Categories > Original > Drama > Untitled
The rain was pouring down on the crowded streets on this dark, dreary day. The cars sped by, driven exactly the way the people inside them drove their lives: hastily, carelessly, without a thought at all. They all knew where they wanted to go in life and they were doing a hell of a job getting there. Motivation, some might call it, was getting them along. But I always thought it was fear.
Fear that the world will soon end, and they would have nothing. They would be ashamed of the one fact that they were happy living their lives without success and money. Happiness merely wasn't enough. The world had changed, and so had the people, the virtue, the meaning of life. Money redefined everything in this world.
Going to the grocery store was more like going to the stock market. Everything you did, you did it with money in mind. 'How much would I save if I bought this type of tomato instead of that type?' 'If I bought two of these plums, it would cost less than if I bought one of them now, and one tomorrow...' 'Considering the drought in Florida, I should stock up on orange juice now so that when prices go up, I don't have to buy it for twice as much!'
Conversations between friends were pretty much the same. The wives always boasted about their new jewelry, dresses, and cars. The husbands talked about their new stocks, suits, and businesses. Daughters and sons would end up playing with the latest dollies and video games. Money could buy happiness - depending on your definition of happiness.
Churches were no longer the place of worship. Banks were. You didn't always see a crucifix on someone's wall inside their home anymore. But you almost always saw a safe hidden somewhere. Penthouses, convertibles, cell phones, and diamonds; all these things was equivalent to a rosary. If you didn't own them, you were socially unbearable.
Sure, some churches remained on the corners of deserted, old streets. They looked no more special than a run-down apartment building on the outside. The inside was no better, either. It looked as if someone had stuck a poorly-made wooden crucifix in the inside of a warehouse and jammed a few small pews in there as well. There were few places to sit, but that's all they needed since very few people went to church. Those were the people who had something everyone in this world should have had: faith.
It was a beautiful thing, this belief called faith. How could people have found comfort in something that had no proof? They believed in it so much, they didn't even think twice about whether it was logical or not. They didn't care that the world had taken a more scientific turn. To them, the battle between God and science didn't exist. Everyone else, on the other hand, believed that God had long lost.
As the evening mass ended, the few people who had attended started filing out, hoods over their heads, talking quietly amongst themselves. They trotted over the mud, not caring if their formal clothes were ruined. It was the highlight of their day, judging by the looks on their faces. They wouldn't have wanted anything more than to have been there.
My black eyes scanned the crowd one last time before I inhaled the last of my cigarette and flicked away the rest of it. I still didn't understand how people could live this way. Not in this period of time. Why weren't they off discussing how to invest in the best stocks? Why weren't they working extra shifts to buy that extra karat on that diamond ring they'd been saving up for? Why spend that time in front of something that may or may not exist, somehow thinking it did, and asking for nothing but good health for their friends and family?
I didn't know the answers to these questions, nor did I care. I admired these people. What they did was beyond what those wealthy people who worked extra shifts for more luxury did. They believed in something, and stood up for it. They weren't selfish, greedy, and corrupted. Not only did they have faith, but they had /morals/. These people, I thought, were the last glimmer of good this ugly, modern world had. And, although I would never admit it, I would have given everything to have been one of them at that moment.
Fear that the world will soon end, and they would have nothing. They would be ashamed of the one fact that they were happy living their lives without success and money. Happiness merely wasn't enough. The world had changed, and so had the people, the virtue, the meaning of life. Money redefined everything in this world.
Going to the grocery store was more like going to the stock market. Everything you did, you did it with money in mind. 'How much would I save if I bought this type of tomato instead of that type?' 'If I bought two of these plums, it would cost less than if I bought one of them now, and one tomorrow...' 'Considering the drought in Florida, I should stock up on orange juice now so that when prices go up, I don't have to buy it for twice as much!'
Conversations between friends were pretty much the same. The wives always boasted about their new jewelry, dresses, and cars. The husbands talked about their new stocks, suits, and businesses. Daughters and sons would end up playing with the latest dollies and video games. Money could buy happiness - depending on your definition of happiness.
Churches were no longer the place of worship. Banks were. You didn't always see a crucifix on someone's wall inside their home anymore. But you almost always saw a safe hidden somewhere. Penthouses, convertibles, cell phones, and diamonds; all these things was equivalent to a rosary. If you didn't own them, you were socially unbearable.
Sure, some churches remained on the corners of deserted, old streets. They looked no more special than a run-down apartment building on the outside. The inside was no better, either. It looked as if someone had stuck a poorly-made wooden crucifix in the inside of a warehouse and jammed a few small pews in there as well. There were few places to sit, but that's all they needed since very few people went to church. Those were the people who had something everyone in this world should have had: faith.
It was a beautiful thing, this belief called faith. How could people have found comfort in something that had no proof? They believed in it so much, they didn't even think twice about whether it was logical or not. They didn't care that the world had taken a more scientific turn. To them, the battle between God and science didn't exist. Everyone else, on the other hand, believed that God had long lost.
As the evening mass ended, the few people who had attended started filing out, hoods over their heads, talking quietly amongst themselves. They trotted over the mud, not caring if their formal clothes were ruined. It was the highlight of their day, judging by the looks on their faces. They wouldn't have wanted anything more than to have been there.
My black eyes scanned the crowd one last time before I inhaled the last of my cigarette and flicked away the rest of it. I still didn't understand how people could live this way. Not in this period of time. Why weren't they off discussing how to invest in the best stocks? Why weren't they working extra shifts to buy that extra karat on that diamond ring they'd been saving up for? Why spend that time in front of something that may or may not exist, somehow thinking it did, and asking for nothing but good health for their friends and family?
I didn't know the answers to these questions, nor did I care. I admired these people. What they did was beyond what those wealthy people who worked extra shifts for more luxury did. They believed in something, and stood up for it. They weren't selfish, greedy, and corrupted. Not only did they have faith, but they had /morals/. These people, I thought, were the last glimmer of good this ugly, modern world had. And, although I would never admit it, I would have given everything to have been one of them at that moment.
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