Three locations where I am guaranteed an existential dilemma, my mind wandering to universals, amorality and an acute sense of mortality:
- wandering on an overpass/freeway, hovering omnipotently above passing cars, drivers oblivious to me, motoring like ants to and fro mundanity, the potential of death and chaos caused by a simple unintentional stumble or intentional hop over the edge.
- at a concert venue, the performer playing at me with memorized material that I’ve probably heard before, an absolute zero of interaction between us, the faceless masses of humanity surround me, staring, laughing, snorting, ignoring and other sorts of predictable behavior, if I didn’t exist everything would be the same.
- backstroke in a pool, alone, drowning possibilities, gazing at the domed empty space above, sprays of water blurring my vision, audibly deprived, chlorinated sense of smell, a fear of proximity to the concrete edge, images of cracked skull flashes like lightning through my mind, pool water contaminated with blood, everyone has to get out of the pool while they clean me up.
More optimistically, have you heard of Ghost Riding the Whip? — a cultural phenomenon from the Bay Area wherein participants dance outside and on the hood of a driver-less automobile (the “whip”) while it rolls in neutral. Link
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