yesterday that can somehow understand.
I don’t understand why we have structured society in a way that makes you feel like you’re unwelcome and everything’s too full and you better just stay home.
Go outside? Please only walk in that narrow area where everyone else also walks and some people ride their bike. Everything else is dangerous because of cars.
Everything feels constantly sold out or booked full. You get FOMO everywhere because if you’re not quick there’s none left. Clothes, tickets, tables, whatever. Also feels like groceries and toiletries constantly get rotated out and cancelled.
You wanna spontaneously go to a fucking cafe or restaurant, full. Some even don’t even let you reserve a table anymore?
You enter trains, trams and buses to normal and humane times that fit perfectly to when your commitment starts? Full as fuck, no seats, sardine-moding, maybe you have to wait for the next.
No appointments free at doctor’s offices because booked out for months, especially therapy spots. Meanwhile, we have like 5 hairdressers and 10 kebab places in each street?
How would you fucking explain this? From a top down view on earth, city builder style, why would you limit the doctor’s offices per city despite long waiting lists and appointment issues? Why would you not send out more public transport options to the busiest times so everyone can fit and find a seat comfortably? Why would you not encourage more availability in recreation and third spaces? Why do we all struggle with only finding out an event happened days or weeks after?
We are wealthy enough, we could invest more, we could reprioritize, but it’s just not wanted. Just more politics for the fossils. Gerontocracy.
It discourages me and depresses me. Nothing can happen spontaneously. You suddenly have the urge and energy to do stuff, 200 good reasons why it’s a bad idea immediately pour down on you. It’s better to stay home, because oh damn now you’re in the busy times of public transport and will suffer, better plan ahead next time to leave earlier or pick another time; going by car is expensive with gas and you won’t find parking or the fees are horrible; you arrive to restaurants and cafes just to be turned away, forget concerts etc altogether, hotels feel like they have like 2 rooms total at all times, other events happen at the shittiest times ever, everything is too expensive as well.
You think “Oh I would like to go out.” But then you realize hmm, should I really spend 40+ Euro on some beverage and food I could make at home? To sit somewhere where children scream and run around, the other person there stinks up the place with their cigarette smell, and someone is sick and coughing? Or you go to the damn park or forest, just for people to play loud music, smoke, spit and harass people? You enter the tram just for it to smell of piss?
Going out more should be our goal but it’s so discouraged and depressing when you do, unless you can go to a genuine forest and know the good spots, not artificial parks. I swear everywhere you go the benches are occupied too. The grass is full of poop. Motherfucker, where am I supposed to sit and enjoy anything outside? Build more benches and seats!!!
Depending on the place, you can’t even sit anywhere without being harassed for money or drugs, or things are frequently vandalized and broken.
And we wonder why people stay inside. Man, outside sucks complete ass! And the rising rent prices contribute too, because why pay so much for barely being there?