"Cities are not... about efficient production or transportation or commerce. They are, rather, about people and their interactions." Jane Jacobs
Why do we travel? The word travel comes from the French “to work” or, originally, “to suffer”. Yet travel has transformed into a luxury, a way of life, a daily practice, an art for some. But it can take us back to its roots when things don’t go to plan.
A backpack user with just one free hand can do a lot of good on their journey. Carrying a pram down steps, picking up a dropped toy in the airport, holding a door open for the person behind. Things flow better when we are aware of the people around us and feel we can offer our help.
As we each get on with what we’re doing today, remarkably, what we collectively need just about gets done. Infrastructure maintained, art is made, vegetables harvested, students taught, planes flown, buildings designed, streets swept, trains built, books written, software developed, water piped, backpacks sewn, gardens tended to, emergencies mitigated, care provided.
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